Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1848-10-13
From the National Inteliigea Ger.
FROM CALIFORNIA.


Commodore JONES' squadron in the Pacific,
and is said to have performed the most rapio
journey that has ever been known from the Pa
clhc to Washington. He left Commodore
JONES at La Paz on the Ist of August, came
by Mazatlan, and arrived at the port of San
Bias on the 10th, and pushed his way by
horse and mule across the country to the CITY
of Mexico, where he arrived on the 18th. He
was detained by Mr.. Clifford three days for
dispatches, and in forty-eight hours passed
from the city of Mexico to Vera Cruz, about
275 miles, sleeping not more than ten minutes
at a time. From Vera Cruz he sailed to Mo-
bile, and arrived here Saturday evening"
Mr.. Beale crossed from the Pacific at San
Bias Gulf to Vera Cruz in the unexampled
journey of ten days on the road, and was de-
tanned at Mexico three DAYS.
The most extraordinary news which Mr..
Beale brings is about the real Ell Dorado, the
Gold region in California. His accounts of
the extraordinary richness of the gold surface
and the excitement ii had produced among all
classes of people, inhabitants of the country
and of the towns, among seamen and soldiers.
are confirmed by letters from Comodore Jones
and from Mr.. Larkin, the United States Navy
Agent at Monterey, California. Mr. Beale
states that the whalers had suspended their
operatipns-the captains permitting their sea-
men tolgo to the gold region, upon condition
that every ounce of gold obtained should be
given to the captain for SO. making six or
seven dollars by the bargain. The towns
were being evacuated, mechanics sc. going
10 the attractive spot. The two newspapers
had been suspended, the compositors going off
to gather gold for themselves.
The :. Union" publishes the following let
ter from Mr.. La-kin to the Secretary Of the
Navy;
u. S. NAVY AGENCY,
Monterey, California, July l, 1913. !
SIR Since my last letter to you, written
In San Francisco, have visited the 'sPacer''
or gold region of California, aud found it ell
it had been represented TO me-. My anticipa-
tons were fully realized. The part | visited
was the south fork of river American, which
joins the Sacramento at Suffers Fork or two
miles from it. This river has its north and
south forks branching more than twenty
miles from Fort Suter. On these two forks
there are 200 people digging and washing
for gold. On Bear Greek and Ii ulo creek
branches of Feather river, many are begin
ming 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 people are now working at many places
some eighty miles from the others. The
place visited was about a league in extent ::
on this were about fifty tents many have not
even this covering. Atone tent, belonging to
eight single men, | remained two or three
days. These men had two machines made in
a day, from eighty to one hundred feet, inch
boards, and very roughly put together. Their
form was something like child S cradle, with
out the ends, at one end there was a novea-
BILE sieve or rack TO wash down the dirt aud
shake off the stones. Holes were made in the
bottom of the machine TO catch the gold that
stopped, and this was scraped out hour
" two oatn here d,x
| was present three -fourths 20 one pound
each, being three TO four ounces of gold per
These men had worked one week with
the machine. i 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 hundreds of others, was first
with shovel OF dirt, 60 into running water,
with the hand stir up the dirt and heave out
the slones, until they have remaining spoon
iul of emery or black sand, containing one to
five dollars. This can be done once or twice
day.
Each day is causing some saving of labo r
by the Improvements in the rough machines
now in use. The day left, some small COM
panies ofive to eight men had machines from
which they anticipate five or six hundred dol
lars day. There certainly must this day be
=
dreds of Americans and others, who are clean
ing one ounce gold day have this week
seen in Monterey a Californian who shows
four hundreds dollors of gold from the labor
OF one week much of it was the size ofwheat
i myself weighed one piece from his bag and
found the weight an even ounce. He Ike
many others, only wentup to the gold regions
to see the place, borrowed tools, worked a
few days, and came home to show his labor.
n1Ht al.a h,.ntt ,o,.c
ions. Flour at the "Pla cer'' is scarce at 81 6
per 100 lbs. At almost this price it must
continue, as people are forsaking their fields.
do not think am eXaggerating in estimal inc
the amount OF gold obtained on the rivers /
have mentioned at ten thousand dollars day
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
addition OF workmen now joining the first
ones, and the emigrauts from the Atlantic
States we shall have in October and Decen-
Der, will soon swell the value. Manv who
have seen the ''Placer' think it will last tbir
ty or forty years. | should think that it would
afford work two or three years TO many tbou.
sands OF people, and may for very MANY wears.
as cannot calculate the extent of country
having gold The working of quick silver
mines, like every thing else, is STONED tbrea
forths of the houses in the town of San Fran
cisco are shut up. Houses in Monterey are
being closed this week the volunteer comma
mes OF Sonoma and San Francisco have lost
several men by desertion. Under the pres
ent excitement, ship-of-war or any other
vessel lying at anchor in San Francisco vonId
lose many men. In that town there is hard
~ mechanic remaining. expect the same
IN Monterey in two or three weeks. Rotb
newspapers have stopped. All or nearly ali
the hotels are shut up. One of my clerks
who received 5000 aud board now receives in