The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1848-12-12
THE GOLD COUNTRY"

1t was written August 20:
The gold discoveries still continue every day
brings some new deposit to light. 1t has been
found in large quantities on the Sacramento, Fea-
Their River, Yerba River, the American Fork
North and South branches-the Cosamer, and in
MANY dry ravines, and indeed on the tops OF high
hills. The tract of country in which it is ascer-
tanned to exist, extends some two hundred miles
North and South, and some sixty East and West;
and these limits every day enlarging by new
discoveries. On the streams where the gold has
been subjected to the action OF water and sand, il
exists in fine grains; the hills and among the
clefts OF the rocks it is found in rough, Jagged
pieces OF quarter or half an ounce in weight
and sometimes two or three ounces.
At present the people are running over the
country and picking it out Of the earth here and
there, just as thousand hogs, let loose IN for
est, would root up ground nuts. Some get eight
or ten ounces a day; and the least active one or
two. They make the most who employ the wild
Indians TO hunt it for them There is one man
who has sixty Indians IN his employ; his profits
dollar minute. The wild indians know
nothing of its value, and wonder what the pale
faces want to do with it +; they will give ounce
OF 1t Tor the same weight OF coined silver, or a
thimble full OF glass beads, or glass OF grog-
And white men themselves often give an ounce
oft, which is worth at our mint eighteen dollars
or more, Tor bottle OF brandy, box OF soda
powders, or a plug OF tobacco.
AS to he quantity which the dggers get, take
few facts as evidence. ! know seven men who
worked seven weeks and two days, Sundays ex.
cePted, on Feather river; they employed on an
average fifty Indians, and got out in these seven
weeks and two days, 275 pounds OF pure gold
know the men and have seen the gold, and know
what they state TO be fact-so stick pin there
l know ten other men who worked ten DAYS in
company, employed no Indians, and averaged IN
Aax I
there. know another man who got out of a
basin in rock, not larger than a w ash bowl, two
pounds and halt gold in fifteen mnutes-so
stick another pin there Not one of these state
ments would believe, did not know the men
personally, and know them to be PLAN matter of
fact men men who open vein OF gold just as
coolly as you would potato hill.
The gold is obtained in a variety of WAYS:
some wash it out of the sand with bowls some
with machine made like cradle, only longer
and open at the foot, while at the other end. in
stead OF squallIng infant, there is grating upon
which the earth is thrown, and then water; both
pass through the grating, --the cradle is rocked.
and being on all inclined plane, the water carries
OIL the earth, and the gold is deposited in the bot
tom of the cradle. So the two things most prized
in this world gold and infant beauty, are both
rocked out of their primitive state, one TO pam.
per pride, and the other to pamper the worm
Some forego cradles and bowls as too tame an
occupation, and mounted on horses half wild.
dash up the mountain gorges, and over the steep
hills, picking the gold from the clefts of the rocks
with their bowie knives-a much better use 10
make oil these instruments than picking the life
out OF mems bodies, for what is man with that
article picked out of him.
A larger party, well mounted, are follow;n0
up the channel of the Sacramento, TO discover
where this gold, found in its banks, comes from
and Imagine that near the rivers fount thew will
ind the great yellow mass itself But thew
might as well hunt the fieeting rainbow. The
goid was thrown up from the bed of the ocean
with the rocks and sands in which it ia ionnd
aud still bears, where it has escaped the action
oil the elements, vivid traces of volcanic fire. II
olten encases crystal OF quartz, in which the
pebble lies as if it had slumb cred there from
eternity; its beautiful repose sets human art6ce
at defiance. How strange that this ore sbould
nave IAN mere, scattered about in all directions.
peePlng everywhere out OF the earth, and spark
mig III the sun, and been trod upon for aoe.hv
"hlte men and savages, and by the emissaries Of
every scientific association in the world ad
never I'LL now have been discovered What an
ass man is, with all his learning! He stnndlv
sumbles over hills OF gold 10 reach rare nenne,
pod, or rifle birds nest
lne who're country is now moving on the mines.
monterey, San Francisco, Sonora, San Jose. and
santa Cruz, are emphed OF their male nonnIa,;nn
arrived among race OF women, who bv some
anomalous provision OF nature, multiplied their
images without the presence of the o,ber Gov
But not lew OF the women have gone too 90
pecially those who had got out OF tea-for What
sa woman without her tea-pot-a pvtboness
without her shaking tripod-an angel thgt hos
iost MS Tyre. Every bowl, tray, warning nan
ana Piggn, have gone to the mines Fyorr
thlng, In short, that has scoop in il that viii
ho'd sand and water. All the iron has been
worked up into crow bars, pick-axes. and snadea
ana all these roll back upon us in the shane of
gold. We have therefore plenty of cola L',,
little to cat, anil still less 10 wear. Our snnras
must come IRON Oregon, Chill, and the IJpi,sI
states. Our grain gold, in exchange for coin
sells Tor nine and ten dollars the ounce thonnhi,
IS well known TO be worth at the mint in PEI.
deiphia eighteen dollars the ounce At le.st
such IS the scarcity of coin here.
We want mint Let Congress nd us oro =.
once over the lsthmus; else this grain cola aoss
to Mazatlan, to Chill and Peru-wbere II !. H.,
70 our national currency. Over million of cola
al the lowest computation, is taken from ,hess
mines every month-and this ouantitv will no
more than doubled when the emigration from Tho
states, from Oregon, the Sandwich Islands and
the southern republics, arrives. Send ms a mint,
could give you forty more illustrations Of no
extent and productveness of these mines bu, M
hall