Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-12-15
California Cold.--ImpOrtant Official
RepOrt,

HrApouAnrFRs 10TH MILITARY DEPTp I
MoNrrRFY California, Aug IL, lS4o.
S,p. have tho honor 10 inform you that ac-
oon,nan;ed Inv Lieut. w T. Sherman, Sd artil-
Isryl A. A. A. General, ] started on the 18th OF
June last to make tour through the northern
part of California. My principal purpose, how
ever. was TO visit the newly discovered gold
.placer" ia the Valley of the Sacramento.
had proceeded about forty miles, when was
overtakeu by an express, bringing me ntelli-
gence of the arrival at Monterey Of the U. S.
ship Southampton, with important letters from
Com. Shubrick and Lieut.. Col. Burton. | re.
turned at once to Monterey, and dispatched what
business was most important, and on the 9Th
resumed my journey. We reached San Fran
cisco ON the 10th, and found that ALL or nearly
all. its male inhabitants had gone to the mines.
The town, which few months before was SO
busy and thriving, was then almost deserted.
On the evening OF the 25th, the horses Of the
escort were crossed to Sousoleto in launch, and
on the following day we resumed the journey by
way of Bodega and Sonoma to Suffers fort,
where we arrived on the morning of the I'd of
July. Along the whole route mills were lying
idle, fields Of wheat were open TO cattle and
horses, houses vacant and farms going to waste
At Suffers there was more life and business
Launches were discharging their cargoes at the
river, and carts were hauling goods to the fort
where already were established several stores,
hotel, &c. Captain Suffer had only two me-
chanics in his employ, "a wagon-maker and black
smith) whom he was then paying ten dollars
day. Merchants pay him monthly rent OF 500
per room and while was there two story
house in the fort was rented as a hotel tor 5000
a month.
At the urgent solicitation Of many gentlemen,
! delayed there to participate in the irst public
IL At rat
fort but on the 9Th resumed the journey and
proceeded twenty-five miles up the American
fork to point on it now known as the Lower
Mines, or Mormon Diggings. The hilLsides
were thickly strcwn with canvass tents aud bush
arbors; store was erected, and several board
ing shanties in operation. The day was intense
w hot, vet about two hundred men were at work
in the full glare OF the sun, washing for gold
some with tin pans, some with close-woyen In
dian baskets, but the greater part had rude
machine, known as the cradle. This is on rock
ers, six or eight feet long, open at the foot, and
at its head has a coarse CRATE, or sieve the bot
tom is rounded, with small elects nailed across.
-Four men are required to work this machine
one digs the ground in the bank close by the
stream another carries it to the cradle and emp
ties it on the CRATE third gives violent rock
ing motion to the machine while fourth dash
es on water from the stream itself.
The sieve keeps the coarse stones from enter
ing the cradle, the current of water washes of
the earthly matter, and the gravel is gradually
carried out at the foot Of the machine, leaving
the gold mixed with a heavy fine black sand
above the first elects. The sand and gold mixed
together are then drawn off through anger holes
into pan below, are dried in the sun, and after
ward separated by blowing off the sand. A par
ty of four men thus employed at the lower mines
averaged 500 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 gold mixed
with sand, which is separated in the manner be-
fore described The gold in the lower mines
is in fine bright scales, of which l send several
specimens.
As we assembled the north branch of the
American fork, the country became more broken
and mountainous, and at the saw-Inill, % mile.
above the lower washings, or 80 miles from SUIT
tiers, the hills rise TO about thousand feet above
the level of the Sacramento plain. Here a spe
cies of pine occurs which led TO the discovery 0
the gold. Capt. Suffer, feeling the great wan
Of lumber, contracted in September last with !
Mr. Marshall to build saw-mill at that place.
1t was erected in the course of the past Winter
and Sprng-a dam and race constructed but
when the water was let on the wheel, the tail
race was found to be too narrow to permit the
water TO escape with sufficient rapdty. Mr.
Marshall to save labor, let the water directly in
to the race with a strong current, so as to wash
it wider and deeper lie effected his purpose
and large bed of mud and gravel was carried
to the foot Of the race.
One day Mr. Marshall, as he was walking down
the race to this deposit of mud, observed some
glittering particles at its upper edge he gather
ed few, examined them, and became satisfied
of their value. He then went to the fort, told
Capt. Suffer OF his discovery, and they agreed
TO keep it secret until certain grs,-mill OF SUIT
ter's was finished. 1t however got out, and
spread like magic, Remarkable success attend
ed the labors OF the first explorers, and in few
weeks hundreds of men were drawn thither-
AT the time of my visit, but little over tire,
months after its first discovery, it was estimated
that upward of 1000 people were employed
AT the mill there is fine deposit or bank oil
gravel, which the people respect us the prop
erty Of Capt. Suffer, although he prctends TO
no right to II, and would be perfectly satisfied
with the simple promise Of preemption, on ac-
count of tho mill which he has built there at con.
siderable cost. Mr. Marshall was living near the
mill, aud informed me that many persons were
employed above and below him; that they used
the same machines as at the lower washings, and
that their success was about the samc-ranging
from one to three ounces Of gold per man daily
This gold, too, is in scales little coarser than
those of the lower mines.
From the mill Mr. Marshall guided me up the
mountain on the opposite or north bank OF the
south fork, where, in the bed Of small streams or
rayines, now dry, great deal of coarse gold has
been found. there saw several parties at work,
all of whom were doing very we'll agreat many
specimens were shown me, some as heavy "a
four or Eve ounces in weight, and ] send three
pieces labeled No. 5, presented by Mr. Spence.
You will perceive that some OF the specimens
accompanying this, hold mechanically pieces OF
quartz and that the surface is rough, and evil
IDENTIFY nodded in the creyice of rock. This
gold cannot have been carried far by water, but
must have remained near where it was first de-
posted from the rock that once bound it. in.
quired Of many people if they had encountered
the metal in its matrix, but in every instance
they said they had not; but that the gold was
invariably mixed with washed gravel, or lodged
in the creyices of other rocks. All bore testi.
mony that they had found gold in greater or less
quantities in the numerous small gules or ra-
vines that occur in that mountainous region.
On the 9Th of July left the mill, and crossed
to stream employing into the American fork,
three or four miles below the saw.mill. Istruck
this stream (now known as Weber's creek) at
the washings OF Sunol & Co. They had about
thirty Indians emDloyed, whom they pay in mer-