Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-06-30

4
Pixies Peak. We give below the substance
of the letter, in which whilst the writer's
subscribe 20 thus favorable account they
also ado timely caution:
GREGoRY's DIGGISGs,
Near Clear Creek, in Rocky Mountains,
JUNE 9.h, 1859.
| The undersigned, meme of them miners,
nor directly interested in mining, but now
here for the express purpose OF ascertain
| ing ard setting forth the truth with regard
TO subject of deep and general interest, as
to which The widest and widest diversity of
assertion and opinion Is known tu exist,
unite in the following statement:
| We have this day personally visited near
| l. all the mines or clains already opened in
tn Saliy Chat Of little steam running in
I, Clear at this point) have witnessed the
operation of digging, transporting and
washing the vein stone, Ga partially de-
composed, or rotten quartz, running in reg
ular veins from South West to North East,
| between shattered walls Of an impure
grani,e.) have seen the gold plainly visible
in the rifles OF nearly every sluIce, and in
nearly every pan of the rotten quartz wash
ed in our presence; have seen gold (bul
rarely) visible TO The naked eye, in pieces of
the quartz not yet fully decomposed, and
nave obtained frUm the few who have already
sluices in operation, accounts of several
products; as follows:
| Zeisler, Spain & Co., from South Bend
/ Ia, have iun a sluice, with some inIerrup-
tions, for the last three weeks; they are
four in company an one hired man. They
hqve out little over three thousand penny
weights of gold, estimated by them as worth
at least So 900; their first days work pro-
duced S2I; their highest was S495.
Soprise, Henderson & Co, from Forming
ton, Ind, have run their sluice six days in
all with four men-one to dig, one 10 carry,
and two wash; four days last week produced
SCOT; Monday of this week $3.50; no iurth-
er reported. They have just put in second
sluice; which OILY begaL to run this morn
8, ing.
Foot g. Simmons, from Chicago-one
sluice, run four days--two former days pro-
duced $40, two latter promised US, but not
received.
. Defrees g. Co.. from South Bend, Ind. :,
a have run a small slulce eight days, with the
following results; first day, 500; SECOND
day, $50; third day, S95; fourth Jay, S3O5;
(the four following days were promised US,
: but, By accident, failed to be received. y
Have Just sold half their claim "a full claim
is so feet Dy 1907 for 50
b Shears g. Co. ,'(from Fort Calhoun, Ne.
r brasks J have ran one siuice the first {part
: of day,) produced $50; second (6rst full
day, S34s. third Ito dav) $50; all taken
II FROM within three feet OF the surface; vein
u a foot wide on the surface, widened to eigh
e teen inches at depth Of three feet
r Brown & Co., (trom DeKalb county Ind. }
: have been one week on their claim; carry
: their dit hall mile; have worked Their
: sluice day and a half; produced $500
!, have taken out quartz specimens containing
e from SO cents to Sl3 each in gold; vein
from to 10 feet wide.
e Caste. Kendall & Co, (from Butler coun-
y " Iowa,) reached Denver, March 25th;
P drove the first wagon to these diggiDgs;
+ have been here FIVE weeks; worked first on
q claim, on which they ran suice, bu,
d one dav. produced 1925; sold their calm
fer SEQ; are now working claim on the
r Hunter lead; have only sIucPd one Ohi,)
d day; three men employed produced $50.
: Bates & Co, one sluice, run half day;
o produced $l35.
Colman, King & Co., cne sluice, run hall
day produced S75.
Shorts and Collier bought our claims
seven days since, of Caste, kendelI g. Co.
8 for $4,000; $500 down, and the balance us
e fast as taken out; have not yet got our
> sluices into operation. Dir. Dean, from
/ Iowa, on the G!h inst. washed from single
pan of dit taken from the claims SIT 80;
have been offered $4,000 for the claim
We cannot conclude this statement with
out protesting most earnestly against re-
, newal of the iHlatuatiUn which mpelled
, thousands 10 rush TO this region a month or
two since, only to turn back before reach
ing it, or to hurry away Immediately after.
\ more hast y than they came, Gold mining
q is business which eminent!y requires OF
its vo:aries capital, experience, energy,
endurance, and in which the highest quail
ties do not always command SUCCESS. There
E may be hundreds of ravines iD those noun
tains as rich in gold as that in which we
write, and there probably are many; bu., up
to this hour. we do not know that any have
been discovered. There are said to be five
thousand people already in this ravne, and
hundreds more pouring into it daily. Tens
of thousands more have been passed by Us
on our :apid journey to this place, or heard
I of as on their way hther by other routes.
, For all these, nearly every pound of prov-
sions and supplies o: every kind must be
hauled by teams from the Missouri river.
some 100 miles distant, over roads which
are mere trails, crossing countless unbrde ed
water courses, always steep banked and often
mirey, and at times so swollen by rains as
=, to be utterly impossible by wagons.
Part of this distance is desert, yielding
, grass. wood and water only at intervals of
several miles, and then very scantily. To
attempt TO cross this d, sert on foot is mad
= ness, suicide, murder. To cross it with
teams in midsummer, when the water courses
are mainly dry and the grass eaten up, is
possible only 10 those who know just where
to look for grass and waller, and where
water must be carried along TO preserve life.