The weekly ledger., 1857-08-22


gregated, engaged in building a dam and
fiume, kept up a continual uproar. Two or
three Frenchmen that live among them must
be deaf or they could never stand the racket.
On the Amador side above this last City, in
a shaded nook, are half dozen cabins ten
anted by Frenchmen who work on bar near
by, and seem to live very cozily; in fact all
French miners in this country appear to enjoy
life better than any other class. They under
stand the philosophy Of living. Merchants
say they would rather have them for custom
ers than the people of any other nation just
as it was out of my beat | did not examine
it. Above the mill on the Amador side are
a couple of cabins where was set upon by
two dogs. but cross-eyed man came to my
relief and forced the dogs to retire. He could
keep an eye on both dogs at once, and looked
them into their kennels without difficulty
Cross-eyes are an advantage in some cases if
they do not look so well. From this TO the
forks there are occasional cabins occupied by
persons engaged in huming but nothing wor-
thy of mentioning other than the fact that
the trail will give any one that travels it
good idea of the ups and downs of life.
At the junction of the north and south
branches of the Mokelumne the river bends
around the long point of hill, on the Anna
dor side, that terminates in a high rocky
knoll. From this you have a long view up
the river, and the high fumc near Aqueduct
stands out in bold relief AS there is no
work doing on the river for some miles above,
the traveller will do well to take the trail
that leads up the point and keep the road,
which is a good one, along the ridge by
Aqueduct City to the "Oak Spring" which
is about five miles, On the way you will
pass a rancheria where Indians in every va
riety of dress, from full suit to string of
beads, can be seen; but rancherias are dan
gerous places to stop at or even write about
so my advice is to pass on.
You will find the
OAK SPRING
flowing out from the root of large live oak
under whose shade every body that comes
this way stops to take a drink of the cold,
pure water The stream from the spring is
as large as your wrist, and is used for irriga-
ton by family who have residence close
by. This is on the ridge near the line of the
Amador County Canal, and on the trail that
leads from Volcano to the old Boucher ferry
across the Mokelumne Here again the flu
ming commences. A short distance above
the ferry is the Geuttich quartz mill where the
two brothers of that name were drowned
last winter. The mill is one of the square
stamp kind and does not look as though it
could crush its ton to the pestle per day, yet
the work is well done. 1t is now idle aud in
the hands of the Public Administrator. The
lead is said TO be rich. A half mile above
this mill is the
most ingenious structure The span look
ed to he about eighty feet. The bridge is
supported by two elliptics made of layers of
boards 1t appeared to he very substan-
tial affair aud would be cheap bridge in a
country where long timber is scarce 1t is a
great accommodation to persons in the eastern
ends of Amador and Calaveras countless
Here on the Calaveras side is the Texas
quartz lead and mill, and a short distance
above on the same side is the Lone Star lead
and mill aud near them the Green lead On
this latter lead, little more than half way
up the hill, on the Amador side, DR. Perham
DR.. Smith, Mr.. Philbrick a. Co. are pros
pecting. They have an excellent show for a
fortune and are in fine spirits | arrived at
their camp just after their dinner and before
mine. They insisted on my eating with
them, at the same time telling me they had
only their weeks provisions on hand AL
though / felt sorry for them yet hunger
knows no politeness so succeeded in short
ening their supply so that they were forced
to leave camp Friday afternoon, or go sup
PEERLESS to bed. They are making fne
opening in their lead, and have taken
out some rich rock Just beyond this lead is
the one on which the Mexicans are at work
Here are about hundred persons, men, wo-