Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1852-02-14
YcoNTINUED.A

Nov. 16 To- day commenced our labors
at Sherlocks, contracting to pay SIS day
for an old cradle, while the sum total Of
our first days labor has been but one dol
lSr One of my companions amused him
self by telling us, while speaking of the
wrong ideas those form OF the mines, who
never had seen them, the advice his father
gave him. He told him not 10 work to
hard, but to buy low chair and small
iron rake and taking his seat to rake over
the sand, and picking up the pieces of gold
as they came TO view, TO put them in box.
Nov. IL. The sum total to-day is 25
cents while provisions are selling for Sl.25
per pound, with the p aspects OF being still
higher. We reformed this evening to our
camp tired and hungry, and finding very
little here to eat have put on kettle of
acorns 10 boil, upon which, with a lille
venison we shall make our supper There
are many depreda,ions committed by the
Indians. Mules are stolen and driven
away 10 be eaten,
Nov. l9. To-day we made so cents each.
drunken sailor who was staggering along
on the bank of the river under which tile
miners were at work, struck stone with
has foot under which he found piece of
gold worth about $500. In one week lie
had drank and gambled the whole away.
Such instances have given rise to the opin-
son among the miners that the worthless
drinking and gambling characters have bet.
Ter success than the sober and persevering
laborer:
Having poor success at those diggings they
moved on the LIST of Dec, TO Aqua FRO =
Not much was doing there, but there were
L., :, g.. r.. IL
lacks of tie Indians and provisions were
more easily obtained, the price of which
was constantly rising. Every rain added
from cae TO Two shiIlings a pound to The
price, the transportation becoming more
difficult. Eve are now paying $3.50 a
pound for provisions The price of bar
rel of flour here would 60 towards support
ing a family at home, for year. Four
pounds Of hard mouldy bread for one meal
cost US about S6, and yet, at these high
prices the miners, at the best diggings in
The region, do not average S so day. We
have not done this. Good boots are scarce
that $50 are readily gwen for pair Dis
couraged by The poor success, they left
Aqua Frio, on the 1Oth of Dec. At one
place for a breakfast of tea, hard bread,
pork, beans, and few pickles, they paid
$2,00 each. AT night in a drenching rain
he was compelled to lodge in hollow tree
which he found on removing the leaves
and filthy rubbish, belonging to bear, and
he spent the night III constant alarm, lest
the owner of the tenement should return
and find him there.
In December and January he visited
various diggiDgs but without finding any
place where the results were satisfactory or
TI,,la 10 ofI Q N
have made the whole week $500 each. |
must again remind my reader, that itthese
details are uninterestlng they are yet neces-
sary as the filling up Of miners life. The
bright and glllaewiHHg wss i' from California;
100000 in gold dust'--'rich discoveries
new dggins' &C., must all be filed up
with back ground of cloudy days, of rainy
weeks, broken hopes, privaions, sickness,
many gloomy death scene, and many a
lonely grave. With how much surprise,
and often indignation, do the miners read
the accounts from the mines which come
back TO them ia the newspapers from home!
And with how much satisfaction do they
read The tew truthful descriptions which
they meet
Jan. ID. They went to work in ravine
in which company of Frenchmen few
gold. He found one lump weighing near
three penny weights. Greatly encourage
by this success they worked away with
spade, pick, cradle and pan, hour after hour,
and found at night their washings~gave
them just 25 cents.
Jan. Is. This morning Notwithstanding
the rain we were again at our work. We
must work. In sunshine, in rain, in warm
and cold, in sickness and health, successful
or not successful, early or late it is qcork
aUork or perish. All around u.s. above and
below, on the mountain side and stream,
the rain falling fast upon them, are the
miners at work-not for gold but for bread.
Lawyers, DOCTORS lergymen, farmers, SOL
ders, deserters, good and bad, from Eng
land, from America, from China, from the
Islands, from every country but Russia and
japan, all, all al work at their cradles
From morning to night is heard the incess
ant rock! over the whole mines, in stream
let, in creek, and in river, down torrent
and through valley, over rocks, ever PUSHES
on the muddy sediment, from ten thousand
busy rockers. Cheerful words are seldom
heard, more seldom the boislerous shout
and laugh which indicate success, and
which, when heard sink TO lower ebb the
spirits of the unsuccessful. We have
made so cents each.'
Jan. Is. A friend put into my hands to-
day copy of the Boston Journal, we laid
it aside TO read in the evening. But how
was this to be accomplished The luxury
OF candle we could not afford SO they cut
up pile Of dry brushes, and one piled on
and kept up the blaze, while another read,
and as the blaze died away so would the