The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1859-07-15

ia 4 - u l. L I
Greeley's Last Letter nom thc
Gold Mines,
Mr.. Greeley writes from sGregory's
Diggiugs, under date Of June oh. We
give the following extracts from his let
ter;
THE ROAD TO THE nreeINos.
Reaching Clear Creek, (proporly Yes
quer's Fork)-a cold swim, ck-boitomed
stream, which emergos lust above a deep
narrow canon from the Rocky Mountains
I've len our wagons, saddled the mules
aud iorded the creek--and Il was all our
mules could DO 70 stem It's impetuous cur.
rcnt-oscended gentle slope to the foot
Of Rocky Mountains. The hill on which
we were to make our first essay i'm climb
ing, rose TO a hight Of 500 feet in a lit.
lie more than a mile, the ascent for most
Of the distance, being more than one foot
in three. | never before saw teams forc-
cd up such a preoipioei yet there were
wagons withtcn or twelve hundred weight
of mining tools, provisions, &C, being
drawn by four to eight yoke Of oxen up
that giddy precipice, with four or Eve mon
litting at the wheels Of each. The aver
age time consumed In the accent IL an
hour and ahalE Our mules, unused 60
such work, were visibly appalled, by Il
AZ first they resisted every effort to force
them up, even by zigzags. My compan-
ions all walked, but / was lame and had
TO ride, TO my mules intense disgust. He
was stubborn but strong, and In time bore
me safely to the summit.
Night overlook them six or seven miles
from the diggiugs, and they had to camp
out
oREooRy's DisoINGs,
BY o'clock, we were again in the sad.
die. and pushing on, over 0stony but rath-
er level table land, which extended for two
or three miles, thickly covered with young
Pines and Aspens 10 our next ravine,
whence the road leads up short, steep
hill, then down a very long, equally steep
one, TO Clear Creek-being as rapid and
rooky-bottomed as where we crossed il
tha day before thirty miles below, but
with only one-third the volume of water,
80 that we crossed Il easily without awet
foot. A little runnel coming in from the
west directly at the ford, with its natural
tranalueency changed % milky whitcncss
by the running OF is waters through SUI
ccs IN which the process Of gold-washing
was going forward, gave Us assurance that
we were in immediate proximity 70 the
new but already famous workings called
after their discoyerer, "Gregory's dig
ginQs." ....
4 The little brook which here joins Clear
Creek from the west, starts at the foot OF
mountains three or four miles distant,and
runs in a usually narrow ravine between
generally steep hills from 900 TO 1000
feet high. II Is hardly worth a name. but
that Of ''Rolston's Fork has been bcstow-
cd omit Gregory's lead Is very near lie
mouth
Prospecting Is actively going forward in
every direction, and vague reports oflucl y
hits or brilliant prospects are started on
this side or on that, but have not been
able toverify them. Il Is no disparagc.
ment to the others TO say though mining
is carried on at various points within .
radius Of thirty miles from this spot, "Gre.
goy's dggings" are to-day the chief hope
Of gold-mining in the Rocky Mountains.
Six week ago, this ravine was a sol
tude, the favorite haunt of the elk. the
deer, and other shy denizcns Of the pro.
foundost wildernesses, seldom invaded By
the footsteps Of man.
now THEY LIVE THERE.
This narrow valley ia dcnsely wooded
e6Hi6i6& Yilh the inevitable yellow pine
which sweep the mountain-tops, ,horegrowI
10 a height Of sixty or eighty feet, thlugl
usually but foot TO eighteen inches il
diameter. or these pines, log cabins arr
. constructed with extreme facility, ant
} probably one hundredare now being built
They are covered with the green bough
Of the pines, then with earth, and bid lai
TO be commodious and comfortable. Al
y1t, the entire population Of the valley
which cannot number less than four thou
sand, including five white woman, and v
, en- squaws living with white men-sleel
, in them, or under booths of pine boughs
!, cooking and eating in the open air.
doubt TINT there is as yet table or chat
in these dggings, eating bting done uroun
, cloth spread on the ground, while eacI
! one sits or reclines on mother earth TO en-
joy. The food, like that Of the Plains, 4
restricted 10 few staples-pork, no
. bread, beans and coffee forming the al
> most exclusive diet Of the mountlins; bu
l meOt-shop has just been establshed,o ,o
, whose altar are offered upthe Inflated an
well-whipped oxen who are just in from
/, fifty days journey across the Plains, an
one or two cows have been driven in, a
more would be ifthey could have been sub
sisted But these mountains are mainl
wooded, while the open hill-sides are s
; dry during summer their grass is YER
} scanty. II is melancholy TO see so man
over-worked and half-starved cattle as on
meets or passes in this rayinc and on tn
1 way hither.
PRICES OF PROVISIONS.
, Corn is IS per bushel in Denver, on
! scarce at that. Oats are not 10 be ehad.-
, There is not ton ofhay withing two hun
{ dred miles, and none can ever be brough
hither over the present road az a cost be
low $40 per ton. Tbs present shift q
humane owners Is 10 herd their oxen O
mules on the rich grass Of the neares
: prairies for aweek OF so,letting them sub
!, sist on browse and a very little grass,an
+ then send them down the mountain again
, This, bad as il seems, the best that canb
, done Living Of all kinds win always b.
! dear at these mines, where American
: Flour is now selling at the rate Of 81
J per barrel, and Bacon is worth Doc pc
npnnd guuar diffo