The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1849-09-29
cnImornia.

lNls CuuHtE WIN WVH' ~ ny
They are all in good health at present we arc
told. As they forgot their promises to write
to US, we are under the necessity Of publish
ing a letter from one of the Vicksburg emf
grants which we find in the Wing.
HORSE SHOE BAR, NoRTH FoRK,(
July 18th, l849
We have at last arrived at The diggins, and
having an opportunity Of mailing this letter
| hasten 10 inform you Of the prospects and OF
our success. W. cleft San Francisco on Thurs
day, the 28th June, and arrived at Saera'
mento city on Saturday morning early where
We found Col. VIM and several Of our tiavel-
lingcpmpanions, who left us at Mazallan. The
Cob is working at bis trade, doing very well,
making | suppose, about $50 to $40 per days
We purchased our cradle Of him at $50, which
he made in about four hours-he is very well
pleased, and thinks of sending for his family.
We lett Sacramento On Monday, on foot, to
this place forty FIVE miles, and arrived here
Tuesday night, pretty well used up, the most
Of us with sore feet; ii was a long walk for us,
considering we had been at sea for SO long a
time. On the 4th VIZ spent most OF cur time
laying on the ground near Paul's store. In
the afternoon | found two old acquaintances
here from Alexandria, D G.. Capt. M. Corse
and j. Nevelt, both Of whom | was pleased TO
see, and spent the afternoon very pleasant.
We hired a team in Sacramento to bring up
our baggage, &c. at $l8 per hundred pounds
there are plenty CT wagons engaged in the
business, and all making fortunes, as they
make a trip a week, and full loaded at $500
to 5000 pounds. On Tuesday we selected a
place for camp and pitched our tent, and in
the afternoon we struckOur first ticks for gold,
with but little success. On Friday morning
Sloan and partners started up the stream, and
Moore and myself started down to prospect
and select a suitable place to opera
tons. Each party succeeded in finding a
a place, and after getting our dinner and rig
cling up our cradles started for work, and com
menccd our rocking. We worked, Moore and
myself, and a little assistance from Sloan, for
two hours and a half, and made upwards OF
S5 on Saturday. Moore and myself worked
one cradle all day, and made a fraction over
two ounces of pure gold. Sloan and his part
ners did not make so much, owing 10 his hav-
ing to purchase u cradle, and half the day was
gone before they got started. On Monday
Moore and Riyard went up the river to dig,
and Sloan aud myself went down to the old
place, we having been working, Specializing
and prospecting al! the past week, and have
up TO last night, tug out about 5000 worth oil
gold. On Friday we bought a lead for SIX
ounces Of gold, in company with a friend who
travelled with us-we have fifteen feet a piece
front on the river and running back as far as
we choose--itis a very rich place. On Saturday.
we commented working in it, aud "c made,
four ofus5thrce ounces and half, and two dol
lars over, which was enough to pay for our
share, aud some over. We Calculate TO aver
age one ounce per day dpleCe, and have a
chance to strike o streak--lhe gold runs in
veins and very frequently persons get out three
four aud five ounces per day. Tic place
where we work two men got oat over $500 in
two days last week-thcy were old miners,
and are going up to the river 10 work, is the
only reason why they sold ouI-old miners do
not care to work, unless they can make on an
average Of three ounces per day. Tho water
is yet high, and when it gets low w expect
great harvests-it will probably be four or
five weeks before it is low enough to work in
the bed Of the river.
! have seen great many persons discourage
ed, and returning back again, owing to the
hard labor they have to endure in getting gold.
The most of persons come here with the ex-
peclation Of getting gold without work, and
when they see the others hard at it, working
hard; many ofihem leave without ever making
an effort. Our party, Sloan, Moore, Rivard
and myself are all in good health, and spirits,
and stick to it like loeches. i calculated to
work for it when ! lett home, and I AM not
disappointed, neither in the work or the gold
I'VE have to dig in the gravel and dirt, and
carry it in buckets to the cradle. which sets on
the nvor side, where one oil. us rocks and pours
in water all the while-we carry the dirt gen.
orally about twenty yards, sometimes not five
and one man will carry two hundred buckets
a day, which will yield an average of two
ounces. We go to work before sunrise, and
work till 10 or II O'Clock, and stop to dinner
and rest during the heat Of the day, or unit
8 or A o'clock, when we work to sun down
We live as pleasant as wa could expect, hav
ing plenty of neighbors, and pleasant ones too
There are about two hundred persons working
here; nearly all OF us from the States-th,
society here is much better than a person
would suppose-no rowing, no quarrelling, bu
every one civil and genteel, Fire arms is vet,
little used herc-you will very seldom see
person carrying FIRE arm Of any description
every thing is much better here than we x
pected to see. / will write again in few day