Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-12-21

entering the cradle, the current oil water
washes off the earthly matter, and the gray
ell is gradually carried out at the foot of the
machine, leaving the gold mixed with
heavy black sand above the first elects
The sand and gold mixed together are then
drawn off through augur holes into a pan
below, are dried in the sun, and afterward
separated by blowing off the sand. 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 ont the earth
and separate the gravel by hand, leaving
nothing but the gold mixed with sand,
which is separated in the manner before de-
scribed. The gold in the lower mines is
in fine bright scales, of which | send sever
al specimens.
As we assembled the north branch Of the
American fork, the country became more
broken and mountainous, and at the saw
mill, 25 miles below the lover washugs, or
so miles from Suffers, the hills rise to a.
bout thousand feet above the level of the
Sacramento plain. Here species of pine
occurs which led to the discovery of the
gold. Capt. Suffer, feeling the great want
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 ta-race was found to
be too narrow to permit the water to escape
with sufficient rapidly. Mr. Marshall, to
save labor, let the water directly into the
race with a strong current, SO as to wash it
a md IIap taIh ne MI
and large bed Of mud and gravel was car
red to the foot of the race.
One day Mr.. Marshall, as he was walk
ing down the race to this deposit of mud,
observed some gliuering PARTICLES at this
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 discovery, and they agreed to keep
ii secret until a certain grist-mill of Suffers
was finished. 1t however got cut, and
spread like magic. Remarkable success
attended the labors of the first explorers,
and in a few weeks hundreds of men were
drawn thither. AT the time of my visit
but little over three months after its first
discovery, it was estimated that upward of
1000 people were employed. At the mill
there is fine deposit or bank of gravel,
which the people respect as the property of
Capt Suffer, although he pretends to no
right to it, and would be perfectly satisfied
with the simple promise of preemption, on
account ofthe mill which he has built there
at considerable cost Mr.. Marshall was
living near the mill, and informed me that
many persons were employed above and be-
low him that they used the same machines
at the lower washngs, and that their sue
cess was about the same-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 ravlnes, now dry, a
great deal of course gold has been found.
! there saw several parties at work, all %
whom were doing very well great many
! specimens were shown me, some as heav!
as four or FIVE ounces in weight, and sent
three pieces labelled No. 5, presented by
Mr. Spencer You will perceive that some
OF the specimens accompanying this, hole
mechanically pieces ofquartz; that the sur
face is rough and evidently moulded i'll tn
creyice of rock This gold cannot hay
been carried far by water, but must have re
manned near where it was first deposite
from the rock that once bound it. | IN
quired of many people if they had encoun
tered the metal in its matrix, but in ever
instance they said they had not bat tina
the gold was invariably mixed with washe
gravel, or lodged in the crcyice of othe
, rocks. All bore testimony that they ha
found gold in greater or less quantities j
the numerous small guilies or rayines, thu
occur in that mountainous region.
On the 9TH of July left the mill, an
! crossed to a stream emptylng into the A
I merican fork, three or four miles below til
: saw-mill struck this stream (now know
4 as Weber's creek at the washings of SUI
5 oil g. Co. They had about thirty IndiaI
h employed whom they pay in merchandls
= They were getting gold of a similar cha
actcr to that found in the main fork, al
S doubtless in sufficient quantities to salts
n them. | send you small specimen prese
: ted by this company, of their gold. Fro
d this point, we proceeded up the stream
d bout eight miles, where we found a gre
q many people and lndians--some engage
Is in the bed of the stream, aud others in Il
5, small side valleys that put into it. These Ii
- ter are exceedingly rich, and two ounc
5. were considered an ordinary yield for
At days work. A small gutter no! more TIL
20 hundred yards long by 4 feet wide aud
v or three feet deep, was pointed ont to me
,r the one where two men-William DAILY al
"a Parry McCoon-had, short time befor
le obtained Sl7 900 worth of gold. Capita
r Weber informed me that he knew that the
Pr two men had employed four white men al
~ about a hundred Indians, and that, at t
Or end of one weeks work, they paid off thu
party, and had left $4,000 worth of Il
n. gold. Another small ravine was shown II
ne from which had been taken upward of 81;
H. 600 worth of gold. Hundreds of SINH
H. ravines, to all appearances, are as yet u
We touched | could not have credited tht
it reports had not seen, in the abundance
On the precious metal evidence of their tru
ly MIR. Neigh, an agent of Commod'
) Stockton, had been at work about thu
ng weeks in the neghborhood, and showed |
IL in bags and bottle over 81, 600 worth
EN- gold and Mr., Lyman, a gentleman of
N, ucation and worthy of every credit said