The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-09-28

lpeople digging and washing for gold On
rherriver, many are now ;giuping TO work
|, is supposed tina; The banks and Bottoms of
| slIthese small streams contain vast quaint
lies of gold. and that the valleys between
them ale rich with The same metal
The people are now working at many pla-
ces, some; are eighty miles from others
The place visited was about lea que in
extent; on this were about fifty tents; many
have not even this covering. AT one lenl
belonging 10 eight single men remained 2
or days. These men had Two machines
made in day, from so TO 100 feet, inch
boards, and very roughly puttogeiher. Their
ioIm was something like a chiid's cradle
wi thout the ends; at one end there was me.
sable sieve or rack 10 wash down the dirt
and shake off the stones. Holes were made
IN the bottom OF the machine TO catch the
gold this wash stopped, and this was scraped
out hourly. These two machines gathered
each day was present three -four,hs to one
pound each, being three or 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 first davis
work Of two brothers, (Amercans.) one had
seven dollars, the other eighiy-iwo: thew
worked on the same five yards of land; one,
however, worked less through 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
or wooden bowl a shovel of dirt, 90 into
running water, with the hand stir up The dir,
aud hease out the stones, until they have re-
naming spoonful 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 in the rough machines
now in use. The day left, some small com
panies of five TO eight men bad machines
from which they anticipate five or six hun
dred dollars a day. There, certainly mus
this day be a. work on The different Placars
several hundred Americans and Others, who
are cleaning one ounce of gold a day.
have this week seen in Monterey Califor-
MAN, who shows four hundred dollars Of gold
from the labor Of one week much of II wa,
The size of wheat. myself weighed one
piece from his bag, and found The weight an
even ounce. He, like many others, only
went up TO the gold regions 10 see the place
borrowed tools, worked few days, and
came home TO show his labor, and take up
brothers and cousins and provisions. Flour
at the Placer is scarce at SIG per 100 lbs.
AT almos, this price il must continue, as
people are forsaken ihei- fields. | do no.
think | am cxaggeI aiing IN estimating the
amount OF gold Obtained on the rivers hav e
mentioned al ten thousand dollars day for
believe the amount will not this season fun
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 emigranls from
the Atlantic States we shall have in October
and December. will soon swell the value OF
California gold iba, will be washed out 10 al
unheard-value. Many who have seen The
"Placer." think i, will last twenty or ihiri,
ye us. | should think that il would afford
work two or three years to many thousands
of people, and may for very many years, as ]
cannot calculate the extent of country hav-
ing gold. The working Of quick silver mines
IKE everything else, is stopped three fourihs
4 the houses IN the town of San Francisco
are shut up. Houses in Monterey are being
closed this week; The volunteer companies
OF Sonoma and San Francisco have los, sever
almen by deserlion. Under The present excite
ment, ship ol-war or any other vessel lying
at anchor in San Francisco would lose many
men. In that iownihere is hardly mechan
ic remaining. expect the same in Monier
ey in Two weeks. Both newspapers have
stopped. All or nearly all the hotels are
shut mp. One of my clerks, who received
500 and hoard, now receives in his store
near New HeIveiia (Suier's For) 500 per
month; my others are last closing their books
10 leave me. In fact, | find myself, or shall
this month, without clerk, carpenter, or
servant, and all my houses, formerly rented,
given up to me. In two weeks, Monterey
will be nearly without Inhabitants.
am, with much respect,
THOMAS .. LARKIN.