The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-06-27

PIX ELS PEAK NCS

| w theii edre.-HepOrterJ
PIXIES PEAK DIGGINGS
The Missouri Democrat contains letter signed by
| Horace Greeley and others, in reference to the
| Pixies Peak diggngs, and as this is probably au-
thentlc and entitled to credit present it entire
70 our readers 1t really seems the unfolding
OF another page in the marvellous inventory of our
| countrys sources of wealth and power.
| GREGoRY's DIGGINGS,
(Near Clear Creek in the Rocky Mountains
~ June 9th, 1859. J
The undersigned none of them miners nor di-
| rectly interested in mining but now here for the
express purpose OF ascertaning and setting forth
tlie truth with regard to subject of deep and gen
eral interest, as to which the widest and widest
diversity OF assertion and opinion is known to exist
unite IN the following statement:
we nave this day personally visited nearly all
the mines or claims already opened in this valley
(that of little stream running into Clear Greek at
| TINS point, have witnessed the operation of dig
| glng, transporting and washing the vein-stone
va Partiaily decomposed, or rotten quartz running
IN regular VEINS from southwest to northeast be-
| tween shattered walls of impure granite have
seen the gold plainly visible in the rifles of nearly
every sluce, and in nearly every pan of the rotten
quartz washed IN our presence have seen gold (but
rarely) visible to the naked eve, in pieces of quartz
not yet fully decomposed and have obtained from
the few who have already suices in operation ac-
counts OF their several products, as follows:
Zelgler Spain Co., from South Bend Ind. y
nave run sluice, with some Interruptions for the
last three weeks; they are four in company, with
one hired man. They have taken out little over
three thousand pennyweights of gold estimated by
them as worth at least S3 600; their first DAVIS work
produced S2l; their highest was S495
Soprls, Henderson Co., from Pennington, IN
uiana, nave run their sluice six DAYS in all with
SIX men-one to dig, one to carry, and two to
WASH 1our days last week produced S6O7; Mon
day OF this week $780, No further reported Tba,,
have just put in second sluice, which only beoa1
to run this morning gan
Foote d Simmons, from Chicago one slpica
run four days; two former days produced $40,
TWO latter promised us, but not received.
Detrees Co., from South Bend Indiana. bave
results: first day, S66; second dav, $50: tbirj
day, S95 ; fourth day, S305 the four following
were promised US, but by accident failed to he re-
ceived Have just sold half their claim IA full
claim is so feet by 1907 for So 500 "
Shears Co., from Fort Calhoun, Nebraska bo,-o
run one sluice the first part of az dav; produced
S5O second, (trst fully day, S343 third ltodayl
Solo; all taken from within three feet of the sur
lace vein foot wide on the surface widanad 70
eighteen inches at depth of three feet
Brown Co., from De KaIb county. Indiana
have been one week on their claim; carry their dirt
half mile; have worked their sluice day and a
half produced $3.50; have taken out ouartz sneci
mems containing from so cents to Sl3 each in cold.
vein from eight to ten feet wide. e'
Gas to, Kendall Co., from Butler county. Ia
reached Denver March 25th; drove the first wagon
to these dggings; have been here five weeks; worked
ilrst on claim, on which they ran suice but one
day; produced S225; sold their claim for So, ,5OO
are now working claim the Hunter lead; have
produced SS5. W.
Bates Co., one suce, run half day: pro-
duced S75 '' P'0
Colman, King & Co., one sluce, run half dav:
produced SIS. ''
Shorts q Collier bought our claims seven davs
since, of Casio, Kendall & Co., for s., 500; $500
down, and the balance as fast as taken out: have
not YET got our sluices into operation. Mr.. Dean,
from Iowa, on the 9th instant washed from a sim
gle pan OF dirt taken from the claim SIT so; have
been offered Sl0 600 for the claim.
y IT, Jones Co.. from Eastern Kansas have
run run our siuices two days, with three men; yield
S225 per day; think the quartz generally in this vi
clnity is gold bearing; have never seen piece
crushed that did not yield gold
A. +. Wright Il Co., from Elkhart county Ind
sulce but Just in operation have not vet ascertain
ed ITS products our claim prospects from 25 cents
to 81. % to the pan
j.. h. Gregory, from Gordon county, Georgia
lett nome last season route for Fraser river was
detained by succession of accidents at Fort Lara
ME, and wintered here; meanwhile heard of tho
discoveries of gold on the South Platte and started
on prospecting tour on the eastern slope of the
Rocky Mountains early in January: prospected in
almost every valley, from Cache la Poudre creek
to Pixies Peak tracing many streams to their
sources: early in May arrived on Clear Creek at
the loot OF the mountains, thirty miles from this
place; there fell in with the Defrees 4 Zeger In
dian Companies, and VIM. Fouts of Missouri: we
all started up Clear Greek, prospecting: arrived in
this vicinity May 6; the ice and snow prevented
first pan of surface dirt, the original Gregory
claim, yielded S4 Encouraged by this success we
all staked out claims found the ''lead" consisting
OF burnt quartz, resembling the Georgia mines in
which previously worked. Snow and ice prevent
ed the working of the lead till MAY lG; from then
till the 23d, worked it five DAYS with two hands
result S972; soon after sold my two claims for
1000, the parties buying to pay me after deduct
ing their expenses, all they take from the claims to
the amount of $500 per week until the whole is paid
Since that time / have been prospecting for other
parties at about $500 per day. Have struck an
other lead on the opposite side of the valley from
which washed Sl4 out of single PAN
Some forty fifty sluices commenced are not
YET IN operation; but the owners inform that
thelr prospecting" shows from 10 cents to S5 to
the pan. AS the ''leads" are all found on the hills
many of the miners constructing trenches to
carry water to them, instead of building their slui
ces In the ravines and carrying the dirt thther in
wagons or sacks. Many persons who have come
here without provisions money, are compelled to
work as common laborers, at from 81 to SO per day
and board, until they procure means of susie
nance for the time necessary to prospecting. build
ing sluices, &c Others, not finding gold the third
day, or disliking the work necessary to obtaining
1t, leave the mines in disgust, after Il very short
trial, declaring there is gold here in paying
quantities. 1t should be remembered that the dis
coverles made thus far, are the result of but five
weeks labor.
In nearly every instance, the gold is estimated by
the miners as worth $50 per ounce, which, for gold
collected by quicksilver, is certainly a high yaua-
tion though this is undoubtedly of very great puri-
ty. The reader can reduce the estimate if he sees
tit. We have no data on which to act in the pre-
mises.
The wall rock is generally shattered so that it.
like the venstone, is readily taken out with the
pick and shovel. In a single instance only did we
hear of warock too hard for this.
vi the velnstone, probably not more than one
half is so decomposed that the gold can be washed
from It, The residue of the quartz is shoveled out
OF the sluces and reserved to be crushed and wash
ed hereafter. The miners estimate this as equally
rich with that which has 'rotted' that the gold
may be washed from it; hence, that they realize as
yet but half the gold dug by them. This seems pro-
bable, but its truth remains to be tested.
1t should be borne in mind that, while the mi
ners here now labor under many disadvantages,
which must disappear with the growth of their
experience and the improvements of their now rude
machinery, they at the same time enjoy advanta-
ges which cannot be retained indefinitely nor
rendered universal. They are all working near
small mountain stream, which affords them an excel
lent supply ofwaer for washing at very cheap rate;
and, though such streams very common here, the
leaps stretch over rugged hills and consider able
mountains, down which the vein stone must be
carried to water, at serious cost. 1t does not
seem probable that the thousands of claims already
made or being made on these leads, be worked
so proitably in the average as those already in
operation. We hear already of many who have
worked their claims for DAYS (by panning) with
out having 'rased the color,' as the phrase is
that is, without having found any gold whatever.
We presume thousands are destined to encounter
lasting and utter disappointment, quartz veins
which bear no gold being prominent feature of
the geology of all this region.
We cannot conclude this statement without pro-
testing most earnestly against a renewal of the in
infatuation which impelled thousands to rush to
this region month two since, only to turn back
before reaching it, or to hurry away Immediately
after, more hastily than they came. Gold mining
is business which eminenty requires of its v0-
taries capital, experience, energy, endurance and
in which the highest qualities do not always COM
mand success. There may be hundreds of ravines
in these mountains rich in gold as that in which
we write, and there are probably many: but up to
this hour we do not know that any such have been
| discovered. There said to be five thousand
people already in this ravne, and hundreds more
pouring into it daily. Tens of thousands have
! been passed by rapid Journey to this
! place, or heard of as their way hither by other
routes. For all these nearly every pound of pro-
| visions and supplies of every kind must be hauled
by teams from the Missouri river, some 700 miles
distant, over roads which mere trails crossing
countless unbridged water courses, always steep
banked, and often miry and at times so swollen by
rains as to be utterly impossible by wagons.
Part tthis distance is a desert, Welding grass
wood, and water only at intervals of several
miles, and then very scanty. To attempt to cross
| the desert on foot is madness-suicde-m To
cross it with teams in midsummer, when the water
courses mainly dry, and the grass eaten up, is
| possible only to those who know just where to look
for grass and water, and where water must be
carried along to preserve life. few months hence
| probably by the middle of 0ctober-this whole
Alpine region will be showed under and frozen up,
| a mt a q the WORKING sluices if NOT