White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1859-04-21

Ma EDITOR In looking over the va
rious communications from persons here
to journals in the States. / have not met
with one giving full description Of this
country, or its general mineral wealth.
Not one seems to have gone beyond the
Platte River Diggings in their eorresPon.
dence. Out of the five or six hundred
men who came to this country last fall
and during the winter. not one, perhaps
could be found who was not actuated to
the trip by desire to better his peeuniary
condition. It would follow as 3 natural
result, that such men would on every oc-
easion eagerly grasp at any object that TO
them presented shadow Of gain. Tins
being the case, numbers of town sites,
diggings and water races, only beset by
the white man within the last six months,
have in that short period sprouted. bloom
ell and withered, leaving as vestiges
foundation now and then. few holes in
the ground, and occasionally stake upon
the bank Of some stream, where you are
sure to find the memorable words, EVA
ter for a race, claimed by -"
To those acquainted with the diggihgs
on this river. perusal of certain journals
in the States is startling-it at least
arouses the suspicion that correspondents
from here have not al ways considered the
full virtue of truth in their coumuniea-
tious. or like your humble servant, on
their arrival here. they took it for granted,
that what was told them was tue, and
wrote accordingly. the sequence being
that many in this way have had tckole
cloth lies published over their names. who
would sincerely Geprecate any such nOto-
riety.
Your correspondent left Leavenworth
CITY in company with three others. on
the 18th of September. 1858. it being
about the time when the arrival Of MIR.
Zimmerman in that city had somewhat
allsyed the excitement, gentleman who
returned from Pixies Peak, and reported
mo gold" At the time of ogr departure.
the gold region was located at Pixies
Peak. Later its location was changed to
Cherry Creek. and subsequently and f.
nally to the South Platte, for distance
Of about six miles on both sides of the
river above the mouth Of Cherry Creek.
We-reached here in fOrty-six days, having
come by way of the Arkansas. and found
miners making, as they said, from 50 to
SS per day, with a rocker. This, Of
course, we wrote home, but after sufficient
length of time had elapsed for our letters
to reach their destination. we discovered
that when miners rocked out this amount
of gold, it was done from pay dirt. that
had most generally taken up the better
part of two days in stripping and collec-
, ting it preparatory to washing. The
weather lately has been very mild while
| write at this 4 p NJ, the mercury
stands at SOC Fahrenheit There is no.
thing to deter miners in their work if they
can find diggings that will pay. had
occasion to go down the river this after
noon, and found Just two parties at work
(six men in all, J the one was averaging
81 and the other 1925 per day, to the
man, but understood FROM good authority
that a gentleman bysthe name of Bunker,
lower down the stream, was making from
. 81 to So per day. Out Of this. however.
he deducted One-third of his time for
stripping. When have informed you
that there are at present no W lter priyile-
ges here. you must take into consideration
the fact that the dirt has to be carried in
buckets for a distance Of from twenty to
one hundred yards, and washed in n rock
er, and then you can draw a fair and
truthful inference Of the gold mines which
thus far have created so much excitement
throughout our country. 1t is not my
intention to make this letter tedious. NY
acquaintance in the States are no doubt
anxious to get to truthful and full state
ments as regards the gold resources of this
region, and look to me for that informa-
ton hence have preferred giving it in
a general letter. if you will kindly give it
publication in the columns Of your daily.
a prospecting party, headed by Geo.
A. Thomas, Esq, Rockport. Missouri,
returned last evening from tour into the
Bayou Salado. and on the head waters Of
the South Platte. Mr.. Thomas, gentle
man Of intelligence, whose energy as &
, prospsetOr is unrivalled, and whose judg-
ment, with respect to gold country is
unimpeachable, informs me "that there
is no gold either in the mountains or out
Of them, South or Southwest from
a point twelve miles above the mouth Of
Cherry Greek ION this river. and more espe-
eialiy is there none on The head voters of The
South Platte" Il should have said "no
gold South or Southwest until you reach
the Galestro, or what are better known as
the Santa Fe diggings.") Some parties
interested in town sites near Pixies Peak,
, report having found gold fifty miles west
from the mouth Of the Utah trail, (enter-
ing the mountains at the Northern base oil
Pixies Peak. but they have none of the
gold to show, and men here have already
been dupsd so frequently as to become
somewhat incredulous. This report has
not, as yet, met with much encourage
, ment
( QUANTITY ASD QUALITY OF The GOLD.
Admitting the. superstition that it runs
in q river. it would follow that where that
vein traverses prairie country, the gold
would be equally disseminated over it,
surface, and consequently the diggingu
would pay in one place as well as another
> with equal water privileges On the Other
hand. where this vein traverxes a mann.