The Sierra citizen., 1854-11-04

ton by the opportunities ofvulgar clowns
whom fortune and blind chance had pu
in possession Of grocery. The resul
was, the miner was driven from his claim
and the store-keeper lost his money be
cause he was to lazy to work the claim
himself, and was not smart enough to per
suade any one to work for him for moth
ing.
Hard times in California, and in Sierra
County! These two words should never
be heard here where there are the richest
mines in the State. Where can you &C
to find better diggings. It is true there
are more extensive hill-diggings on the
Slate Range, more easily worked, when
water can be had; but this district has
still the best bank and fiat diggings that
| know of. Attention is now turned to
the banks of the North Fork, and I am
much mistaken if the fast young men about
town do not have to look out another trail
for their evening excursions, for the old
one will soon be full of pit falls. Never
mind that ye dead broke miners! Keep
the pick and shovel in motion, they are
the hope of California, and every sort Of
business stagnates when they are idle
Pitch into the bank between the East
Fork hume and Browns. Ifmy opinion
formed from few years experience alor.z;
That stream, be of any service to the new
comer1 ne IS welcome to it and any assist.
ance in my power to give. 1t is useless
to wander over the stone-piles like an
antiquary over the ruins of an old city
saying to yourself "the mines here are
worked out" Mining is not fairly begun
Verify | say unto you "dig Y You have
adopted the occupation of miner; &c
into it with will. 1t has been said that
knowledge is power;" but after all what
an amount of knowledge there is in Cali
fornia that cannot be made available fol
the want of money!
Here is an instance of the power. ot
money and the respect it commands; il
happened at St. Joe Bar My friend the
Doctor, introduced me to an acquaintance
of his. "You know Mr.. S., Major, Ger
tainly y "Why, no" replied, Il haven't
that honor "Why, Major, this is Mr.
S., who is in one those rich claims on the
other side of the river" 1t cannot be
disputed that miners are respected in pro
portion to the richness of their claims; bat
this is the way of the world, and | have
no fault to find
But to the complaint Of hard times
Almost every firm has three, four or hal
a dozen men in it. Add to this the wages
OF hired help, and the income of the estab
llshment must be very great to make boil
ends meet. IF the stock in trade consist:
only of a Jug Of gin, California merchan
must have satellites revolving round him
Now couldn't one man exert himself {
little more and let the rest go to work
It sometimes happens that dealers wh(
embark in mining projects lose money
but when they do they must have another
"hired man, the "frm" goes on as before
Why not one Of the firm 60 to work Will
the hired man {? 1t would be little disa
greeable at first, but the sound of the picl
and shovel would be music in your ears
when compared with the rapping of th,
Sheriff's hammer on your door, mailing III
that dreaded document "Sheriff's Sale"
You will pay big price for share ii
flume or TUNNEL that has been rich
which some practical miner thinks i
about worked out, and you never get you
money back. Why not prospect yoursel
for claims that may be had for nothing
1t don't cost much to prospect an ordinar,
ravine claim; two men can do that alone
Get few sluice boxes, put in false bot
toms, bored full Of auger-holes, and thel
you won't require any one to attend th
sluice. You can easily raise water in th
North Fork with a small dam, and conve
the dirt down to the water in a chute.-
Attend to the work yourself, for no othe
viii DO your own work SO faithfully. Their
are numerous opportunities of mabin
money on the North Fork, but they re
quire capital, and am now speaking &
mining operations that can be carrie
through with little outlay of money.
The RIGHT SrRIPE.-An exchange az
vises bachelors, when they marry, to get
piece of calico that will wash. i-.a