Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-10-31

Sron1 she aIines g--PIenfY Gold On the
The Llgrsaee (Eausas) Rspa5tean contains late
aud fall accounts fOm the Platte Gold Mines, ss
furnished By Mr H. Brittan, ,f Burlington
! COfsy county, Kansas Mr. Brittan was in com
pany With Mr william Parsons, from whose !, l..
ter % the St. Louis Dsmoerat We ublishsd eopious
extracts few d,ys ago The report of Mr. Brit.
tan agrees in ali essenlias with that of Mr Par
sons. nevertheless the following extracts viii be
read sith interest: 49,.
The company not having found gold st Spanish
Peaks, upon hearing these favorable accounts from
the Georgia ComPaay At the Cherry Greek diggings,
determined to immedisteiy 60 fhsre Aecordiugly
they re'raeed their going north and leaving
Plkes Peak q sniy miles TO the west arrived the
Cherry Greek diegngs about the sixth Of Septem
For two weeks the company prosppe'ed on both
sies OF the Plate, finding gold in sufheient ouan@
titles 50 thai Wiih pick shovel aud pan from 81
70 So per dsy could be made This hriugs our daies
down to the 20 Of Sci tembsr, When Mr. Briitao.
Geo. W Smith Jr, Wm. Parsons, tCrty Attor--
nsy Of Lawrence and Robert PEBBLES all membe
Of the eomPaDy-left fer LsEEenee Mr. Britain
brings specimens Of the gold shieh We have seen
aBd which have been examined by several CaIifor-
mans in our presence Who all prOBo0ncs Il the gen
uine article known ss the scale Of drift geld by
miners. Mr. Britain has about three d lass worth
Of it, which he took out in oue day e .eh Of the
ether gentlemen also have specimens
Mr.. Briftan intends to remsin during the winter,
and will return TO The diggiugs next spring with q
full outfit for mining The remain der Of The Law
renee company mtended 70 remain in the mines
about two weeks after Mr. Britain left and then 10
come down the South Platte about forty miles 70
Bent aud 81. VFain's old forts, and winter there.
The weather vas fine a. the mines when he left but
with very cold frosty nights ard it was Ibe opinion
~ nld ma hat oors -,
miners would all be obliged 70 seek winter quarters
The Georgia company had alreacy .dsbaDded, and
sought winter Quariers-sOme ct Fort Laramie,
others at Fort Bridger, and some had Tsturnsd to
the States
Tbere Eere about ous hundred persons in the
mines, and numbers arriving daily when Mr.. Brit
tan left, PrOvissns were t-lsrsbly plenty, though
a. sn'rmous rats hyur seIliag a. SO ger hundred.
The goit dusi Is ue in the mines as currency, al
81 per pennyWeit HI. . a-H
Mr.. Brittan met from 200 to ,OOO emi9rauts en-
route for the mines BE ,hsks that but fsE of them
will be able to reach The mines This fall probably
before this there are heavy SHOWS in the mount aims
II is the height Of folly therefore, for other eompA
nies to start this fall II those sretdy on the route
do not meet with great hsrdships, they Will be fer
tunste, .- r--....-- ...... .-.-.
At the time Mr. Brittau Jeff the mines there we're
10 houses erect d The miners sl living 10 tents.
Fbe heal Of the miners has been cd. be-
The implements in use in the mines are almost
Without exception only shOvel, pi Ks aud pans.
II was the general opinion Of the miners, and
amo9g them several old Caifornisns, that, vim the
proper Implements, from SIS 10 SIS Ter day could
be made. J, Mr. Rooker had rough ekpr N ,de out
Of o hollow l. 2, splu, with Wrich he and his ron
we're taking uur from 81 20 So per Day. A half
breed Cheyenne hoy hh SmHh ny name, son Of
John Smith sell knoaa g. a. ald IN tisn trader
had been at EoTk ahoar ~ weeks Uh,n Mr. i}F tt q
left, and had made Sl4 Ptr seek win h pan
sh vel and pick, carrying MS dir; IRON 'eD 10 ven
" rods 0ne "msss. " found in prnst ecit q
.spoelef7 Ia the bed rock, Whs'e The dist yietisd
sl4 20 The pan full. One Of the GeOrgis company
Washed Ou, SIC In 81 gle day
Cherry Cre.k is sirluUtsrY ~ the South P iarts.
L is about 90 40 miles IN length, dry creek,
9Th a sandy hoIIOa from 70 rod. vide, ard hz
but little gsier in it The main god digging e
are on the South Platte, sb,ui miles wes #
mouth of Cherry Greek, and about $50 miles alirie
the east By south from Fort Laramie. The gold is
found on the second - bench or BIT ON Mr..
B'irian's specimens were dug about ghty rods
from the river The SOuIh Plate has bren pro-
pected upon both sides f'T some thirty miles and
gold found uaiiormly. Water is not very sbundsnt
where the main dlggiRgs are, but can be OoIained
readily by slueinE r#
The general fee Of the country is rolling prai-
ries. very san y supporting bu title veg IA ion
save the priokl pear. The bottoms, hOWeV,r, are
very rich, and afO'd an Abundance Of Pa,luIe, tie
grass beiOg from three to slx ieet high The tmher
right a. the diggInEs is mainly cctt NV cd bu
WItFin twenty miles are exten i've piBeIiss. fbe
Lawrence company in going up from Fanisb Peaks
to the Plat, passed through Pinery thHty hve
miles in width. and within twenty miles OF he
Platte. There is also so abundance Of pine timber
in the mountains. .r. l... Hs
The diggings are Only ten miles from the base Of
the ROCKY MouDta rs. Mr.. ittD says he hoy
used frpquestly to g upon tie noun aus 10 butt
Gam is pier ty in he vicinity OF rhe diggngs--uoh
as anieopp black tailed deer VirgiBia deer, brown
bear Jack" rabns, grizzly bears, are found 10 he
mountains young one Sas kiled near ibe dig~
gipgs, the skR Of which Cap g " Smlth has
with him. Wild ducks and geese are found uFon the
river The Plslis st the dggiDgs is about Two hun
dred feet wide, EASILY fordahle
Nessis Brittan Smith ard Parsons turned b5
the iOIloWing route, viz; DrWn tbe Sou Plats
from the diggns TO the crossing Of The L-avenEOr
and Fort Laramie roads 225 mile from tte cross
iups to Fort Kesrney 100 miles, from Fort Kearney
TO Mrrysvile Marshan county, $50 miles; thence.
by the Old I'D psndenoe and California road, inter
| secliuR the LeaVenworth and ri Riley al at Red
VermilliOn. to Lawrence, 100 miles n y The
whole distance from The diggirgs 70 LaWrenee-oS5
miles. .r.s..l- 11u-l rr-err
From Lawrence 10 MarysviIle the country is thick
" settled and there frequent settleu enls from
Marvsville 20 within forty miles Of the crossing OF
the LARAMIE road on the Platte The remainder Of
i the rouie is without human habiisliOn. On this
mart Of the route the boys rather short Of pro
visions, living for Eve days on sige pancake and
i q cup Of coffee apiece per day. i.-r-
/ FOrthcoTTliTlr men irs Of Gen. q suitman and
] Governor Peindexters BY Hon. - F. h
! ClaibOrnes
Il has already been mentioned in these columns
/ thai the Hon j. n. CbAIB0RsK, has consented 70
/ write the memoir Of Gen QuitnaD. We are happy
10 Ifarn in addition that she executors of 6eoige
Poihdexter have determined TO place in bis hsnis
the papers OF hst emil statesman, whose NOR
| he has also eng gyd op'ep-re
% Mr. Poinde1ier, young laEyeF Of Virginia, came
! to the Missis-ipps TerritOrysb ~ 1907 he settled
bin the tosn Of Washington, in the co lny OF Adams
then the seat Of goy-rDment for the terri o'y where
he soon became Distinguished for hIs legal learnIb
his VT, bis faculty for sarcasm, and hls vehement
| and forcibls elOcutOn.
He became AtiorDy- General, Judge and Delegate
l 20 Corg e-s where e speedily took rank with the
/ most min, nj men in that body.