Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-01-20
THE CALIFORNIA MINES,

THE CALIFORNIA MINES.
We have received a copy Of the extra
"Crescent" ofNew Orleans of the LIST instant
exhibiting map of ''ihe gold region of Cali
fornia, from an original survey" and geo.
graphical and typographical description of the
country, accompanied by an original letter
from highly intelligent, to his brother in
artillery stationed in California, TO his bro
iher in New Orleans. We content ourselves
with the following interesting extracts
''The water in this gully was dried up,
with the exception of few pools and holes.
asked one of the Calfornans to let us salts
fly our curiosity by washing little of his earth
which lay at the edge of a small pond or pool
and which he had brought from the gully a
little higher up, where it was found quite rich.
He, of course, assented, and led us the way
to his cradle. He brought the earth in an
Indian basket holding little less than peck,
and as he threw the earth on the cradle top,
dashed on the water, and Capt. S. rocked
the cradle. Our friend (the Californian) as
eager 10 see the result as ourselves, himself
scraped out the black sand and gold, and Sc
veral gathered around him TO see how much
there was. He was kind enough to show us
the gold when he had cleaned it, and the
guesses as to its quantity varied from half to
two ounces. There was probably more than
an ounce of pure gold taken from the earth
as it had been hauled from the hillside, in
L. a., l.f -istf
which had occasion to make, and in which.
learned some of the difficulties and profits
of gold hunting, was satisfied that in many
perhaps hundreds of canadas like this, several
will give many years. work to form twenty
to fifty thousand hands, who can each reckon
upon two ounces Of pure gold per day while
washing. To fasten this conviction upon any
one in this country is not difficult now-it
was, some months since /; but gold has fallen
| from sixteen dollars the ounce TO eight and
several at the mines were selling, from neces-
sity, for six dollars the ounce
rode from one end to the other of the
main valley,in the dry dggings, and question
ed almost every man there and they all,
without single exception, wele then making
| from two ounces to two hundred dollors pei
day, when they chose TO work. 1t is a fact
which only the only ocular proof | had con.
vnced me OF, that for many miles of wild and
dreary space, watered by nearly all the cas-
tern tributaries of the Sacramento, a traveller
can get off his horse in the bed of any moua'
tain stream, where the hills Oh either side
are of gravcly red clay, and the slate creep'
out in the bed of the gully, and there, in ar
hours washing, he is sure to get some gold
sometimes vial, sometimes two, three, o
ten dollars worth.
But the gold is scattered in all the hills o.
clavey and slaty formation and the geoogi
cal features of the country, am told b,
those most intimate with them, are nearly
the same from Dyes place lat. 40 to th'
Motcumenes about lat. 81, and from the com
mencement of the hills Sc miles from the ri
yer to the biz or main range Of the snow!
mountain, about eight miles further east.
think the Californias-for gold is founded boil
-uuder the enterprising, gold loving Yankee
will export from six to ten millions of golC
annually at less than ten years.
1t was estimated by the most inteligen,
over two hundred thousand dollars had bee
taken out when was there, three months al
ter it was made public, and by the small va
grant and vagabound population of California
will not repeat any of the hundred storie
| heard of men who had fonnd many pound
in day, and others setting into rich spot
and killing their horses, rather than risk be
ing followed back and bringing out arobas
gold, &C.; but on my second tripup the mine
was riding down the main dry digging, an
a teamster, who had stopped his team an
and stood looking, with whip in hand at
chap busy picking at niche or pocket in tn
rock, called out to me, 'Just come here, cal
/ tain, and look at this man picking out tn
gold!" turned my horse TO the spot, an
, sure enough he was picking out ofthe cre"ic
in the slate across which the water had pitcl
| ed in winter to bed some few feet beloy
the gold and earth in humps, and had his lie
: hand full when saw him. | mean he W;
|, picking ou, of an open hole in the rock, I
y fast as you can pick the kernel out OF lot
= well-cracked shell-barks. have since see
: the teamster, in town he is back here aft
4 his family and for supplies and he tells n
f that in less than half an hour the man got b
e tween five and six ounces of pure gold the
}, told me also that this wss no very extraord
: nary picking.