Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-04-24
Later from thsHev Gold Nine.
We find the following news in a letter pub
liahpd In the Attn.

We find the following news in letter pub
lished in the Alta:
PORT TOWNSEND, April IL, 1858.
By the arrival Of reliable persons from the
Frazer and Thompson rivers, we urc put in
possession of late and authentic information
in relation to the new gold mines. There can
be no doubt that gold in paying quantities
can be easily obtained, at almost any point
from Fort Hope to Colvile Valley. Consider
able quantities of the dust has been brought
down the river 1t has been principal y taken
from the bars of the. streams, and is heavier
than bar gold usually is. 1t is pronounced
by experienced California miners to be q tall
specimen Of coarse gold;" many pieces
weighing from 90 to el5 each. 1t il esti-
mated that there are from 600 to 800 persons
already in these mines, and by some il is
thought, that DO per man, is fair estimate
Of days operations; am of opinion, that
there is certainly % per day being panned out
to man. This Is better, (if true) than Cali
fornia in her best days. don't imagine that
California, in any single year, since the dis
every Of her gold mines, has yielded on an
average % to every one operating in the mines.
The best days work on FraZcr's River, that
hive heard Of, is by two men who washed out
in one day S2l3 76-this was in surface dig.
gingS
The route travelled from this point to the
mines. is now altogether the way of Frazer'S
river in boats. The Hudson Bay Co.'s
steamer Otter finds no difficulty in going
some fifty miles up the stream, and her cap
tain thinks, he can easily run his boat to the
locality Of the present mining operations, 20
miles above Fort Hope at the rapids The
Frazer IL large stream, larger than the Sac
rancnto, having its source in the Rocky
Mountains, and draining . vast extent Of
country its principal tributary, Thompson's
river, comes in from the south, having its
source in this Territory.
Provisions are very scarce and high at the
mines, and persons who design coming down
from California, would do well to bring q sup
ply Of articles Of consumption, as well as mi
ners' tools. The point Of debarkation will be
this place, from which conveyance can, at all
times, be had to the river, and up to the
mines. The citizens OF Bcllingham Bay arc
cutting out pack trail from that place to the
river near Font Hope. BY this trail the dis.
tancc from the coat to the mines will not be
more than 70 miles, while il Is 100 miles by
Fraz RS river. The road will BE- opened about
the 18th Of May, and Dellirg,am Bay will be-
co ne great starting place for the mines.
The Frazer liver MINIS will, doubtless, OK.
ert powerful influence on the Sound country.
1t is true that these gold dcpositcs are on
British soil, but what of that? II gold is
found in abundance on the line, or just north
If it, why not just south Of itr II has been
already proved that gold does exist, in small
quantities at least, in all the streams that flow
fr IN the Cascade range of mountains. If
there is gold north and south Of US, why not
in cur own Tcrritorvi
predict that at no distant day the eastern
portion Of Washington Territory will be found
To be rich in the precious metals, and instead
of being an out of-thc-way and neglected place,
it will have dense population.