The Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1852-1872, 1853-04-02

| 1t may be four years, and it Ifs.r be elven,
| And It's yet that yer dreaming and breakln'
my heart:
Och it may be four years, but I'll make it eliven
Av We don't spake to me, Biddy McVoornin !
Interesting Letter from One Horse Town.
ONE HORSE Town, 2Sh March, 1853.
| EDS. SHASTA COURIER :-Considerabl ex-
element has for some time been manifested by
miners and others concerning the Australian
Gold Mines, and whole bodies of men have left
this upper country to proceed to the new Ell Do
RADIO. So extensive is the feeling of locomotion
among our nomadic population, that it might be
imagined this section of the country was already
worked out, and no more of the glittering ORC in
| the ground to reward the labor of extracting it.
! But such is not the case with the knowing ones
about here. Allow me to give you few statis-
tics of the actual and anticipated mining results
of this region
From Mule Town to this place, a distance of
five miles along the creek and back to Middle
! town, live miles from here, on the road to your
| city, there is a continual succession Of gulches
not one of which will pay less than S. per diem
to the intelligent laborer, while many places have
paid as high as 500 this winter. Within one
and-a-haf miles lies Jackass Flat, consisting of
upwards OF 100 acres, the poorest of which will
pay Sc for cayoteing, and from that to $3.50 per
day for ground and box sluicing, when water
can be had. One-tenth of this fiat, am conf
| dent, has not been worked Claims in many in
stances are held at from $500 to $1,000 each,
claimants laying by all the year round, to run
| the precaYious chance of obtaining water during
the winter. Within compass of two or three
miles square found the neig hborhood of Jackass
are other flats hill sides, and ravines nnumera-
| l.
Around Texas Springs, three or four miles lower
down, the country, Is alike HIGHLY auriferous,
and all have been very successfully worked dur
ing this wet winter. In the writers belief more
gold has been dug hereabouts this year than in
any three seasons previous. Many men who, to
| his certain knowledge, had not in the fall cent
''to jingle tombstone" now have from $500
to $4,000 each, i'll beautiful, clean gold dust
| Among other matters may mention having
conversed with some brother miners two DAYS
ago, regarding their success during the winter
and was assured they had been doing very poor
| ly, only having had worked out claims and
| taiings" to wash and consequently ''averaged
but So per day. each.
This is the ground over which the abortive
Shasta County Mining and Water Company pro-
posed to distribute the water of Clear Creek
ground every way available for such company,
because, as general thing. it cannot be profita-
bly, worked except during "a rain, or Immediately
after. And no other water save that taken up
by this company, can so well be brought upon
the ground. Thus a district-l2 miles long by
from to broad or about 4S square miles-of
| the richest gold yielding country in the world.
is, comparatively speaking, laying dormant.
The writer has some objections to companies
OF capitalists competing with honest individual
labor, bat III this instance he imagines either an
English Russian, Persian or Ilindoo company,
| 81.
be looked upon as a godsend by citizens of this
section. God save US from our friends-that is
from such OF them as have too extensive views
Tor their spirit, capacity their pockets. The
foregoing will give you only small idea of our
dry or winter diggings
For our summers work we have the exertions
of two small companies. One the South Fork
OF Clear Greek Company, brings water from
tributary OF Clear Greek III ditch miles long,
and are now employed washing in the fiat oppo-
site our town. Capital invested bythem So, 600.
The other, the Eagle Greek Company, fetches
water from one OF the branches of the North
Fork OF Cottonwood, through a ditch Ia miles
long, and is now engaged IN putting chain
| across the canon of Clear Greek, $50 feet wide
and 200 feet high, to conduct the water to the
rich grounds in the flats here and about Jackass
Capital invested $4,000. Should any other
than Californian look upon the place across
at once pronounce the projectors mad. But
nothing daunts our California Miner Mountain,
canon and every other obstacle, are alike over
come by their indomtable energy.
Our public spirited citizen Jack Spencer, is
now forming company to raise the water from
Clear Greek by dam some fifteen feet high, so
as 10 command the flats on both sides of the
creek. These fats were begun to be worked
last fall and only a few spots have been touched
as yet. The results are very satisfactory. One
Cayote company, washing from 90 to 80 buckets
of dirt to the hand a day, is now realizing as
many dollars Another strip off from to 10
feet of top dirt before washing, yet ounces a
day TO the hand is ia common occurrence. Others
again. on the same bank, are only making from
to dollars. Further down, s to 10 dollars
are made regularly, where the dirt has to be
wheeled to the creek to be washed; and l and
2 ounces have been frequently got by the same
method On this side, 400 yards below this
town. $3.50 were divided by two men, for
days work last week, and two other men made
from Is to II ounces In two consecutive days.
hear that below them, another place has been
struck to-day, that pays | dollar to the bucket.
Dirt will be carted to the creek from Jackass
Flat and other places, all the year round, and al
though it has to be hauled from half to one mile,
the remuneration is handsome. Sanguine ex-
pectations are also entertained relative to the
bed of the creek as Jack Spencer's company
will draw off great portion OF the stream, thus