The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1859-09-17
Letter from tie Mines.

Mr.. EpTToR:--It is seldom that am per-
mitted to see newspapers, in this country:
but 1 succeeded in borrowing I have only
been here two months-too short a time for
mail matter to reach US from the States un-
der the present arrangements a few copies
of a friend, and WAS no little surprised at
the tone of the Pixies Peak correspondence
contained In them. Now do not contend
that the diggings now worked area humbug.
as were these of Cherry Greek and South
Platt, but there are two sides to this matter,
like all others. In nearly all the letters
which have, read in the Territorial papers,
the authors cite Instances where men have
made 500 per day to the man, and some
even more, and give it as their opinions that
such diggings are extensive in these noun
tains. Now have been in the mines near
ly two months, and have visited nearly ey-
cry g.,lch in this section, and through
friends in whom I place the strictest reli-
ance, have Learned what the miners were
doing in che. other gulches SO far opened;
and l sincerely believe that such letters as
most of those have read will be product
i've of much evil It is true that men have
made large sums of money in these dig
gings. but the number is very limited
And those who have Inalie the moot mon
ey have done it by selling claims. When
tains, but few claims had been opened, and
ed very rich, and the owners sold them at
enormous prices, some of them receiving
large sums down, and binding the purchaser
to pay over the gold as fast, or nearly as fast
las taken out, until the claim was paid for.
These were the men who made the money
I feel confident that many of these pur-
chasers will never realize as much as they
paid for their claims. Others prospected
for weeks for gold in the leads, but thereiis
not one lead in twenty that will pay for
working. while all have nearly the same in
dications on the surfaces, most of them
abandoned the leads and struck for the gull
ches. In these many were more successful.
But few are working their lead claims now.
as the leads are narrow, and many of them
produce but little gold until sunk to con-
siderable depth, through walls of quartz
and granite, making it very expensive to
those who work them. Those having
claims in the gulches are generally making
wages, but very few of them are making
any more. This guleh (Russell's) is con-
sidered, believe, as rich as any yet dis
covered, and half AIN ounce per day is call
ed good diggings, though some claims pay
considerable better In most of the dig
gings the gold is found in a narrow streak,
10 oh t. e
the gulches the gold is found far below the
surface. We have to strip off about seven
feet of dirt before the gold is obtained and
then the pay dirt is only about three feet in
depth. There are hundreds of men here
king by the day, others are prospecting,
ter to be discovered. Those who work get
81 so per day, and board, or So, so if they
board themselves. I am told that large
numbers are leaving Denver City daily for
the States.
A party of men recently came in from
the western slope, who reported that they
had made rich discoveries on the head of
the Colorado. They said that men could
take out pound day with the pan there.
This caused quite stampede, and an in
crease in the price of stock and wagons
OLher men have since came from there, and
the amount taken out to the man has dwin-
died down to half an ounce per day. A
few days since small party returned from
prospecting excursion who claim to have
discovered diggings on the Bayou sa-lou,
tributary of the South Fork of Platt where
from $40 to $50 per day could be taken out
with the pan. Large numbers are now
leaving for those diggings, among whom
are several acquaintance of mine who ex-
pect to return so soon as they become sat
isfed as to the extent and quality of those
mines, and l will, on. their return, inform |
you of the result. Should there be heavy
emigration to this country the coming fall, |
L fear there will be much suffering among
the miners during the winter. But trust |
that such will not be the case. There can
certainly be nothing gained in coming be-
fore spring, as nothing can be done in the
mountains after winter sets in, till quite late I
IN the spring. The majority of those now
here will doubtless 60 where provisions are
cheaper to winter. Flour commands S18
per cwt IN the mountains; bacon, 80 cents
per pound; sugar, 35 cents coffee, 80 and |
SO cents; and other things to correspond. /
We are having very fine, cool weather in |
the mountains this summer. But very few
days have been uncomfortably warm SO far |
Considerable rain fell here during last
month scarcely day PASSING without our
getting showers, many of them accompa-E
MED with hail.
In conclusion, would state, that how
ever much the above may differ from the
bulkof the correspondence from this coun-
try, stand ready to produce the proof of
my assersions. if they are doubted by your
readers. know not what may be discov-
cred between this time and the setting in of /
cold weather; but unless something more is
the retiirn eznisrrafinr- will lei