The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1854-08-26
NO. 22.
The Gold Mines.

Some two and half wears ago. a friend
who had been in this country. and had labor
ed IN the mines, and had taken back about
$6OOO, which he had obtained there. on
hearing that was about to start to Califor
MA, wrote to me TO say, " that it was the
poorest country In the world that the soil
could never be made productive, and as for
the mines, they would soon give out" And
this was the impression of very many per
sons who had spent few months ONLY in
California, and who had never fairly tested
her capacities. But it turns out that the
truth is to the contrary of all this; that the
productlveness OF the soil is truly wonder
tul, while the mines continue to Weld more
abundantly than ever 1t is true that manv
OF the surface dlgglngs are worked out, but
1t has been ascertained within the last wear.
that the whole district of country living at
the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain
range, being from twenty to forty miles wide
and some four hundred miles in length. Gov
cred with hills and small mountains, con-
tains rich deposits of gold. Mining opera
tlons have been transferred in man. instan-
ces, to these hills, into the sides of which the
miners tunnel, aiming TO strike the rim Of
basin where the gold has been deposited.
After proceeding to sufficient depth. they
sink shaft from the top Of the hill inter
sectlng the tunnel. When this is done they
conduct stream of wat ter to the upper end
Of the shaft and turn it in, and then the pro-
cess of melting down the hill commences
/ BY the aid of a common fire engine hose.
and by dint Of digging and applying the
water to give it force against the earth, the
entire hill side is washed out, and the gold
found therein is gathered at the outer end
of the tunnel. But these hills are so nurner
Gus that ages on ages will pass away before
! their richness can be fully ascertained, much
less extracted. But the eternal source of
gold lies in the quartz rock. Immense and
countless leads of these extend in a north
west and southeast direction the entire
length OF the State. These gold bearing
rocks were the original matrix or mother of
gold. The choice spots heretofore wrought
are places where the quartz rocks have been
dissolved and decomposed by the action of
the elements through countless ages Human
skill will find some method of decomposing
these rocks-will steal march on the tardy
process of nature-and millions of gold will
be extracted from the yellow backs and ribs
OF these mountains .r-i-
LoNGEvITY.-T Portsmouth Journal gives
an account of Andrew Drew, ESQ, who is
now living In Durham, N H., at the ad-
vanced age of 100 years, and not a grey hair
upon his head, which is quite free from bald
ness. He had wife and two sisters his
wife died at the age of 95 years one of his
sisters is now living at the advanced age of
l03 years, the other died at the age of 95.
Mr.. Drew lived with his wife 76 years, and
has always enjoyed good health; for rs years
he did not fail to be present at the annual
town meeting, and during the time he has
always thrown a whig vote As several in
Iqulrles were made as to his manner of living.
an answer is given, from which we learn
that ne has always been Industrious and
temperate, used a moderate share of spirits.
rose early in the morning, managed his own
farming affairs, and meddled with no mans
business but his own.
HE DUTY OF CoUNsEL-The papers are
recalling an anecdote of Daniel Webster,
who, 1t is said, once cleared Boston broker,
who had done dishonorabe and swindling
Iact' by taking advantage of his law knowl-
ledge, and quashing the indictment almost
without an argument The broker, amazed
at his advocates skill, and overjoyed at his
escape, eagerly pressed towards Webster and
attempted to grasp his hand but the thun-
der gathered on the great lawyers brow, and
ne froze his client TO the soul by these words
" take no villain BY the hand"