The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-10-10
L. S. NAVY AGENCY.
Monterey. California. July l. 1918.

Monterey, CALIFORNIA, July lf 1910
Sir: Since my last letter TO you, written in
San Francisco, have visited The q" Placer or
gold region of California, and found 1t all ii
had been represented to me. My anticipations
were fully realized. The part | visited was
the south fork Of the river American, which
Joins the Sacramento ut Sutor's fort, or two
miles from it. This river has its north and
south forks, branching more than twenty miles
from Fort Sutor. On these two forks there are
over 1000 people digging and washing for
god. On Bear creek and llulo creek, branch
cs of Feather river, many are now beginning
to work. 1t is supposed that the banks and
bottoms of all these small streams contain vast
quantities of gold, and that the valleys between
them are rich with the same metal. The poo
pie are now working at many places, some are
eighty miles from others. The place | visited
was about league in extent on this were a
bout fifty tents many have not even this COW
ering. At one tent, belonging to eight single
men, remained two or three days. These
mon had two machines made in a day from
so to 100 feet, inch boards, and very roughly
put together. Their form was something ike
a child's cradle, without the ends; at one end
there was a movable sieve or rack TO wash
down the dirt, and shake off the stones. Holes
catch the gold this wash stopped, and this was
scraped out hourly. These two machines gath
cred each day was present three-fourths 10
one pound each, being three to four ounces O:
gold perman. These men had worked one week
with tin pans the last week with the machine
| saw the result of the first days work of two
brothers, (Americans) one had seven dollars.
the other eighty-two: they worked on the same
five yards of land one, however, worked less
than the whole day. Their plan, like humid
reds of others, was first with pick and shovel
clear off two feet Of the top earth. then put in
a tin pan or wooden bowl shovel of dirt, 20
into running wafer, with the hand stir up the
dirt and heave out the stones, until they have
remaining a spoonful Of emery or black sand,
containing one to five dollars. This can be
done once or twice n day.
Each day is causing some saving Of labor by
the improvements in the rough machines now
in use The day left, some small companies
Of five to eight mem had machines from which
thcy anticipate five or SIX hundred dollars a
lay. There certainly must this day be at
work on the different PlacerS several hundreds
of Americans and others, who are cleaning one
ounce Of gold day. have this week seen
in Monterey a Californian, who shows four
hundred dollars of gold from the labor of one
week much of it was the size of wheat. !
myself weighed one piece from his bag, and
found the weight an even Ounce. lie, like
many others, only went up to the gold regions
to sec the place, borrowed tools, worked a few
DAYS, and came home to show his labor, and
take up brothers aud cousins and provisions.
Flour, at the " Placer," is scarce at SIG per
100 lbs. At almost this price it must contin-
ne, as people arc forsaking their fields. | do
not think am exaggerating in estimating the
amount of gold obtained on the rivers have
mentioned at ten thousand dollars day for
for the last few days. There is every reason
| TO believe the amount will not this season (un-
less the washers are driven from their WORK by
sickness) be any less. In this case the addi-
ton of workmen now joining the first ones,
and the emigrants from the Atlantic States
we shall have in October and December, will
soon swell the value of California gold that will
be washed out to an unheard-of value.
Many who have seen the Placer" think it
will last thirty or forty years. should think
that it would afford work two or three years
to many thousands Of people, and may for We
nv many years, as cannot calculate the extent
Of country having gold. The working of
quicksilver mines like every thing else, Is stop
| ned three-fourtLs of the houses in the town of
San Francisco are shut up. Houses IN Mon
terev are being closed this week the volun-
teer companies Of Sonoma and San Francisco
have lost several men by desertion. Under
the present excitement, a ship of-war or any
other vessel lying at anchor in San Francisco
would lose many men. In that town there is
hardly mechanic remaining. ! expect the
same in Monterey in two weeks. Both news
papers have stopped. All or nearly all the
hotels are shut up. One of my clerks who re-
ceived $500 and board, now receives in his
store near Halvetia (Sutors Fort) $500 per
month my others are fast closing their books
to leave me. In fact, find myself, or shall
this month, without clerk, carpenter, or SER
want, and all my houses, formerly rented, Civ
en- up to me. In two weeks Monterey will
be nearly without inhabitants.
am, with much respect,
TIIOS. o. LARKIN.
Com. Thos. APP c. Jones.
We have seen specimens of the California
gold. As far as we have seen it, it does not