Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-04-21

Snow Observation-Disclosures
Success.
J. One of the gold hunters from Chicago,
in a lettersto the Press dated Fort Kearney,
April ID, 1859, writes as follows of the
terrific snow storms encountered and the
suffering among the emigrants to the
Peak: 5 49,
I arrived here last evening in a snow
storm-one of the worst l ever saw. 1t
stormed all night and is storming yet at
10 o'clock A. NJ. The snow is about 1s
inches deep and drifting four feet, and as
cold as any day l have seen this winter.
We slept in our wagon last night, or rather
lay there shivering, the snow drifting in on
US about two inches deep. We nearly
froze to DEATH This morning our horses
were so,eold that we thought they could
not live; we buckled our blankets around
them and broke for the fort-eighty rods,
and found them all in bed, but we burst
right in on them, and, although we met a
cold reception from Uncle SANS boys, yet
We told them we mast have some hot cof-
fee, and We are feeling better over it. .
This is the second snow storm we have
suffered since we left and have had very
cold weather for week, the ice freezing
on our whiskers every day while travelling.
We have got along very fast, but have had
hard time of it-camping where there
was no wood, and getting up at Q O'Clock
and starting on to keep from freezing.-
You bad better believe that some of US
wishes ourselves at home again, eating hot
buckwheat cakes and butter about the
time we were drawing on cold, hard boots
over aching, blistering feet, shivering, and
breaking the ice iu some pond to get lit
tie water . make some coffee to wash
down hard bread with.
A bout forty emigrants stayed here last
night, many of them suffering much
How those Jared who had to lay out on
the prairie, without wood OF water, don't
know, but the suffering must have been
great, and l fear some have frozen to
death.
We have yet heard no news from the
mines but what is poor; indeed some four
or five have come in and reported that they
could not make twenty-five cents day
Cold comfort.
We have had 10 walk nearly all the way !;
it was so cold that we could not ride. My
advice is for all half civilized folks to stay
at home. Home! How much is in that
word.
We paid yesterday here $40 for two
bushels of corn. We have considerable,
but wanted enough. Hay 81 per 100 lbs.
If our horses live through think we shall
90 on as soon as the storm adates.
The Kansas City Journal of Commerce
of the 5th announces the arrival of Mr..
w. H. Branham, formerly merchant of
that city, direct for the mines. He left
for the mines on the 18th of September
last and according to the Journal brings
discouraging accounts. Mr.. B. states that
the reports as to the farming capacity of
the country are exaggerated, the bottom
lands only being good.
Mr.. B. went all through the mountains
from the Arkansas Trail to Cheyenne Pass.
Some shot gold had been found in the
mountains, but only in limited quantities as
yet. He dug S. himself one day on Vas
que's Fork. A Mr.. Barker, at the old
Mexican diggings, three miles above Au
raria, one day dug 1915, the next $500,
and the third S4,75. This was the best
luck Mr.. B. had known. As an illustra-
ton of how mining operates, Mr.. B. states
that himself and two others worked three
claims adjoining each other faithfully for
a week. He made 1920, Kellogg made
and Rodger so cents, and this
Mr.. B. represents is about fair sample of
the mines. Mr.. B. says that if any gold
is found in large quantities it will be in the
mountains-that there is no gold on Cher
ry Creek worth looking afLer-and that
the sooner Cherry is out of their heads the
better. He reports plenty of pine timber
in the mountains and about the head of
Cherry Creek, and the abundance of game
is shown by the statement that over 1000
deer, besides quantities of other game,
were killed the pest winter. Of the winter
mining MIR. B. says:
There has been but little Mining done
the past winter: the ground being frozen
from Is inches to two feet in depth. A
great many have worked hard and got no
thing, and are very much discouraged
Others are very. sanguine. Those who
have mined and been successful have aver
aged from ss to s5 per day, while at work.
The mining tools used may be said to be
no tools-no sluices or toms being built or
attempted to be worked.