The Sierra citizen., 1854-05-13
Mining Items.

uuuCi euC CCutkC VI COWu, nave oeA q
very rich lead. On Wednesday they took
out q OF. and on the following day
were driven but Of the drift by an accident
to the machinery and the rise Of water
In the afternoon, however, they were en-
abled to resume washing, and realized 8
OF. Yesterday they obtained 91a o.
They have been for long time at work
with but little success, and have at last
struck the lead which will probably repay
them for all their labor.
Another party, Immediately above, have
been doing very good business, though
the rise and fall of the river caused many
Interruptions.
A claim in the Blue Banks was sold
this week for $24OO.
The miners at Hardy's Flat, on the
South Fork. are said to be doing good
business.
SMITHS DIGGINGS.-We are indebted to
Squire Talbot, of Moscow, for the fol-
lowing items of information relative to
Smiths and Chipps' Diggings. Smiths
Diggings lie on the north side of Kanaka
Creek. The town is situated on bench
about half way between the top of the
hill and the creek, and contains (including
the miners scattered over the diggings) o
population of three or four hundred. The
digging extend along the hillside some
three miles, and companies are at work at
irregular intervals the whole distance
The claims here are paying well. One
sluicing claim on the point below the town,
have taken out daily from % to 38 ounces
when washing; two other tunnels have
penetrated through the bed rock three or
four hundred feet, and have lately found
very good prospects. -Four other tunnels
in the immediate vicinity of the town are
averaging from = to OF. per day to the
hand. Packard's tunnel yields weekly
from $50 to 800 to the hand after deduct
ing expenses. They recently took out one
lump weighing % o., one-third quartz
One or two other parties have reached the
paying dirt, and are making preparations
to wash. From present prospects these
will be valuable claims The bed rock
through the Minnesota range seems to be
nearly on level. A few days since a
level was taken between Smiths and
Chipps' diggings, and the variation was
found to be only FIVE feet.
FOREST CITY,
May Sth, 1854. {
Editors Citizen should have written
before this, had not my time been so taken
up with my own affairs; which of course
you will allow all right and proper
Without further apology I'll begin.
/ have been informed that several
claims have recently been sold for from
seven to nine thousand dollars. Among
these were two claims in the Buckeye
tunnel, belonging to Messrs. HanniDg and
Wells. A claim was sold in this company
last year for sixty dollars. Since then the
receipts of the Buckeye claims have been
$80,784 81, and during the last six weeks
they have yielded $16,902 Sc. The
claims are 60 feet front and running back
into the hill without limit. The names
of the present members Of the company,
are Messrs. McNutt, McLane, Steinbrook,
Carr, Houseman and Lutz.
The next on my item book, is the Live
Yankee company. Shares have sold in
this company as high as six thousand
dollars; Mr.. Webb is the only original
shareholder now remaining, and his patient
industry in digging so long for hidden
treasure under difficulties, has been well
rewarded. Result Of last weeks operations
ten pounds ten and half ounces.
The Mt. Vernon and Empire companies
are paying as well as ever. These claims
are too well known to require very par,
ticular reports.
The Oregon, Potomac, and other new
companies are busily at work night and
day; expect to have few items from
that quarter shortly. Where gold has
been found at all, the generality of claims
pay from to 8 OF per day; but of course
you know that there are numbers of
unlucky hombres wandering about making
nothing. My intention is to report unu-
sual strikes without exaggeration.
Spring Hill promises well; some very
beautiful specimens have been found there,
and if my opinion were asked, l would
unhesitatingly advise persons out of en-
ployment to keep trying there.
The road spoken of in my last letter. is
partly completed; wagons can already
pass over it in safety; any of our lower
country friends possessed of "turn out,
can now visit our place in state. The
saw-mill will be in operation in a few davs.