The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1848-10-07

VOL s.isA hsiafh ,N.'0A gtaAss2
about fifty tents; many have not even
this covering. AT one tent, Belonging
to eight single men, remained two or
three days. These men had two ma
chimes. made i'd d day, from go to a 100
|fcet, inch boards, and very roushly put
together, Their form was something
like a child's cradle, without the ends;
at one end there was a 'noveable sieve
or rack 10 wash down the Dirt, and
shake of the stones. Holes were made
in the bottom Of the machine to catch
the gold this wash stopped, and this
was scraped Oh. hourly. These two
machines gathered each day l was
presen, three,louflhs TO one pound
each, being three to four ounces Of gold
per man, These men had worked one
week with. lin pans; the last week with
the machine. | saw the result Of the
Grst days work Of two brothers,
(Americans0 one had seven dollars,
The ollier eighty-two; they worried on
the same Ave yards Of land, one, how
ever, worked less than the whole day.
Their plan, like hundreds Of others, was
first with pick and shovel, clear off
two feet of The, top earth, then put in
tin-pan OF wooden bowl shovel Of
dirt, go mao running water, with the
hand stir up the dirt and heave out the
stones unlil they have remaing d spoon
fuI 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
labor "by the improvements hlh The
rough machines losv3ltI use. The day
I1eIt, some small companies OF tiyero
eight men had machines from which,
they anticipatetfye Or six hundred dol
lars day. There certainly must this
dayl be at work on The different Placefs
several hundreds .oi Americans and
Others, who are cleaning one ounce OF
gold aday, ltlayo this week seen in
Monterey a Californian, who shows
four hundred dollars gold from the
labor Of one tceek ylDuc! oil i. was the.
size of wheat. myself weighed one
piece from his bag, and found it to- be,
ah even ounce. He, like anany others,
only went up to-lhe gold'regions to see
tlle place,y borrowed tools, worked a
few days, and came liome,to show his:
labor, and rake hpfbfotllersi and cons-
ms and provisions. Flour at the ''Pla-
cer'' was scarce al $i6 per 100 lbs. At
almost this price IT must continue, as
people nre fdrsaking their fields. ii do
noiSihink l ain eXaggerating it in csli-
mating the aalo6nt cigo'd obtained on
the rivers 4 hive lhentiened at ten
thousand dollars a day for the last few
days. There is every reason TO be-
lieye' lhe amount will not this season
rnnleSs .tc' washers are driven from
tlreir work by siehDessD be any less.
In this case the addition of workmen
now joining the first ones, and the eul-
i4tarlts from the AtlaMic States, we
sha1l have ID October and December,
wifi soon swell the valne Of California
cold that win be washed oul 70 un oni
Reard.of value. Many who have seen
Tie i1Placer' think ii tsill las! thirty or /
forty years. | should think o that it
would afford work two or three years
10 many thousands Of people, and may !
for very many years, asl cannot cal. |
culate tile ex,en! of country having |
gold. The working quicksilvermines,
ike every thing else, is stopped; three
fourths, Of the houses in the town Of
San Francisco are shut Up. Houses
IN Monterey are being closed this
week; the volunteer companies olson.
oma and San Francisco have rlos,sev.
sraI men by deseriioa. Under the'pres.
snt excitement, a ship-of-war or any |
other vessel lying at anchor in San |
francisco would lose many men. In |
Lhat town there IL hardly a mechanic |
| expect the same in Mon. |
.erey in two weeks. Both newspapers
nave stopped. All OF nearIy qil9 the |
hotels are, shut up, One Of my clerks
who received $500 and board, now re- |
ceiVes in his store near Nsw Halve,la
tSutar's Fort} SlU0 per month; my |
others are fast closing their books TO |
leave me, In tact,. lind myself, Or
shall this month, without q clerk, car
penter, or servant, and all my houses,
renied,, given UP to me. In
two weeks, Monterey win be nearly
Without inhabitants, 81 s
!, g;d ] am, with much respect, nv
Il, ,,@a,.s THOMAS Q. LARKlN. z |
Com. THos. Ap. C. JONES. fs2ts