Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-12-29

lull HidTt VI tHt SUN uoulUB v ROlu- III
with tin.pans, some with close woven Indi-
an baskets. but the greater part had a rude
machine, known as the cradle. This is on
rockers, six or eight feet long, open OF the
foot, and al its head has q coarse praie or
sieve; The bottom is rounded, with small
elects nailed across. Four men are required
10 work this machine one digs the ground
in the bank close by the stream another car
ties 1t 10 the cradle and empiies it on the CRATE;
q third gives a violent rocking motion to the
machine; whilst a fourth dashes on wafer
from the stream itself.
The sieve keeps the coarse stones from en-
tering the cradle, the current Of water wash
es off the earthly matter, and the gravel is
gradually carried out at the foot Of the ma
chine. 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 sugur holes into a pan below, are
dried in the sun, and afterwards separated by
blowing off The sand. A party Of four men
thus employed at the lower mines averaged
500 a 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 the
gold mixed with sand, which is separated in
the manner before described. The gold in
the lower mines is in fine bright scales, of
which | send several specimens.
AS we assembled the south branch Of the
American fork, the country became more
broken and mountainous, and at the saw
mill, twenty-five miles from Suffers, the
hills rise to about a thousand feet above the
level of the Sacramento plain. Here a spe-
cies Of pine occurs, which led to the discove-
~ OF the gold. Capt. Sutter feeling The
great want Of lumber, contracted in Septem-
Der last, with a Mr.. Marshall TO build a saw
mill at that place. 1t was erected in the
course Of the past winter and spring-a dam
and race constructed but when the water
was let on the wheel, the tail race was found
10 be too narrow 10 permit the water TO es-
cape with sufficient rapidity. Mr.. Marshall,
10 save labor, let the water directly into the
race with a strong current, so as 10 wash 1t
r wider and deeper. He effected his purpose,
and a large bed of mud and gravel was car
tied 10 the foot Of the race.
One day Mr.. Marshall, as he was walking
down The race to this deposite of mud, OBJ
D served some glittering particles at its upper
edge he gathered a few, examined them,
and became satisfied Of their value. He then
went TO the fort, told Capt. Suffer of his dis
I covery, and they agreed TO keep it secret un-
n Ill a. certain grist-mill at Suffers was finish
ed. 1t, however, got out, and spread LIKE
magic. Remarkable success attended the
labors Of the first explorers, and in a few
n weeks hundreds of men were drawn thither.
A
d The gold is in scales a little coarser than
e those of the lower mines. From the mill
s 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 ra-
e vines, now dry, a grea, deal of coarse gold
e has been found. l there saw several parties
d at work, all Of whom were doing very well /;
a great many specimens were shown me,
some as heavy as four or FIVE ounces in
e weight.
Before leaving Suffers, I satisfied myself
', that gold existed in the bed of the Feather
k river, in the Yubah and Bear, and in many
Of the small streams that lie between the lat
ter and the American fork also, that it had
he been found in the Costumes to the south OF
>, the American fork. In each Of these streams
the gold is found in small scales, whereas IL
the intervening mountains it occurs in coar
ser Jumps.
Mr.. Sinclair, whose rancho is three mile
above Suffers on the north side of the Amer
en- lean, employs about fifty Indians on the mort
ear fork, not far from its junction with the mai
lth stream. He had been engaged about fly
We weeks when ! saw him, and up 10 that tim
icy his Indians had used simply closely wove
nd willow baskets. His net proceeds (Which
Id saw were about $4,000 worth of gold.-
IN He showed me the proceeds OF his la;
weeks work-fourteen pounds avoirdupoi
is of clean-washed gold.
er The principal store at Suffers Fort, tina
a of Brannan e. Co.. had received in paymen
Ir. for goods $50, 900 (worth of gold) from tn
a lst of May TO the 10th Of July. Other mer
IS, chants had also made extensive sales. Largl
of quantities of goods were daily sent forward
so to the mines, as the Indians, heretofore g.
h. poor and degraded, have suddenly becom,
consumers of the luxuries of life.
lat The most moderate estimate / could OBJ
tain from men acquainted with the subject
was, that upwards of four thousand men wen
working in the gold district, of whom NOR
than one.half were Indians and that from
$4,000 TO $50 900 worth of gold, il no
'o more, was daily obtained. The entire gol'
u district, with very few exceptions Of grant
ue made some years ago by the Mexican au
ne t~horities, is on land belonging to the Unite
States.
io The discovery of these vast deposites o
=. gold has entirely changed the character o
vs. Upper California. Its people, before enga
IN ged in cultivating their small patches o
u, ground, and guarding their heads of cattl
~ ~ and horses, have all gone to the mines, o.
ne are on their way thither. Laborers Of every
VI, trade have eft their woTk.benches, and trades
mems their shops. Sailors desert their ship
NE as fast as they arrive on the coast, and sever
Ut al vessels have gone to sea with hardly en-
ng ough hands to spread a sail. Two or three
'e' are now at anchor in San Francisco with n
ere crew on board. Many desertions, TOO, hav
nd taken place from the g%arrisons within the in
,,as luence Of these mines; twen,y-six soldier
Is have deserted from the post Of Sonoma-tweI
rs ty-four from that Of San Francisco, and twei
,uy ty-fouI from Monterey.
in
OK l really think some extraordinary mark
Iol- favor should be given 10 those soldiers wi
hly remain faithful TO their flag throughout III
,nJ temDtlnp cIlsls. NO OthceI can now live