Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-07-01
VOL. X---NU. SO.
s'ifSG's Peak Grccley's
Ss;slHNapnf.


The Pixies Peak Express reached tcaveh-
worth OH the Goth, i'll eight day from Denver
City, bringing So 800 in dust on consignment
New discoveries had been made at Jackson
diggegings, which it was thought wotlld equal
the Gregory dlgsngs in richness. Messrs.
Smoot & Russell, of Lcavcnworth, had
received 500 from the placer. Horace
Greeley had arrived at Denver City, in six
days and twenty three hours from the Missouri
river. lie Immediately started for the Gregory
digsings, in company with A. d. Richardson,
OF Kansas, formerly of the Boston Journal.
and Mr.. Henry Willard After fifteen miles
travel, they came upon the banks of Clear
Creek, where they found several hundreds of
wagons and tents belonging to the miners in
thc mountains. From this point to the dig
GlnSs-a distance of some twenty miles-the
journey was accomplished on mules over pye-
cp1tous bills and ravincs covered with heavy
quartz and granite bouldcrs. After to,,r Of
inspection through the various mines, the
thrcc explorers prepared statement for pub.
l'cat'on in the Rochy Nouniain Nrus. to the
effect that gold has actually been found in
paying quantities in that region. In some
places, yield of as high as SIS per pan had
been realized. In nearly every instance, the
gold IS estimated by the miners as worth $40
per ounce, which, for gold collected by Quick.
silver, is certainly high valuation, though
this is undoubtedly of very great purity. We
copy the closing paragraph of the communi.
cation Of these gentlemen:
awe cannot conclude this statement with
Out protesting most earnestly against renewal
ol 'he 1htatuat1on which impeIed thousands
to rush to this rag ion a montl, or two x;nc.
pi"y 20 '"'h oack before reaching it, or to
hurry away Immediately after. more h,st;l,,
'','n 'hey came. Gold mining is business
"iich cnlncntly requires of its votaries c,ni-
'',' experience, energy, endurance, and in
which the highest qualities do not always
command success. There NAV he L,,ndras.'
OF raVlEcs IN these mountains us rich in GOLD
as that in which we write, and there nrnhshl,,
are many; but, up to this hour. we do not
know that any such have been discoverod
There are said to be five thousand neonl.,
already in this ravinc, and hundreds rnr.
pouring into it daily. Tens of thousands
more have been passed by us on o,,r r.n;J
journey to this place. or heard of rs ON the;r
way hlther by other routes. For all these
nearly every pound of provisions and s,,nnl;es
OF every kind must be hauled by teams from
the Missouri river, some 700 miles dst,n,
over roads which are mere trails. crossinv
countless unbridgcd watcr-courses ,lw,vo
steep-banked, and often mry and at times .n
swollen by rains as to be utterly i,ppassahl.
by wagons. Part of this distance is a desert
yielding grass, wood and water only at inter.
walls OF several miles, and then very scant;lv
10 attempt to cross this desert on foot is
-sulclde-murder. 10 cross it with,
teams IN midsummer, when the water-co,,rscs
are mainly dry and the grass eaten up. is
possible only to those who know Just wher,
to look for grass and water, and where wafer
must be carried along to preserve life.
"a few months hence probably bv the
middle OF Octobcr-this whole Alpine region
VIII be showed under or frozen up, so as to
put a stop to the working of sluices, if not to
inning altogether. There, then, for a period
OF at least seven months, will be neither
employment, food nor shelter within tiv.
hundred miles for the thousands pressing
hither under the delusion that gold NAV Ir
picked up here like pebbles on the sca-sh1ore.
and that when they arrive here, even though
without provisions or money, their fortunes
are made. Great disappointment, great suf-
terlng' are inevitable; few can escape the
iatter VINO arrive at Denver City after Sep
temoer, without ample means to support them
IN very dear country, at least through long
winter we charge those who manage the
telegraph not to ditftlsc part of our statement
without giving substantially the whole; and
we peg the press generally to unite with us in
warning the whole people against another
ruSh TO thcse gold mines, as iladviscd as that
OF fst NprlnS-a rush sure to be followed like
that by stampede, but one, far more
destructive of property and lfc."