Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-06-28
A Mountain OF Gold.

Aladdin and his lamp may now be con-
sidered obsolete. Their fabulous exis-
tence is no longer needed to raise the mar
vel Of men always dreaming Of countless
treasures of wealth. Missouri has her
iron Mountain, but California claims the
desire and wonder of the wolld-a noun
tain of gold and silver. The following
astounding news is received by the Ala
bama:
The Pacific News of April 30, has a
very singular article in relation to an al
legged discovery OF a mountain composed
entirely of gold and silver. The first
mention made of this most marvellous
of natures production, was letter writ
ten to the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser,
which at the time was thought to be a
clever parody on the wonderful accounts
from California. Subsequently party
of emigrants, fitting out for a spot about
sixty miles east of Pueblo de los Ange-
los, having heard Of the existence OF
vast quantities of gold in another direc-
ton, changed its destination. We con.
tinue with the relation given by the
News:
The route lay in northeast direction
from the place of departure, and full, Of
difficulties. Striking the Mahaye river
they followed its course some distance,
crossing and recrossing as necessity COM
PEELED, some days as often as fifteen
times, leaving it where it makes bend
to the southeast, toward the Colorado,
into which it emp,ies. Obstacles were
encountered at various parts of the jour
ney almost insurmountable, in the shape
of mountains of rock which they had to
climb, and mountains of snow which
they could not avoid; narrow gorges thro'
which they had to pass, and still narrow
er cliffs along whose crests nothing but
mule could pass with prospect ol
safety, and where the slightest misstep
would land rider and all hundreds of feet
below; but they pushed on about 23O
miles from the Pueblo, the point for
which they started. Here among the
eastern spurs of the Sierra Nevada, ihev
found the object of their search,-gold
and silver too; and such quantities as
they had notdreamed OLA perfect noun
tain of rocks with silver and gold ming
led and commingled in solid masses,
weighing from one to many tons. The
quartz proved to be exceedingly hard, to
such a degree that, during their shor,
stay, all their implements, made for this
particular purpose before starting, were
completely worn out in the operation OF
drilling and blasting.
The strangest part Of the whole dis
coyery is yet to be told. These large
boulders of gold, silver and quartz have
the gold in the south end and the silver
in the north end. No exceptions were
found in their examinations, the silver
being the most abundant of the two. In
the words of the person who was on the
spot, .lhere is enough silver there to sink
every ship in the harbor."
Possibly some may look upon this ac-
count as jest, and, SO far as the practi-
cability of putting the discovery to any
use at present is concerned, tits so. All
the water to be found for miles and miles
around is highly impregna,ed with salt
or salaratus, or both. Not single drop
of water free from one or the o,her OF
these prosperties did one of the party
obtain during the ten days of their
stay. The whole region is perfect
waste, and disease and death must inev-
itably follow any prolonged stay. On
their return they met large company
going to the same spot. A true siatemen,
Of the difficulties and dangers of fur.
iher prosecution of the expedition inda-
ced about two hundred to turn back-fif.
ty went on.
| The gentleman named, from whom
these facts have been obtained, is now
in this city, with specimens in his pos.
session, brought from the mother noun
tain. They are the most singular and
beautiful we have ever seen, and one
need only to see them and hear him, to
be convinced that nothing has been told
but the truth.
HERE's AN anecdote which is new tr