The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-05-27
Gold i'm OttuInyya

III not eSactly In tiliS Guy. sun very mean IL,
not more than one fourth of a mile from where
we are now writing. This fact was demon
stra,ed to the satisfaction of quite number of
our citizens oursef included. on last Monday.
In the forenoon Of that day, Mr.. Charles M.
Kellogg, Of this place, while prospecting with
another person in one of the ravines near the
city, found several specimens, one Of them of
considerable size, all Of which had the APP
pearance of gold, stood the usual tests, and
besides passed muster among the Californians
of whom several reside here. In the afternoon
of the same day party of us duly provided
with spade, pick and tin pan. proceeded in the
direction Of the gold region, determined to
give the ma tier thorough examination. We
commenced operations in the first run we came
to, at or about tie city limits, not expecting to
fini a lead, however, so near home, but quite
as willing to find il there as half mile fur
Their off particularly as the clouds betokened
smart shower not far off. Well, having duly
installed Mr.. Jerome Gossage, the only expe-
rienced miner Of the party, master of ceremo-
MES, or performer on the Tin pan. we proceed
ed to fill the pan with gravel and sand taken
from the bottom cf the first ravine encounter
ed, which Mr.. G. washed out in true Caifor-
MIA style, and much TO the edfcation of the
inexperienced portion of the crowd. This ex-
pertinent failed. No particles remained after
the dirt and gravel were gone. We tried one
more painful with similar result, but the
third was successful. We found lump of
gold, no mistake about it, and a pretty
good sized lump too. Proceeding down the
creek. near the lime kiln on the land of Mr..
C. F. Blake, we found another lump in the
first PAINFUL washed out there. Here it began
to rain, and we concluded to defer further
prospecting to another day.
The above are facts. We leave all to draw
their own inferences We have the speci-
mems and any one who wishes, can examine
them, or if they prefer it, they can go about
a quarter Of a mile, and test the matter for
themselves. Gold as genuine, if not as fine.
as California can produce has been found in
three places, the most remote not over half
a mile from this office. Whether it exists in
quantity sufficient to justify the time and labor
required to get it, we cannot say, bnt we can
see no reason why gold may not exist here as
well as in 80 many other localities in .his part
Of the State. We shall be compelled to leave
the solution of the problem to those who have
more time for prospecting than we have, hop
ing to hear favorable result from them. We
learn that gold has also been found short
distance from Agency City, and Oh the south
side of the river, near Streets Mill. 1t is
said that the results in those localities are en-
cournging. In the Counties west of us, we
continue to receive accounts of continued
large yields of gold, and an increase of the
excitement. The fever amounts to an epiden-
ic in some six or eight counties. 4.
LATER.-Since the above was in type, fur
ther and more satisfactory discoveries have
been made in numerous places, around and
even within the limits of the city. On Tues
day, Notwithstanding the rain, large number
of our citizens were prospecting in most of
the numerous ravnes in the imned ate vicini-
ty Of this place, and we hear of very many
who were so fortunate as to secure specimens
Of the shining ore, some of them of cons de-
rable size. We have seen some pieces of
clear stuff, some in quartz rock, and one very
fine specimen of minute but numerous parti-
cles mixed with black sand, washed by Mr..
D. C. Mitchell from the ravine in the North
west part of town. 1t would seem from all
these facts, that the sand in the beds of all
our ravines and gulches, contains gold depos-
its or washngs. but whether in such abundance
as to pay for gathering il, is question yet
to be determined. For the present we have
the gratifying assurance that the gold wash
ings of Ottumwa promise to yield as richly
as any in the State, and that if any of our Cit
liens have the gold fever, as present appear
ances indicate, they need not ito California,
or to Clark County for relief, but can reach
the diggings in five minutes walk from their
own comfortable homes and dig up fortune
possibly at their very doors. We have all
along been of the opinion that there was gold
in Ottumwa lots, but until the discoveries of
this week, not exactly in this literal sense.
The Burlington Hawk-Eye came out last
week in favor of running Col. Curtis, our pres
cut dUic representative III SOHSbcSSs w SSicl al
consent and without the formality of con-
vention, for second term, rendering, in the
same connection, deserved tribute to the ac-
knowledged qualifications and eminent services
of the gallant Colonel. The Gate City pub
lished the remarks and suggestions of the Hawk
Eye approvingly, and the Home Journal does
the same, p'edgIng the approval Of the Repub-
licans of High Henry. In the mean time,
committee appointed at the last Congressional
Convention at this place, has issued call for
Convention. In this State Of fact, il will
be better to hold the convention, and defer to
its decision. We doubt not the eminent SER
vices and unquestioned merits of COL Curtis
will be fairly considered by the representa-
tives of the party at Oskaloosa.
A new plank is TO be foisted into the Plat
form of the Democratic Party, under the die
tation Of Southern Slave breeders, who hate
free laborers, regarding them as lower than
negro servants; in fact as ''the mud stills of soci
ety." by which all inhabitants Of Territories,
of foreign birth not naturalized, though they
may have declared their intention to become
so, are to be prohibited from voting. How
will our fellow. citizens of foreign birth who
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