Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-04-18
Snow ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS success.


Snow ACKNOWLEDGMENT Success.
One of the gold hunters from Chicago, in a
letter to the Press dated Fort Koarney, April
I'd, 1859, writes as fellows of the terrific snow
storms encountered and the suffering among
the emigrants to the Peak:
l arrived bere last evening in a snow storm
---one of the worst | ever saw. 1t stormed all
night and Is storming yet at 10 O'Clock A. M
The snow is about eighteen inches deep and
drifting four feet and as cold as any day 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 hor-
ses were so cold 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 cold reception from Uncle
Sans boys, yet we told them we must have
some hot coffee, and we arc feaing better over
This is the second snow storm we have SUI.
fered since we left and have had very cold
weather for a week, the ice freezing on our
whiskers every day while travelling. We have
got along very fast, but have had hard time of
t-camping where there was no wood, and get
ting up at o'clock and starting on to keep
rom freezing. Ou uhu DebJef DelleNe Lndb some
OF us wished ourselves at home again, eating
hot buckwheat cakes and butter about the time
we were drawing on cold, hard boots over aeh-
ing, blistered feet, shiverlng, and breaking the
ice in some pond to get little water to make
some coffee to wash down hard bread with.
About forty emgrants stayed here last night,
many Of them suffering much. How those far
ed who had TO lay out on the prairie, without
wood or water, don't know, but the suffering
must have been great, and / 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 to walk nearly all the way il
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 SO per 100 lbs If our horses
live through think we shall go on as soon as
the storm abates.
The Kansas City Journal of Commerce of the
9th announces the arrival of Mr.. W. H, Bran
ham, 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 diseouraging accounts. Mr. B.
states that the reports as to the farming capaei
ty 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 $5
himself one day on Yasque's Fork A Mr..
Barker at the old Mexican diggings, three
miles above Aurarin, one day dug $3.50 the
next $780, 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 ad-
joining each other faithfully for week He
made Sl9,2O, Kellogg made nothing, and
Rodger go cents, and this Mr.. b. represents is
about a fair sample of the mines. Mr. B. says
that if any gold is found in large quantities il
will be in the mountains-that there is no gold
on Cherry Creek worth looking after--and that
the sooner Cherry is out of theirheads the better
Ho reports plenty OF pine timber in the noun
tains and about the head Of Cherry Greek, and
the abundance Of game is shown by the state
ment that over 1000 deer, besides quantities of
other game, were killed the past winter, OF
the winter mining Mr. B. says;
There has been but little mining done the
past winter the ground being frozen from ls
inches to two feet in depth, A great many have
worked hard and got nothing, and are very
much discouraged Others are very sanguine.
Those who have mined and been successful
have averaged from SO to S5 per day, while at
work, The mining tools used may be said to
be no tOols-no sluices or toms being built OF
attempted TO be worked