The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-07-20
A Handsome Young Lady in the Mines
of California.

We take the liberty Of making an extract of
an interesting private letter from an accom-
plished, popular and charming young actress.
Writing from Nayada, June 1st she thus hap |
PLY sketches some amusing theatrical adyan- |
lures and funny subterranean experiences
in practical mining:
awe played first two nights at Timbuctoo,
opening new theatre and wish you could |
have seen it. It is made of thin boards COW
cred with cloth, and you can see through the
wall when the sun strikes. It has marvel
lously brilliant curtain, and all the scenery
(eight plates and corresponding Wings are
alike gorgeous with red and yellow paint. AS
the owners knew nothing about theatres, they
had no accommodations for the arrangement
of scenes. You would have laughed to see
how managed the scenes for "Romeoa and Jul
iiet.n Mother leaves that department to me.
They did not know what q clete was, and had
never heard of screw-eye. After consider
able explanation, we managed to improvise
halony. by putting two set houses Every bril-
liant) down on their sides and a platform be-
hind explained how it could be made firm
Then, for the tomb, put a brick house IN the
centre, and made the wood-fats come down to
| it on each side. Here was another excitement
about how it should stand up, which OLIVIA
ted. Then l brought numerous yards OF
black muslin, and covered the brick house.
The play went off to the satisfaction Of as
large an audience as could be got into the
Theatre, and, as they express it, we made
Hfine show" Though very rough, the au-
dience is the best have met IN the state
very attentive, but, at the right time, very en-
thusiastic 'Sybil," created an immense I'M
preston; people came from ten miles around
| to see il. We could have played two more
nights, but being advertised at Nevada, we
had to go on. We came on here, and SO Tar
have played two nights done splendid busl-
ness, and tonight dds fair to be equally good.
Il Yesterday we saw an entirely new phase OF
life So far we had only seen the surface-dig-
gings, but now we have seen the mining, tar
below the earth. Before we went down, one
of the proprietors Mr.. Seymour, dressed us
ltup. Our party consisted of three ladies and
two gentlemen, and you never saw such a hard
Hooking crowd. We wore our oldest dresses
and no hoops mems India rubber coats and
boots. and our heads done up s'nigger- fashion"
i'm eotton-cloth. Then we went into large
shed where they have steam engine, and
YOU see the commencement of a railroad track
which suddenly disappears into an intensely
lfdark hole. On this track was a low, almost
fiat ribbed planking on six wheels. On this
thing we sat down, the gentlemen holding the
tladies. The word was given and away we
sped into this dark hole, down an inclined
plane, at an angie of forty-fye degrees for
1850 feet. I expected to be frightened, but
was not in the least in fact / liked it, the
sensation was 50 novel; When Ve. got of the
truck. we found ourselves IN an alley way,
beamed and boarded ON all sides. These al
Eleys extend in all directions, and so low, you
have to stoop all the time in walking. Mother
!, could not stand the strain on her back, so we
LEFT her seated on pile Of dirt. talking to a
miner. We were all provided with candles,
, and such a trip as we passed through. First
we went along the railroad track, IN deep mud
! and then along alley ways where the decom-
posed granite IS very soft but dry. Sometimes
we had to crawl through hole on our hands
/ and knees, then, again, slide through feet fore
most. It was hard work, but funny, and
never laughed so much in my life. At las
we got through into quite an open place, which
Mr.. Seymour had fixed for US that morning Il
: was most ridiculous sight to see thoroughly
} exhausted, seated on pile of dirt, with can
|, dies in our hands. Mr.. Seymour dug us |
pan of dirt apiece, which yielded sixteen dol
: lars each when they were washed out W.
a are going to have ornaments made for ou
/ WaCC06S. kAIteT VIC IGctCtAf 1So va
0 again. 1t was the same thing over whereve
l we went. After time, we got back to mothe
: the truck came down and We came up L
s going up you feel asif you We're about to slid
0 off, After we came up we went into tn
0 wash house to see them clean up. They hay
o large troughs through which the water rushes
e earring dirt snd stones with it. The water
S impregnated with quicksilver which makes tn
e gold sink to the bottom, and it catches unde
It ribbed wood laid at intervals. When the.
b clean up, these pieces of wood are raised, AM
p the water carries away all the dirt and stones
Y leaving only the gold. The entire minin
!, country is intersected with these fumes, some
: times on tressels which look like immense sus
: pension bridges, then running along the groun
n or disappearing in the sides Of the hills.
e They have another mine here, where yo
90 down in bucket, but man was kille'
II there last week, and don't want to go. s
g rather like this itinerating business; but 70
d the fiightfuIly dusty roads, we would hay
: nothing to complain Of However, if we con
: tinue to make money, we can bear it.