Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1852-08-04


~ We have been permitted by the kind
ness of GEO. w. WALTON to publish the follow
ing letter from WAITE ARNOLD we'll known to
many Of our readers, and now in the California
dggings.
CENTERvILLE, June lst 1852
Mr.. WALTON, SIR believe you are one
among the many that promised letter to. |
suppose you have thought before this time that
! had forgotten it, but remember my promise.
have written three letters to Muskegon and
knew you would see them, so crowded yours
off to make room for others, and in hopes of
having some news to write but there has moth
ing turned up yet. Emigration is pouring in
upon us by the wholesale, it seems as though
the whole world had cut loose to come to Cali
fornia, think the majority of them are hasten
ing to their own destruction. This country will
furnish large amount of gold but it will not
supply the wants of every body, the gold is not
scattered broad cast here, as is generally suppo-
sed in the States, so that person could 60 any
where and dig up the precious metal, it is con-
fined mostly to the streams and there only in
spots, when miner strikes rich lead the mi
ners will flock around him and stake off the
ground for some distance, but there is no GER
tainty of its being extensive, nor no telling, ex-
cept by digging, one man may take out from
ten to twenty, thirty, or forty dollars per day
and an other dig not over thirty feet from him
and not pay board, and again some dig for weeks
where they cannot make wages in hopes of stri-
king lead but at last give it up and 60 off and
another man 60 to digging where he left off and
strike lead and take out his pile; when per-
son strikes rich lead he will make money fast
and if it holds out long enough he will take out
his pile (the common phrase here for making
his fortune) and go home, but if it runs out it
is chance if he does not spend it all before he
can find another, so you see those that go home
are the lucky ones general thing, and they
give different representation to this country
from what the mass of diggers that cannot make
enough to go home with would, there is a good
many goes back as soon as they can make
enough to 90 with. believe it is the general
opinion in the States that the majority of the
miners spend all their money drinking and gam
bling but that is a mistake, the people that
come to this country as general thing, are the
hard working Industrious class they are the ones
to save money, or they would not save enough
in the States to come with and they come with
the intention to save their money and carry it
back, to be sure there is good deal of drinking
and gambling going on here not so much in the
mining district as in the cities, the class that
spend their money that way, are mostly sailors
and men that get here by working their passage
on vessels, they have no idea of laying up mon
ey no more in this country than in the States,
now that class seem to be the luckest, so much
so that it is a common bye word to be as lucky
as drunken sailor, when they get their pile in
stead of going home they put for the drinking
and gambling saloons to spend their money and
then return to the mines. l am acquainted with
great many that came here in '49 and 80, hard
working industrious men, some of them are now
working by the month, said they followed the
diggings the first year, some two years and came
out in debt, they worked as hard as those that
made their fortunes, but they could not strike a
lead that was extensive and at last concluded to
make money slower but surer than mining, now
they are laying up money to 60 back with.
The largest strikes that are made now days is
in the quartz claims bit they are hard to be
; found, they have to dig for that, sometimes as
deep as ninety feet before they strike the quartz
ledge and then it is generally not more than 5
or six feet thick, some times more, | will give
you an account of one strike, a company of
Frenchmen. twelve in number, came here last
f winter and went to looking for quartz, this
spring they struck very rich ledge about two
miles from here, about seven weeks ago seven
T of them sold out to the company that am
working for, for $4,000, got their money and
put for Canada, last week this Company sold
the same claims for $4,000 with a reserve Of
the use of the claims till the 25th of June, the
probability is that by that time they will get
their purchase money back clear from all expen-
SEES and have the $4,000 profit. Farming land
is in about as good demand as mining land,
there is but little farming after you leave the
valley where ever there is little strip of level
land that is watered by some creek or ravine it
is souatted on, and that is all the tillable land