Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1858-09-11

Gold Discoveries on the Skagct River.
II N,rth ern Light reports additional
gold discoveries on the Skaget river. or as it
calls it, the g Scat Scat" river 1t says:
This river is supposed to be $50 miles in
length. 1t takes It's rise in New Caledonia
traverses the eastern base of Mount Baker,
and discharges itself into the Sound, over
beach seven or eight miles wide, about 30
miles south of Bellingham Bay. The lands
in its valley are rich, and well adapted to
agriculture. Gold was found on its banks
every where but, as with all the rivers of this
region, during the summer season, the waters
were high, and prevented them from giving
the bars thorough test.
The waters of the Scat Scat are very high,
and Mcssrs. Sawyer and Jones only prospect
cd two pans of earth both OF which contain
ed several PARTICLES Of gold. 1t was their in
tention to ascend higher; but they met
Messrs. Carter and HoSiord descending, who
told them it was too early in the season.
These latter gentlemen also informed them
that in conversation with some Indians,
they had learned OF Mr.. DeLacy crossing the
head waters Of the Scat Scat with his trail,
and that a party Of Americans had been en-
gagged mining some place in the neighborhood
for the last three months, ma ing hi-yu
gOld'-plenty Of gold. On their finger ends.
they described 1t as being in coarse pieces
Mr.. Sawyer is an old miner, from Downie-
ville and he says the appearance Of the hills
and gulches on Scat-Scat as high as he went,
look equally as favorable for rich deposits of
gold as any OF tie branches of the Yuba.
The Indians told these gentlemen that Thom-
son river could be reached in two lays from
the spot where they conversed and they
would be willing to pack over to it. by tEeir
trail, FIR a dollar Il day
Ar Columbus Bartlett, who made ,he trip
up Frazer river says:
There is little mining on the river till about
four miles above Fort Hope, where bars be-
gin to form, dividing the channel of the
stream, and affording field for mining ope-
rations. There are probably two thousand
men engaged in mining on the river between
Fort Hope and Fort Yale-on Classy Bar,
EmOry's Bar, Hills Bar, Texas Bar, and other
places. As we passed along, either Mr..
Thompson or myself almost invariably asked
"what was the prospect, and where the mi
ner seemed communicative, stopped and con-
versed with him.
Almost all of them were working with pans
and rockers and all said those at work were
making " grub" with here and there rich
strike. On Texas Bar there is good deal of
gold being taken out. j. Waugh, formerly
of Victoria, who owns claim on this bar
told me that he and his partner, with one
rocker, took out from three to six ounces a
dav. | saw 500 worth of the dust which he
scld to Mr.. Walker. T. IL. Moreland, late
of Calaveras county, California, showed M
seven humps of fine du t which had been re-
torted and worked into balls by means of
quicksilver, weighing from $50 to $50 each
He told me he had been working six weeks
and averaged $50 a day, and has never taken
ont less than an ounce in any one day. and
some days as much as 500. Beyond doubt,
very rich strikes have been made on Hills,
EmOry's, Texas and most of the other bars
mentioned, and claims on them can scarcely
be bought even at very high prices. Though
from what could learn, the number Of min
ers On these bars who are making above So
a day, arc rather the exception than the rule;
but it must be remembered that very little
river diggings are being worked, most of the
bars being almost entirely covered with water,
forcing the miners to work the banks
Preparations were being made for the COM
ing winter, in the erection Of substant al log
houses. At Hills Bar, | counted forty log
houses already built, and several in the course
of construction. In all the houses and tents
that | examined and paid particular atten-
tiOl to the subject, there was flour and pro-
visions enough to last its occupants from one
to four months. There is no scarcity of pro-
visons-nor any starvation at any point on
the river that have visited.
There are probably at Fort Yale 700 or
800 people, nearly all of whom are miners,
living in canvas tents and waiting for the
ri or to fall. There are five or six log houses
in the place, and its inhabitants are orderly
and well conducted. | saw 10 drunkenness
or lawessness of any kind everything was
pcaceable and quiet. A number Of miners
were at work on the river bank, with rock
ers, and most Of them were making living
by washing the loose dirt and cobblc stones
The pioneer steamer Umatiila made the
passage from Fort Hope to Fort Yale (if-
teen miles) in five hours, one hour of which
Zine she was aground, without accident.
We came down in her like a streak
of chair lightning" with very light head of
steam, being precisely ffty-one minutes on the
way. | have no doubt she can make the dis
tance inside Of forty-five minutes. In her up
ward passage she was welcomed by the min
ers on the banks of the river with shouts of
Joy, and the firing of guns and pistols, all
along the route.