New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-08

Region from the pen Of Col. MASON, the Military
Commandsnt Of California, being Of the Docu-
ments accompanying the Presidents Message Our
readers will also see rich reports from the gold
regions Of Virginia
HgaDoUAKrERs 10Th military DEF1,
MoSTEREY, Cshf0r mia Aug. IL, 1919
SIR ! have the honor 20 inform you that accom-
named BY Lieut. w Z Sherman Sd artillery, A. a
General started the 18th Of June last 70 make
through the northern part of California My prn
cpal purpose however was 20 visii the ne~y discoy
cred gold placer Ia the Valley Of the Sacramento.
had proceeded about forty miles when was overssen
by express bringing me intelligence Of the arrival
At Monterey Of the L. :. ship Southampton. with i'm
portant letters from Com shubrick and Lieut. Col Bur
ION returned at once to Monterey, and dispatched
what business most important, and on the 18th
resumed my journey. We reached San franclfcO on
the 10Th aid found that ALL or nearly all s male in
bsbiiants had gone 10 the mines. The town, which
few months before was 40 busy and thriving was then
almost deserted.
On the evening Of the 25u the horses Of the escort
were crossed -ousoleto in launch and the fol.
lowing day resumed the journey By way Of Bodega
and SOn0fna 20 Suffers fort, where arrived the
morning Of the ID OF July Along the whole mills
were ly ng idle fields Of wheat open cattle and
horses houses vacant. and farms going % waste At
Suffers there more life and business. Launches
dschsrgiDg their csrgOes at the river and carts
hauling goods 10 the tort where already
tsbhshed several stores hotel &C Captain suffer mad
only two mechanics in his employ a maker and
blAcksmith) whom be was then paying ten dollars a
day Merchants pay him monthly rent Of 800 per
room and while was there two story house m the
fort was rented as hotel for 500 a month
Al the urgent solicitation of many gentlemen. Dc
lsyed there 10 participate in the hrs public celebration
of our national anniversary at that fort but the jih
resumed the journey and proceeded twenty-five miles
miles up the American fork 10 point on now known
the Lower Mines Mormon Diggngs The hill
sides thckly strewn with canvass tents and bush
srbors a store erected and several boarding shan
ties in operation The day intensely hot yetabOut
two hundred at work IN the ull glare Of the
sun washing tor gold-sOme with tin pans some with
close Indian baskets but the greater part had
rude machine known AS the cradle This Is on rockers
eight feet long, open Al the foot and At is head
has coarse crate, or sieve the bottom IL rounded,
with small elects nailed across. -Four men are required
TO work this machine digs the ground 10 the
bank close by the stream another carries II 10 the
cradle aud empties II the CRATE third gives VIC
lent rocking motion 10 the machine. while fourth
dsshes water from the stream itself
The sieve keeps the stones from entering the
cradle the current of water washes of the earthly mat
ter and the gravel s gradually carried the foot
of the machine. leaving the gold mixed with heavy
fine black sand above the hrst elects. The sand and
gold mixed together then drawn of through augur
holes into pan below dried in the sun and alter
ward separated by blowing Of the sand party OF
four men thus employed at the lower mines averaged
sl0O day. The Indians, and those who have nothing
but pans or willow baskets gradually wash out the
earth and separate the gravel by hand leaving nothing
but the gold mixed with sand which il separated in tn
manner before described The gold In the lower mines
Is in fine bright scales of which send several speci
As we ascended the north branch OF the American
fork the country became more broken and mountain
and at the mill % miles above the lower wash
ngs 20 miles from Suffers the hills rise TO about
thousand feet above the level of the Sacramento plain
Here species of pine which led TO the disco
very of the gold Capt Suffer, feeling the great
of lumber contracted In September last with a Mr.
Marshall 20 build mill at that place IL
erected In the OF the past Winter and and Spring
"A dam and race constructed but when the water
let on the wheel the tarsce found TO be too
narrow 10 permit the water TO escape with sufficient
rspidi,y Mr. Marshall to save labor lei the water
directly into the with strong current 60 as to
wash wider and deeper He effected his purpose and
large bed Of mud and gravel was carried 20 the foot
of the
One day Mr.. Marshall. as he was walking down the
this deposit OF mud, observed glitterng
particles at its upper edge he gathered a few, exam
med them, and became satisfied of their value. tie
then went the fort told Capt Suffer Of his discov
cry, and they agreed TO keep II until
grstmil of Suffers was finished 1t however got out
and spread like magic. Remarkable scecess attended
the lHbors of the hrst explorers aud in few weeks
hundreds OF men drawn thher. At the time OF
my visit but little three months after its first dis
c0yery, II estimated that upward OF 1000 people
were employed Al the mill there Is fine deposit or
bank Of gravel which the people respect the prop
ery of Capt Suffer, although he pretends to no right
TO H. and would be perfectly satisfied with the simple
promise OF preempuon. account of the mill which
he has built there At considerable cost Mr. Marshall
wss living near the mill, and informed that many
persons were employed above and below him that
they used the same machines at the lower wsshngs
and that their success about the ssme-rsnglng
from one one TO three ounces OF gold per daily
This gold too is 10 scales little than those OF
the lower mnss.
From the mill Mr. Marshall guided me up the mountain
the opposite north bank OF the south fork where
Ia the bed of small streams ravnes dry, great
deal of coarse gold hss been found there saw several
parties at work all OF whom were doing very well
great many specimens were shown me. some As heavy
AS four OF nve ounces in weight and send three pieces
labelled No ) presented by Mr. Spence You will
perceive that some OF the specimens accompanying
this hold mechanically pieces OF quartz that the
face rough snd evidently nodded in the crew zee of
rock This gold cannot have been carried lar by Wa
ter but must have remained near where It mrs; de
posted rom the rock that once bound H. inquired
OF macy people they had encountered the metal In s
msirN, bot IN every instance they said they had not
but that the gold WAS invariably mixed with washed
gravel or lodged in the crevices OF other rocks All
bore testimony that they had found gold greater or
less quantities IN the numerous small gullies rsvnes
thst occur in that mountainous region
On the 7th Of July let the mill and crossed to
sire am emPving into the American fork three or four
miles below ihs saw mill / struck this stream now
known As Wesers creek IT the wAshings Of Sunol 4
Co. They had about thirty Indians employed " HON
they pay in merchandise. They getting gold OF
character similar 10 that found in the main fork snd
doubtless in sufficient quantities 10 satisfy them :
send you small specimen presented by this COMPANY
OF their gold From this point. We proceeded up TIE
stream about eight miles where we found great msny
people and lndsns-some engaged in the bed OF the
stream snd others 10 the small side valleys thst put
into H. These latter are exceedingly rich and two
ounces were considered ordinary yield for DAYS
work small gutter not more than = hundred wards
long by feet wide and = 3 feet deep was pointed
cut to ss the one where two mso--Wilism Dsy and
Parry McCoon-hsd short time before. obtained
Sl7oN worth OF gold. Capt Weber Informed me that
he knew thsi these had employed four white
snd about hundred Indians sni that At the end
of one weeks work they paid % their party snd hsd
lett $1,000 worth of this gold Another small rsvine
shown me, from which had been taken upward OF
$4,000 worth Of gold Hundreds OF similar rsvines
70 al appearances. are as yet untouched could not
have credited these reports had not the sbun
dance OF the precious metal evidence OF their truth
Nj. Neigh, sgent OF Commodore stockton, had
been Al work about three weeks IN the neishoOrhood
and showed me in bags and bottle - 0Oo worth
OF gold and Mr.. Lyman. gentleman OF education snd
worthy OF every credit said be hsd been engaged with
tour o'ners with machine. the American fork last
oe'e~ suffers mil that they worked eight days and
mat BE share was 81 the rate OF $50 day but hear
n That others we're doing better Weoes place they
esd removed there. and then the point OF ~
semins operations might tell Of hund ads OF miiar
Instances but To illustrate how plentiful the gad Nas
"a the packets OF common lsboFers will mention
simple occurrence which took place my presence
~hcn was 81 Wcbsrs store This store WAS nothing
but sroor Of bushes under which be had exposed
tor sale goods and suited 10 his eus,omsrs-
man came In, picked up box Of Seidhfx y. ders
and asked rs price Capt Weber told him II not