The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1859-08-24
The New Gold Discoveries.

hoSI OF our readers are doubtless aware
That intense excitement al present prevails
at the lsthmus, and is even nanifestinp
itself in some of our sea- board cities. re-
lative to the new gold discoveries in the
Indian countries, one hundred and thirty
miles north Of Aspinwal. We append
the following from the N. Y. Times rel
atiye to the graves end gold. 1t will be
remembered that the golden images are
placed in pots, one Of which is placed at
the side of each body, and that the met
al is noted for its maiden purity:
Correspondence of the N. Y. Times.
PANAMA, July 23, 1859.
| have but little in addition TO my let
ter of the 18th to send you. Our gold
excitement is intensifying. On the goth
the brig Josefa, commanded by down
east Yankee, Capt. Patterson, sailed with
a cargo of shovels, liquors, and provisions,
and about fifty passengers for Chiriqui,
the graye-diggers' "El Dorado" Among
the passengers were half dozen Ameri-
cans, a few English and monte dealer.
The accounts that continue TO reach us of
the wealth of these Indian Cemeteries, or
" huacas," in golden images and trinkets,
arc every day growing more wonderful.
A hat has been found made of exceeding
ly fine gold, and Of great weight; also,
a gold woman but how large woman
is not stated. 1t is little curious sec
ing with what contempt the Indians gen
orally treated females, that they should
have wasted the precious metal in fash
ioning one. 1t must have been love-
sick Indian that made that figure.
Most of the passengers that took pas
sage in the Josefa carried silver with them
to purchase the gold. 1t is said that it
is sold by the poor class of the people
who are turning up the graves, aL from
three to four dollars per ounce. Yester-
day another vessel arrived from Chiriqui
with box of gold, but of what value l
cannot ascertain. 1t is said one man at
the grave-diggings" has taken out rs
pounds of images, but this is probably
somewhat exaggerated.
These tombs, it appears, are of great
extent, some of them having contained
many hundred bodies. The gold is said
TO be contained in earthen vessels by tho
side of the body. The ground where
the "huacas" are is covered with trees,
and it was by the falling of large tree
growing out of the top of mound that
deposits were discovered. The roots of
the tree took with them the earth and
the mason-work of one Of the mounds,
leaving the gold exposed, which was &C
cidentally seen by man when passing
close to it.
Many persons who have gone down are
enthusiastic enough to believe they shall
find the source from whence all this
wealth was obtained-they may do so,
but il does not follow they will get much
gold from it. The Indians only used the
article for ornaments, and il i0 more than
likely to say that they were two or three
hundred years in getting together the
quarter of a million dollars worth that
may have been buried with their chiefs
and great men in this Chiriqui sepuIchre.
Gold has never been found in New Gra-
NADIA in sufficient quantities to pay a Cal
ifornia digger; and it is only from the
fact that Indians in Choco and Antioquia
can be had for couple of dimes day
that the people of the Magdalena district
are now able to export two or three mill
ions of dollars year.