The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1850-02-08
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

LIZ LIN tASS"A OssASss ~
We have been furnished with the fol-
lowing letter. from California, for publca-
ton. The writer is a son Of Col. VIM.
Heiskell, of Monroe county. The letter
bears date November 5, and we know will
oe read with interes, by all.
SACRAMENTO CRY, Nov. 9Th, lS49.
Dear Father: am a, last able 10 inform
you of our arrival in California, alter a
long, laborious, tedious and iiresome jour
ney, and all in good health, and without
any loss of property. Col. BicknelI
Brown, Humphreys and myself are now
IN this city Of day, and Oliver and Dick
White, Nelson Cannon. Hugh HelskelI,
and MIR. Howard are at this time, on Weav.
er's Creek, near Weaverville, sixty miles
east of this place. Our effects that we
brought over are there, and we came down
here to buy and haul up our winter pro.
visions. 1t has been two weeks since we
left them, blu, received note from Hugh
a few days since, saying they were all well
except Nelson. and he was improving OF
nearly well; he was little sick when we
left there's They think the prospect for
making money is as good as any one could
wish. We got 10 The first mines the 24th
October. six months and eieh, days from,
the time we lett home. and five months
and one day from the lime we LETT 81. Jo-
sephs, Mo. will not be able 10 give you
very satisfactory letter for want of time.
talent, and fire TO write it BY, but !
could write week and not tell half the
prospect for making money. II is as great
as the most loving Of The "6Ilhy lucre"
could wish. ! cannotsay what | can make
mining, for we have done nothing since we
got through, and no man knows what he
can average, but some make hundred and
fifty dollars per day for months, and others
only sixteen. Any person will tell you
that he can make one ounce any where
Tina, the article is superintendent, I will
prove bv giving you few Of "ihs prices
current" not quoted, but what ! have seen,
and bought at-viz: Flour S32 per bar.
rel-mess or picked pork about $50 per
barrel of 200 h.; Fresh Beef Is cts. per
h.; Salt Beet $50 per Dbl. of 200 lbs.; Co..
fee 80 cts. per ID. by the Sack. Sugar. best
article, % cts. by The bbl.; Onions 81 per
h.; Potatoes S per d.; Apples 1925 per
doz.; Peaches $500 per h.; very small
green cabbage head 81 each; Fish of the
best kind, so cts. per h.; Butte, 81 so per
H.; and 81 per ID. by the hundred lbs;
Plank is worth $500 per thousand feet
find one College mate here, r. A. Paine,
Of TasweIl Co., Va, building a house Of
the plank, hewn from red wood, (arbor vi
tae, plank six feet long, and six inches
wide, which cos, him 90 cts. each plank;
Shingles $50 per thousand, and such as
you would not lie. Riley put on pig pen.
Hauling Sl2 per hundred, for from 90. to
as miles, and over that, 10 sixty miles SI5.
These are few Of the prices in this city OF
tents, and the prices doubled after being
hauled 90 miles and more.
As to exhausting the golt IN the mines,
| think it will not be done in twenty years.
1t is found South Of this place, $50 miles
on the Sacramento, about the same dis.
lance North, and on every intermediate
stream, and almost every dry ravine. In
travelling from Weaverlown 10 this place,
mining. and the ravinrs had been dug up.
Nearly every oak afforded company OF
miners house, thousands have no other
house but the oak. and their blankets. and
in this country up 10 this time, they render
man comfortable, but now the rainy sea.
son has Sc, in, they will have TO leave these
diggns; e. those in the wet diggins will
have 10 leave, and come 10 the dry. This
city is on the Sacramento, lao miles above
San Francisco, and six months ago there
was not house here, and now the popu.
lation is estimated at ten thousand. Most
OF the houses are canvass. many tents, no
good buildings. The best 10 the city is the
City Hotel, which cost one hundred and
twenty thousand dollars, and it could be
put up in Madisonville for three thousand
dollars, and thai is extravagant.
THIS piece supplies all the miners North
OF this, half of The mining districts. The
river is navisable for large Steam Ships up
10 this place, and there are now living at
the levee fifty or sixty Crafts, Of all kinds.
Shops, Schooners, SC, yet it is in the
woods, and will soon be in the water.-
My old College mate, Dr.. r A: Paine, got
here in September last. and has made
nine or len thousand dollars, buying and
selling Town property, Physician. and
Druggist. He pays his clerk $500 per
month. And also met long John M.
Barnes. formerly from Blount county,
Tennessee, who now lives in Oregon. He
90, 10 the mines, or commenced mining
the 4th August last. and to the last of Oc-
Iober. dug twenty five hundred dollars, !
saw the gold, no mistake about his "dus,."
He was the happies, man ever saw. in
his gold. and meeting US. but his gold
most. He could not hardly contain him.
self; ga soul redeemed from load Of guilt"
at Camp Meeting never cut as many ex-
lras as did he. He says that he was ex-
lremely poor when he left home. and has
gone back TO make his family comfortable;
Tor his friends. will say. that his children
are all alive and well. He let his wheat
crop fall and rot, and most Of the Oregon
people did the same. The young Keans
live near him and doing well, one of them
came 10 California with him. but was sick
and made nothing. Frank Smith is at
Weaverville, see his name on a ticket to
represent that district 10 the first Cal,Gor.
mia Legislature, which takes place the 10th
inst. Old Capt. Suffer, long a resident Of
the owner Of this land, is a
candidate for Governor. opposed by Win.
field Scott Sherwood. ! know nothing a.
bout the probable success of euler, The
assembled, some time since.
md formed Constitution, which is sub.
mitted TO the people al the coming election,
ar adontion mr. reiection I koo,., he,