The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-01-17

gold was ot the purest quality and most
beautiful color. When first saw the men,
carrying heavy stones ia the sun, standing
nearly waist-deep in water, and grabbing
with their hands in tho gravel and clay,
there seemed to mo little virtue in resisting
the temptation to gold-digging; but when
the shining particles we're poured out Law
ishIy from a Tin basin, ! confess there was
sudden itching in my fingers to seize the
heaviest crowbar and tho biggest shovel--
One Of the party, Mr.. Kelly Of New York,
showed me several beautiful specimens of
the metal, which appeared to have been
formed in state offusion over pieces Of
white quartz.
| A company Of thirty, somewhat further
down the river, have made much larger
dam, after months labor, and have n
hundred yards Of the bed clear. They
commenced washing yesterday afternoon
and obtained 10 lbs. This morning, how
ever, they quarreled, as most companies do,
and finally applied TO Mr.. James and Dr.
Gillette to settle the difficulty by having
the whole bed washed out at their own ex-
pense and taking half the gold. AS all the
heavy work is done, they can finish it in
ten days and will make little fortune by
the operation. Many Of the Americans
hero employ Sonorians and Indians TO work
for them, giving them half the gold and
finding them in provisions. Notwithstand-
ing the enormous prices Of every article Of
food, these people can be kept for s7a cents
a dav-consequen,ly those who hire them
profit handsomely.
In the "gulch'' great deal Of dry dig
gine is still done, though the richest depos-
ts have been exhausted. Still, am in
formed ,ha. an ounce ,lnily is made by most
ofthe worlmen, and il the digger is lucky
enough 10 strike on a "pocket" or well a
mong the rocks he may take out from one
TO two thousand dollars in day or two
The metal frequently lies deep, and many
instances are told of men who have dug two
or three days and given up in despair,
while others, coming after them and work
ing in their holes, have taken out thou
sands Of dollars in short time. saw a
man last night, who came here three weeks
ago, without money, to dig in the dry gulch.
Being very lazy. be chose C spot under a
shady tree, and dug eisurely for two days
without making a cent. He then gave up
the place, when little German jumped
ato his tracks and after days hard work
weighed out $500. The unlucky digger
thea borrowed five ounces and started a
boarding house. The town has so increased
TINT las, night he sold ont his share Zone
,hir,D ofthc concern for 81 200. Men are
no, troubled here by the ordinary ups and
downs Of business. If a person loses his all,
he is perfectly Indifferent; two weeks of
hard work will give mcnough to start on,
and two months, with the usual luck, will
quite reinsia;e him.
The largest piece found at this place
weighed | | lbs. Mr.. James, who has been
here since April, showed me lump weigh
ing CD ounces--pure, unadulterated gold.
He commenced this morning the largest
operation Of the season, by which about a
hundred yards of the river will be turned
into race, aud several deep eddies made
dry. II will take the 90 persons who are
employed on it month to complete the
race, after which from 5 to II feet water
must be pumped out of the old bed. The
treasure lodged in this part of the river will
certainly richly repay the undertaking.
While bathing last night in its Poctolean
waters, saw several Mexicans wash out a
good yield from the sand of its banks.
After we had taken the sharp edge of
our curiosity, we returned to our quarters.
DR.. Gillette, Mr.. james, Capt. Tracy and
several other of the largest operators en-
tertained us with a hospitality as gratifying
us it was unexpected. | learned many in
tercsting facts from them in relation TO
the success gold-hunsers, aud the chances
of loss or gain in the various diggngs. In
the evening we sat down to a supper pre-
pared by Baptis.e and his partner, Mr.
Fisher, which completed my astonshment
al the resources of this wonderful land
Here, in the rough depth Of the hills, where
three weeks ago there was scarcely tent,
and where we expected to live on jerked
eefand bread, we saw on the table green
corn, green peas and beans, fresh oysters,
roast turkey, fine Goshen butter and excel
lent coffee. Twill not pretend to say what
they cost, nor how they came there, but !
begin to think that the fable Of Aladdin was
nothing very remarkable, after all. The
geni will come, and has come to many
whom have seen; but the rubbing OF the
!amp-aye, there's the rub, There is
nothing in the world so hard on the hands.
Wherever there is gold there are gam
blers. Here there are at least dozen
monte tables, all Of which are frequented
at night by the Americans and Mexicans.
am now writing on corner Of one Of
them, under the canopy Of boughs, with
three mules standing near, and two dis
leartened digeers sitting on the opposite
side, exchanging coincidence.
Islept sonndly last night on tho dining
table, and went down early to the river,
where found the party Of ten bailng out