Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1852-01-07
TuE coLp IN CALIFORNIA.

THE GOLD in CALIFORNIA.
Great discoveries Of gold deposits have been
made in the Bear Valley, the details ofwhich
are thus given by the San Francisco Herald.
The.e concentrations however, should be taken
with a vast many grains of allowance;
We have conyersed with a gentleman Just
down from Mariposa, who is familiar with the
whole range Of southern diggings, and he de
clares that nothing has ever before been dis.
covered in California at all to compare, IN rich
ness or extent, with the coyote dlgglngs recently
discovered in Bear Valley. tie has noElnterest,
either directly or indirectly in them, being prohta'
hlv engaged in different employment further
south and his statements, apart from the excIt.
inc effect which the sight of such wonderful
riches so easily acquired must naturally have
mon the mind, may be relied upon as Tree from
bias or any disposition TO speculate upon The ex'
citabiiity of the community Ihe spot "here
these 3golden treasures have been discovered is
noon a lofty and extensive hill, about one mile to
he left of the main road from Stockton to Mari:
posa. ten miles this side Of the latter place, and
Twelve from QuariZburg. a party OF someshai
dozen SonoTians, at the head OF whom was an IN.
teIlipeDt miner named Don Ramon, were engaged
in prospecting for placer diggings up the bed OF
the stream which, crossing The main road to Ma:
riposa. takes its rise in the hills to the left, and
rms along the base Of the hill upon which the
new dippings are found. They ascended this
stream for some distance, testing the richness OF
it's deposits as they advanced, until Just opposite
the hill, they found the yield remarkably rich
iris attracted their attention to the bill itself, and
they at once commenced tunnelling in from the
edge ofthe stream. Ashley advanced they touud
their most extravagant expectations surpassed;
and turning d~ownwards, they sank a shalt, which
has already reached a depth of % feet, the soil at
every step becoming still richer. There is yet
no sign whatever OF its giving out, at which the
Mexicans are SO surprised that they believe it
never can exhaust. In four days this party, ORR
ginally Of six, took out 100000. They alter
wards Joined TO themselves four Americans, to
protect them from being driven on oy me miners;
The soil is a kind of mixture o: ~cecomposed
state and quartz, thoroughly impregnated with
gold, and possessing so little cohesion, that the
Jumps NAV be crumbled in the hand or Knocked
10 pieces with a spade, like a clod OF earth turn.
ed up by the plough. AS the formation slightly
resembled a decomposed quartz or slate VEN, the
discovering party endeavored TO claim and retain
IL as such but as soon as rumors of its richness
leaked out, hundreds rushed 10 the spot from the
adj o ining d~iggings, and in %conclave assembled,
decided il to be a regular placer. Each OF the
eleven belonging to the discovering party was al.
lowed. 6 feet square; all others 80 feet square.
The gold is exceedingly fine, being found in
the shape OF minute rounded points finer than
even the sand itself. No lumPs'have been found
and very rarely is a piece met with weighing a
quarter of an ounce.
The miners extract the gold, either by washing
the auriferous earth in a common pan, or Teduc-
ing il TO a we'll mixed mud, in a Mexican tdsna or
rGrtra, and them amalgamating with the quick:
silver.
Our informant states, By way of illustration.
that ifa bucket Of water is dashed over a heap of
the earth, it appears as if covered with spangIes
Of gold.
One battea full Of the earth has yielded, after
washing, a sediment Of l8 ounces of fine gold
powder A small sack, in which the earth is
transported from the cayote hold to the stream,
and containing from 20 TO 80 pounds, has yield.
ed from $4,000 to $4,000. Three pounds ofthe
earth weighed, gayei4 lbs. ofgoId. From these
facts, and a thousand others OF a similar kind, all
who have witnessed the new diggings declares
that everything else heretofore discovered in Cali
fornia sinks into insigniicance in comparison
Conora, Carson's, Sulliyan's, &C., are not to be
compared with 1t. t-y
AS a matter of course, the news of the discoye.
~ of these rich deposits has spread like wilkfre
through the mines, and produced an intense ex-
element and a perfect stampedeffrom theIold and
worn out placers-Agua Frio, Quartzburg, and
other embryo mining towns in the vicinity, are
perfectly deserted si29
On Sunday last-four days after the news was
spread-there were notices. than 5000 people
upon the golden hill, and one might travel in any
direction, from it and squads of miners would be
met hurrying TO The spot. Already, from the
crest oil the lofty hil down TO Its siopess ana tor
a mile beyond its base, are the 80 feet claims of
the miners staked off. fti
But the strangest thing ofall, and one that best
illustrates the magic rapidity with waichttowns
and villages spring into existence in California,
is the TACT that within "a hours after the FIRST
great rush to the spot, a town, a Little distance
removed. was surveyed, mapped, sub+dividedi into
streets, squares, &C., and in 4 8 hours Afterwards,
it contained a number OF stores, ~taverns, board
ing houses or hotels, gambling houses with monte
and. billiard tables, and allsthe usual establish
ments found 10 the inland and mining towns!-
These stories are sorwonderful even for Califor-
mia, that had we not derived them from a source
entitled to the fullest creditand reliance, wewoald
not have ventured TO p~utthem forth. AS tis,no
one shouldsbe led 10 act hastily from them, as The
new Mount Ophirhas doubtless long erethis been
Oyerruni by the Thousands of minefs whom the
snews,has attractedtot the spot. 0n~ethingiscer
tain, thatsthe sontheInlmIne will lhisw fnte pro-
duce a greater aInnnntiof otdihahseyesbe Eote
Prosperity crowning the aborsofth the miners,wil
leiyeian irnpetussto the trade in9that section, adj
greatly TO iheswcalth aud progtess5o of Stockton
iand Indirectly bring prosperity ia. its trainsto al
classes in the community.
COMMERCE. OF BALTIMORE.
sf&iFs aHtS u& ~