The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-02-23
The North Platte Route the Best II
y. ROUND GOLD FOUND.
Extracts from Interesting Letters from
Reliable Sources.
colo: cola. Go1d:
From the Omaha (Nebraska) Times

From the Omaha (Nebraska) Times.
A company arrived in city on last Tues
day, direct from the Cherry Greek gold mines,
but as they Immediately passed over to Iowa,
we were unable to procure any concise state
ment from them, but enough to get the general
import cf the news in the Mining Region
They bring the most glowing accounts yet re-
ceived I! The news seems like the glad shouts
of triumph which makes the Heavens ring
with very joy when the victory is won All
doubt is removed! ..-s.
We append some letters written by men
known to be reliable. The first is from Ed
ward Mather, formerly county clerk of Wash
ington County, and with whom nearly all our
citizens have personal acquaintance, and for
whom all his acquaintances stand ready to
vouch. We have only space to give extracts.
He writes from Denver City, l
"There haye:been some new discoveries since
l wrote you last still not much mining has
been done. .-.. ;,-.r rsa.s 4.
"One company, who have been working du-
ring the past few days, have done splendidly,
averaging EIGHT DOLLARS A DAY to the
man !; they only worked five hours per day for
this. The general average with parties has
been from three to four dollars; but men who
have prospected the country thoroughly, insist
that they can make TWENTY DOLLARS
PER DAY with long toms,
'tThere are many rumors, but only desire
to communicate facts to you. A party of men
from Nebraska City are now prospecting in the
mountains they have found "shot gold" but
how they are getting along, or what wages
they making, we have not yet heard any
thing upon which we can rely. -.
"Write to our friends in Wisconsin and Hi
nois to come out, and to be sure to take the
North Platte Valley Route. Our companies
always beat those from Leavenworth and Kan
sas City by at least twelve or fifteen days"
Do our readers want anything more positive
or conclusive than this, either upon the route
or the mines? Note how careful he is not to
abuse the confidence of his sricnds, by giving
credit to flying rimors-how particular to give
the facts without coloring, and yet how posi-:
tive in his statements relative to the mines and
the route. Of life in the mines, Philip Schee-
yer says: .fff-- ........ s..s
1--WE spend our evenings very socially We
sometimes read, and quite as often play at cards.
We are saving quart of whisky and box of
sardines for the holidays, when we expect to
have grand jollifcation.'
And Andrew Sagendorf, on the same subject,
says:
"There are charms about this country the
scenery, the climate, and the excitement of the
chase, are alone enough to overcome all long
ings after home and the thousand and one lit
tie joys and comforts of an Eastern life. Here,
every night an enchanting dream. Wrapped
in blanket with mother earth for pillow,
and the starry heavens for a roof, the sleeper
in his dreams lives over the pet joys of days
long past"
He also says: ---
aWe made better time with our OK teams,
and so did the Council Bluffs boys, than any
parties that came by the South Platte route
If you come out, be sure to take the North
Platte route -....s
"Shot gold has been discovered in two can
| iah ha nd
Thompson's Greek make their way out of the
mountains. y-.-'
81 looked upon the first specimsn of Quartz
! Gold that has heen found 1t came from the
canon of Thompson's Fork, and is quite rich
Henry Allen, lately member of the Iowa
Legislature, and Postmaster at Council Bluffs,
gentleman of known integrity and extensive
acquaintance, writes a very interesting letter to
his wife, which we find in yesterdays Btgle,
and from which we make a few extracts His
| statements at all times and under all circum-
stances reliable are rendered doubly so in this
instance when writing to his wife and daugh-
ters. whom he would not deceive. Read what
he says
81 have panned out forty-fve cents worth in
one pan full of dirt. Iti very fine. think,
with the right kind of tools, person can make
from five to twenty dollars per day.
'sIn this letter, send you seventy-fve cents
worth of gold. This got out of two pans of
| dirt.
oI know where there are diggings in which
the gold is larger than this. l have seen some
about the size of common white bean but
it is impossible to do anything like work in the
winter, but when spring opens we will be IN,
certain
! "You will doubtless persons who have
returned from here, dissatisfied with the coun-
try and everything out here but such persons
| ho ind in nj /
can assure my friends, that any man that will
work will make money fast-all that is wanted
is industry to insure fortune here.
"Old Californians have no advantage over
the rest of us, from the fact that the diggings
here beats them out-they are not confined to
any locality but are scattered over the whole
country for a distance of over two hundred
miles. The ysiole country appears to be I'M
pregnated XSn gold.'
William Clancy, formerly prominent man
| in this Territory, writes:
uGold exists over space of country extend
ine from the Arkansas in the South, to the
Medicine Bow river in the North. There is
abundance of pine and cottonwood timber
here"
Gen. Larimer, formerly banker in Pitts
burgh, and prominent man In Western Penn
sylvania, and more recently OF this Territory
writing to his friends from his new home IN
the Nebraska mines, says:
"Miners are making from three to five dollars
per day, with good prospects of doing better
in the SPRING
We could keep on to any length but don't
think it necessary, and will therefore conclude
with an extract from letter OF Samuel Curtis
| to the Noapariez. Curtis is son of the Iowa
Congressman of that name who introduced the
Pacific Railroad Bill and when he writes, he
writes the truth. Here are the extacts