Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-12-20
The Gold Region In California.

The Gold Region i'm California.
Every thing in relation to the Gold re.
gion in California, will now be read with
increased interest, since the President has
recommended in his annual message, that
Congress shall establish branch mint of
the United States in the newly acquired ter
ritory. Letters from the Pacific, received
in the United States by the overland mail
route via Panama and Kingston, state that
some fifteen millions worth Of gold had al
ready been gathered in California. A let
ter dated San Francisco, Sept. !, and pub
lished in The New Bedford Mercury, gives
the following information in relation to
the gold mania now raging there:
A day or two ago, the Flora, Capt Pot
ter of New London, anchored in Whale
mans Harbor on the opposite side of the
Bay. Yesterday the Captain fearing he
would lose all his men, weighed anchor,
intending TO &c to sea. After getting un-
der way, the crew finding the ship headed
out refused duty, and the Captain was fore
ed to return and anchor here. Last night
nine Of the crew gagged the watch, lower
ed one Of the boats and towed off They
have not been heard of since and are now
probably half way to the gold region. Ea.
cry vessel that comes in here now is sure
to lose her crew, MD this state of things
must continue until the squadron arrives.
when, if the men-of-w war mon do not run off
too, merchant men may retain their crews.
Vessels are daily arriving from the Is
lands and ports upon the coast, ladened
with goods and passengers, the latter des~
tined for The gold washings.
The volunteer regiment of e. S. soldiers
have been mustered ou! Of service,a and have
mostly gone gold-buntng. Much sickness
prevails among the gold diggers, many
have left the ground sick, and many more
have discontinued their labo,s for the pres.
ent, and gone into the more healthy por-
tion ofthe country, intending to return al.
ter the sickly season has passed. From
The best Information can obtain there are
two or three thousand persons at work at
the gold washings with the same success
as heretofore.
The whole country, am credibly in
formed in the valleys and on the plains
west of the California mountains and west
of the gold is almost entirely overfowed
with " ater during the winter months, so
that it is with the greatest difficulty that ac-
cess can be had to and from the settlements
The gold diggers and those intending to
become such are making their prepara-
tions accordingly by providing themselves
with a four or five months outfit By tho
first of October the number OF persons at
the washings will not fall short of four
thousand.
The San Francisco, California, Star
gives the following description of the ex-
element existing in that region:
"Every seaport as far as San Diego and
every interior town, and nearly every ran
cho, from the base of the mountains in
which the gold has been found, 10 the Mis-.
sion Of San Luis, south, has become sud.
denly drained of human beings. Ameri-
can S, Californians, indians and Sandwich
islanders; men, women and children, in-..-
discriminotely.-Sh Should there be that sue
cess which has repaid the efforts of those
employed for the last month, during the
present and next, as many are sanguine in
their expectations, and we confess to unhes.
itatingly believe probable, not only will it
witness the depopulation of every town,the
desertion of every rancho, and the desoa.
ton Of the once promising crops of the
but it will'also draw largely upon
adjacent territories-awake Sonora, and
call down upon us, despite her Indian bat
ties, great many of the good people of
Oregon.
We have, by every launch from the EN-.
barcadero of New Helvetea, returns of en-.
thusiastic gold seekers-heads of families,
to effect the transportation of their house,
holds to the scene Of their successful labors
or others, merely returned to more fully
equip themselves for protracted, or per-
haps permanent stay. Spades, shovels,
picks, wooden bowls, Indian baskets, for
washing, &c., find ready purchasers, and
are very frequently disposed of at extor-
tionate prices.
The gold region, so called, thus far ex-
plored, is about one hundred miles in length
and twenty In width. These imperfect ex-
plorations contribute to establish the GER
lainty of the placera extending much fur
ther South, probably three or four hundred
miles, as we have before stated, where it is
believed to terminate about league North
If the point at which it was first discover.
I'd.