The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1848-12-27


Share nessepnhth aftsr PAYING, al espens s.;
sses1 is nhouss thirty skich sha
sbforght will him and sexl lifted sirls Nonte5 81
roy Isee no iahprilig man from stlla inii,es
Toes snpt bic s.os forf ~
pounds of gold so dief,
oAmadeS Ing aud sss6sE Eiind during
THAT time 300 During thesat tWantS days
no was Hing ten or eloyan 1ays9 leaving s.
but At q week an which he nlade d sum Of uo-
.ney greater than he
ond ratiens during Eve
SysMars:s M These 5stateme npnear iincredjble
but they arc
ss Gold is also elievel to aSies 81 tie cart.
ern slope of the Sierra NeSada B and when ns
at tho mines, was ii or1hsd by am INTEL
gent Mormon that it had been found near II
tho Great Salt Lake by soma sof his ia eSn.
Eity Nearly al the mormons afs leaving Cal
ifornia, to go to the Salt Lake ;altd this thoy;
surely would not do, unless they Wetaa sure,
sof finding gold there sin the same Abundance d
gold placer 4 mission
little 5Wronght for want Of water his ia in
aSappr that puts off from the Sierra Nevada
8 S(seeE ETefnontt g map, the same, in which she
present mines occur. Thefo lis, theretore,
every reason TO believe, that IN the Int erysn-
ing spaGes!o five hundred miles {entnely
5nnexplored) there must be many hidden; and
rich ideposite The lacer gold iss now
substituted ns Tho cur rrency of this connis
/ in trade it passes freely ut 1fi per ounce; as s
fixed. The only purchase III nude wass sof
the eein,en Mo- 4, which 4 DOT of The Me-,
{ lgh Mt s. I9 the ounce, That IS about the
& present cash value in the count NJ although s
il has beon sold for less. The gI Ieats demand
for goods and provisions made by tkia sudden.
dcyelopment of wealth, has increased The
! amount OF CONNIE ercs ut San ciscoS very &
much, and ID viii continue to ineIeasaa 81
would rec conmend that a mint be est tab-s
lished at some ligible point ps the Y ays .of
San francisco; and that mac hitery md
tho necessary apparatus and worh rhinen, be
sent out by sea. These workmen must be
bound by high wages, and even bonds TO &C..
cure their faithful services, else the whole,
plan may be frustrated by their going TO the :
! mines as soon as they arrive in alfornia.
I, If this course be not adopted, gold TO tho
! amount Of many millions OF dollars VIII pass pas
I yearly to other countries, to enrich their mar
= chants and capitalists. Before leaving the:
subject Of mines will mention, that on my
/ return from the Sacrementos I touched at
| New Almoder, the quicksilver mine Of Mr..
| Alexander Forbes, consul of her Britannia,
( Majesty at Tepio.s, This mine is In d spur
/ of mountains 1000 feet above the level OF
] the bay of San Francisco and is distant ln a
southern direction from the Pueblo de San
Jose about IL miles. The ore (cinnabar)
occurs in a large vein dipping At a strong an,
Il ploycd in working Il, by driving shafts and
i galleries about g feet by 4, following the
vein. I'd 8f3ss 5$a is III
:! The fragments of rock and ore are rernov-
cd on the back OF Indians, in raw hide sacks.
The orc is then hauled in an OK wagon, from
!, the mouth of the mine down to a valley we'll
. supplied with wood and water, in which the
! furnaces are situated. The furnaces are OF.
the simplest construction-exactl like a
} common bakc-oven, in the crown of which is
! inserted a whaler's trying kettle; another in,
: the lid small brick channel leads to an
D apartment, or chamber, in the bottom of
, which is inserted a small iron kettle. This
r chamber has a chimney. 5s u II
In the morning of each day the kettles are
:; tiod with the mineral (broken i, small pie-
u ces) mixed with lime; fire is then applied,
9 and kept up all day. The mercury is yola.
n t,lized, passes into the chamber, is condensed
: , on the sides and bottom OF; the chamber, and
}, flows intoithe pot prepared for it, No water
J, is used to condense the mercury
!. !" During a visit I made last tspring, -four
= = such ovens were in operation, and yielded in
tho Two uayS i was tIlSIel OOu y pouuuS vi
= quicksilver, worth ut Mazetlin $3.50 per ID
:. Mr. V"alkinshaw, the gentleman now il
II charge Of this mine, tells me that the vein il
improving, and that he can afford to keep hil
= people employed even in these extraordinar,
- times, This mine is very valuable Of itself
:. - and becomes the more so as the mercury il
: extensively used in obtaining gold Its no
atpresent used in California for that apur
Is pose, but will be at some future time w he
o. Twas at this mine last spring. i other partle
&c were engaged in searching for vein; but non
10 have been discovered that arc worth follow
s. ING up, although the earth in that swhol
M II, rango Of hills is highly discolored, tindicatin
oi the presence Of this ore. Il send sever'
y beautiful specimens, properly labelled Th
wv amount OF quicksilver in Mr.. Forbess Aya
fyy on the 18Th of July was about l0 pcend
,ro ~, I enclose You herewith sketches 5of Il
~ ~ country through which 4 passed, inileatiI
NJ the Do stion Of The mines and the topograpt
av m Of tho country in tho vicinity Of those i;vsi
rs. cd. MI IS. ss;s Y. ss.5f,
CO, Some Of the specimens of gold acconapan
ill ing this were presented for transrnlssio
in The, department by tho gentle tlen,er,; named ,
we low. Tho numbers on ths t9f,ogr rapHic
sof Sketch cores spending to the labels of the y