Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-06-19
Cnnnt the Cost.

Count the Cost
Who Gets rich in California; Who is it
that gathers up and iattens upon the untold
millions which are annually dug from our pro-
life gold fieldsH Is it the hard-fisted, cncr-
Cetic miner, who deves and struggles for
weary wears in our lonely canous and rayless
tunn,ls? Alas-.No! The history Of this
country for the last eight years proves con-
clusivcly that if a miner does accidentally
make fortune, he is an exception to the rule.
Those who are not familiar with the mines
and mining interests of California are at a
loss how to account for this lack Of success on
the part OF our miners, and it is common
expression amongst our Atlantic triepdS-"I II
| were only in the gold mines Of California,
know that could soon make fortune" so
thoroughly arc they impressed with this con-
viction that almost every new conner to our
State takes turn in the mines before he can
be cured of this preconcCived notion that for
tunes are to be picked up any where in the
dggngs. AS general thing, however, one
examination and experiment cures them, and
they quietly drop into the common mass OF
dsheartencd Adventures. Our experience III
the business of California dates as far back as
lS4g, and as we have lived constantly in the
mines, amongst miners, We have had All cx-
cellcnt opportunity Of watching the viciSsi-
tudeS and changes amongst that class OF our
| citizens; and our observation warrants us i'll
asserting that the gold miners as II general
thing, no matter how successful at the start,
come out poor and diShcartcncd in the end.
The reason of this is obvious. Men go into
the diggings full Of energy and hope and at
| the outset work with anvil. As natural re-
suit of this kind Of energy, they are almost
certain to amass more or less gold. They get
in possession of few hundred dollars, and
suddenly become inflated with the belief that
they may easily become MILL Jraircs by in
vcSting their money in fluming or tunncling
speculation, and about nine times out of ten,
to use California phrase, such spectators
ago tip the tiumc" The fact is, the mass Of
California miners have always been merely
advcnturcrS, who came to the country with
the insane belief that fortunes were to be
made without n struggle. In this they were
Of course disappointed, and hence the reason
Of their dissatisfaction and readiness to fall in
with any tangled excitement AZ in the
Gold Bluff, Gold Lake, Kern River and other
similar humbugS. The few who have succeed
cd in the mines are those who have by cx-
pcrience learned to profit by the adagc-"lct
we'll enough alone" Whenever a miner
| lChNCS NulSh SNSh
wages and starts out on a prospecting tour,
YOU may safely wager that he is on the road
TO bankruptcy.
Our humble opinion is, that hundreds Of
those who arc now rushing to Frazer river
will, ere long, feel the force of this truth. If
men would only sit quietly down and dclibcr-
Atcly count the cost Of this new hazard, we
are inclined to the opinion that many would
be contcn! to let we'll enough alone, and not
inSancly relinquish certainty for doubtful
possibility. Here, the miner is at least GER
tain of competency and if he will forcSo
speculation. an ultimate fortune. In addition
to this he laborS under the protection of his
own government, is surrounded by all the
comforts and luXuricS Of civilization and is
best with the most delightful climate under
heaven. There, he will he n stranger in a
strange, foreign wilderness, and must not only
be subjected to the privations and dangers
incident to q new country, infested hy vast
hordcs Of untameablc Indians, but will have
to endure the chilling blasts of latitude
nearly as cold as Greenland And what is to
be gained by all this hardship, privation and
suffering? The remote possibility Of finding
disEings which, by permission Of a foreign
power. may be worked about four months in
the year! Better count the cost and stay at
home