The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-04-10


The Virginia. or Burke Rocker" is going exten
sivey into use. either by purchase, manufacture
here-the price being about two hundred and fifty
dollars each. BY the use of steam water power,
gang of five or ten rockers may be put in motion
and fed with water, reducing the number Of hands
necessary TO supply them with dirt at least
half, and more than doubling the quantity that can
be daily washed. In "banks" that contain no
more than fifteen cents to the bucket or painful, the
quicksilver rockers thus worked produce from ten
to twenty ounces per day each. Dirt that pays
less than twenty five cents TO painful is rarely
considered profitable TO wash with common
rocker.
friend of ours, a resident of this city, recently
paid visit to the Georgetown diggings, situated
some ten or twelve miles from Suffers mill, (the
point of the first discovery of gold,) between the
south and middle forks of the American river.
The snow at that time several feet deep on the
hills, and comparatively few were then at work
Those who were operating had first TO remove the
snow then the top dirt and stones frequently to the
depth of several feet before coming to the strata of
earth on the bedrock in which gold is always
ound most abundant At Georgetown, the richest
ravnc in the northern mines is located. II is an
immense gulf, running through volcanic hills, and
about mile and a half in length, known by the
name of "Oregon canon" Only portion, of
half to three quarters of mile, has been found
very rich; but in this portion those who occupy the
ground have for months been literally shoveling
out the gold in coarse grains, and pieces varying
from dollar to several pounds. Our friend spent
a day or two in the camp, on one of which he saw
four men take out eight pounds, working but four
hours; another party of four, pound each. This
was Of daily occurrence in that locality, and the
hal dner
day, each man who worked. But 1t was only in
this particular canon that such results were OBJ
tanned. Elsewhere in the neighborhood one or two
ounces was considered a fair days work. 1t is
known that several hundred thousand dollars have
been taken out of s'Oregon canon alone since the
first of October last. q
At Mormon island, where the ground was dug
over last summer s'from Dan to Bersheba,' till
hardly half ounce per day could be realized, the
recent great freshets have so changed the "depo-
sites, that miners have since been able to do bet
ter, in the very same localities, than at any time
last summer-often obtaining two or three ounces
per day This seems to have been the effect of the
floods on all the rivers, to greater or lesser ex-
tent.
People who come to California to make money by
mining should be prepared for the hardships of a
mountain life, and not only possess good constitu-
tions, but avoid the designations which too fire.
qlsntly the of greater portion of the sick
ness that has given the mining sections Of the
country their reputation for unhealthiness. We
do without that class of good for nothing,
thriftless fellows, who toon'f work at home, but
who think if they only get to California their
fortune is sure to be made in few months. Men
of nerve and industry will here, every where
else, be successful; and as to health, no one with
good constitution, and using common prudence,
need fear sickness in this country more than in the
States. We deem California, IN every respect, as
healthy any equal extent of territory on the face
of the globe.
There are now about 100 900 inhabitants in
California, mostly male adults; it can well sustain
a population of millions; and even in the mineral
regions several hundred thousand men could not
occupy the whole ground.
Those people in the States who are anxiously
looking for the " bursting Of the California bub-
blc," they pleased TO call the extraordinary
Ito them) condition Of things here, consequent
upon entire and radical change in the standards
of value, will be doomed TO much disappointment
But a single failure has ever been known TO have
occurred in San Francisco, which, in business
population Of thousands, and transactions of hun
dreds OF millions, cannot well be paraleled else
where. II will be found that the onward progress
Of California in wealth and greatness will astonist
these " unbclievcrs'' more in the next five yeari
than all that has gone before has DONE Our career
10 just opening.