Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-04-29
Miners Life in California.

A few days subsequent to my communication
from jacksonville, we were visited by one of
those terrible freshets, which made mention
of in that letter, and whose advent is certain
destruction to all interests in river mining 1t
was a scene awfully sublimc-the terrible, tri-
umphant river laundering past, destroying
everything in its path and bearing upon its
turbulent bosom the fragments of wheels, pumps
and all the machinery appertaining to a river
claim" and the driving rain and bowling wind
was typical of the emotions which swelled
thousand brave hearts.
This, to the novice in mining, would be suf
ficient to discourage him from ever attempting
to " try his luck" in the river again, but
to the inexperieced, it is but freak of fortune.
quainted with grief" and such contingencies
have only momentary effect upon his nerves.
1t is in California that many men, especially
young men, learn their first experience in life :;
and when they see the horison of their fortunes
which was once lit up with such brilliant hues,
sud lenly obscured, and the golden song which
once chained them ssddenly drowned in the
bowling of adversely s winds sghng as it were
their requiem, their energies become paled and
their hopes blasted. California most emphat-
ically, tests person IS manhood.
As soon as the number of killed and wound
ed in this elementary battle had been ascertain
ed, there was general stampede for the " dry
diggings.''
The reputation of this camp being good, a
large number hocked hIther. 1t is situated on
a high mountain in the heart of the southern
mines, and were it supplied with water, would
be the richest. Most of the mining here is pla
cer-although there are some rich "quarti
leads"-the depth to bed rock varying from
three to twelve feet. In order to work claim
advantageously the "ground sluice' Is made
use Of this is simple process; when there il
sufficient fall, large reservoir is made at th,
upper end of the g claim" so as to give the wa
ter good " head'' the ground to be " "sluicec
off first has ditch cut through it as deep a
possible, then the water is turned into it an,
the miners commence digging down the top sol
which is rapidly carried off by the swift run
ming current. This process not only saves
vast amount of labor, but all the fine gold tina
may be in the surface dirt, the action of the wa
ter causing it to settle at the bottom. After
sufficient piece of ground has been suiced,
the L" sluices ;. (the same as those on the river
are set in, and, the residue of the dirt is wash
ed A large portion of the gold in this localt
is found in Z" leads These appear to hay
, once been the formation Of gravel and char
mel in the " bed rock" Some of the gold i
these is very heavy, chispas weighing as high a
thousand dollars have been found But the
are few and far between
But this camp can never be lucrative on
to the MINER until it is supplied with water
. Millions of gold lie buried beneath its surface
which only requires an abundance of water I
: resurrect it. This great desideratum will |
; furnished when the ''Big Ditch" is complete,
which is now dragging its slow length alon,
: under the auspices of few men, who are tr,
: ing to get the controlling interest into the
: own hands, by retardng the progress of I'll
work and freezing OUT the small shareholc
=, ers, thus inhicting great injury upon the mil
: ing portion of the community. This ditch is
gigantic canal some forty miles in length, con
, mencing near the head waters of the Tuolumr
river and passing through rich mining distri,
f; It's entire length.
0 When this great enterprise is completed tn
: camp will yield an amount of gold even mo,
, fabulous than has yet been heard of in the hi,
e tory of California and what an nestimab
o blessing twill be to all the country continguo,
+ to it, bearing the cool waters of the snow-con,
y ed Sierra Nev adas along its bosom, to cheer IL
c miner S heart, to irrigate the now desiccatc
: ranch Of the pioneer farmer, and turning Il
wheels of an hundred mills, giving new inn
: tas to all kinds Of business. Civilization. to
0 will advance with rapid strides, and where II
n Indian now roves unmolested villages wi
d spring up and become the homes of the male f
: ces, and he will look in vain for the Landmark
@ of his fathers. Such are some of the bene6
n that will be derived from the completion
: this great project.
+; Let us now take a peep into the miner
q home and soc what his social condition is.