Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1849-12-29
.rurpAy's Ae,o D,ggias, .qng,s. creet,

California. October 9, 1919
DEAR PARENTS Brother Thomas IA
yor of 3D. June, was received on the 18th
inst. | am thankful to inform YOU that
have not enjoyed so good health for ten
years. When | arrived at the gold mines,
weighed twelve pounds heavier than |
ever dad. never knew what hard work
was until | came TO California. NV labor
Is picking and shoveling every day from
/ daylight till sunset.
You may desire, as many do, TO hear
something Of the gold diggings in this
F country. When | wrote to YOU from San
. Francisco, | had but little idea how gold
was obtained. Since that time have had
some experience in mining, and | am
/ pleased 10 add that my experience has
! been more profitable than that of many
others. When we arrived at San Fran
cisco, our party thought it advisable for
some OF US TO GO up the Sacramento river,
and some up the San Joaquin. | being
one OF the party selected TO 90 up the Sac
ramcnto with Messrs. Smith and HAYS, we
went to Sacramento city, 80 miles up the
river, and from thence on TO the north fork
OF the American branch about 40 miles,
bat could not do much. and we returned
to JOIN our company. But when the COM
pany arrived at the mines and commenced
operations, they concluded that smaller
parties could work 10 better advantage,
and dissolved partnership. Messrs. Sauls-
/ bury, Scott, Campbell and Eandling form
ed a company with the understanding that
| was to loin them on nv return They
then left the diggins they first went to.
/ We are now in what is called the dry
dIgglns, although we are on stream. but
1t IS almost dry. We have to carry the
earth we wash about half a mile on our
backs to obtain water. We have to sink
holes from 3 to IS feet deep before we
find gold, and often get none then. Each
man or miner Is allowed s feet square of
ground, and cannot have more than one
hole at a time. This was a rule or law
established by the miners when they first
discovered the mines. We have not as
yet had to sink many holes. In the two
or three we sunk, we found tAe precious
metal. We sunk two parallel with each
other, and when we went down about
feet we struck a bottom of hard, yellow
earth; and by taking a butcher knife and
picking ON the top, we found gold abun-
dantly. We then take about or inches
Of the earth above this bottom and wash
IT, and frequently get good deal out of it.
We have machine made after the form Of
what they rock babies with in old Penn
sylvanla, with an iron screen in it which
lets the gold through from the gravel.
There are some large Jumps found here.
Tie largest we have found is worth $40,
estimating it at Sl6 per ounce We have
been IN these mines five weeks Yesterday
and the balance of our partners two
months, and we have taken out aoout 80
pounds, where, can safely say, there have
been two hundred that did not make their
boarding. Ii is altogether a lottery.
have seen men come into these mines and
labor hard daily for two or three weeks
and not make dollar
| have not made up my mind whether
shall remain In the mines this winter or
not. II can get situation in some other
business 10 clear my expenses through the
ramy season, would prefer it but think
that would be hard to obtain. There are
50 many disappointed i'll not getting gold,
who have left the mines and gone into the
towns to seek employment.
We live hard here. Our diet is salt
pork, pilot bread, beans, tea, coffee and
sugar. Pork is so cents per pound
bread 80, sugar so, tea 81 SO a ? 90, beans
IS cents, and beef az. Our house is
made of poles and brush, and our bed is
oak leaves and pine branches with blank
Ct or two. So much for California life.
We are IN most splended little valley
about Il miles in length, and the same in
breadth. We are 240 miles from a post
office and SO miles from any town. A
little town called Stockton is at the head
OF water navigation. Enclosed send YOU
sample of gold. Write often and direct
to San Francisco, California.
Your most affechonate Son,
J. VI, MORROW.