Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-07-22
tcorresror. snce of the Delaware cszctte,1

prospecting tour his opinion of the mines and
the universal reply is " 90 and sec for yourself
[ received this reply So often while cndeavoring
to get at the fats that | concluded that to -go
and sec for myself" was i'll fact the only way
in which ] could redeem my many promises
before leaving Delaware.
We left our camp on Cherry Greek June
9th and arrived at our present location, "a
miles North Vest the same evening. This is
as far, towards the mines, as one can proceed
with a wagon and an ordinary team. From
this place emigrauts are obliged TO. pack on
mules, horses or oxen into the mines. Some
few, however, by aaking a cart of the blvd
wheels of their wagons. st aping to this 500
or 600 pounds Of provisions and hitching to it
10 or II yoke of oxen, ms mage to make the
journey IS miles in three or four days, and
a majority of these locEe their carts before
reaching the mines. It would seem to be All
incredible story to relate That we see these carts
climbing mountains as steep as any house roof
in Delaware. But such is, however, a fact;
from our camp We daily see. teams trudging
up a mountain side so near perpendicular, that
they are obliged to constantly keep " t1ckiHgs'
like a vessel in a calm, to reach the top, as an
attempt to drive straight up would instantly
bring oxen, cart and all to the bottom. AT
other places farther up where the road winds
around a bluff, it requires 10 or Il men with
ropes attached to the cart to prevent its upset
ting. i. and ] started a fcw-days since fsr q
short prospecting tetr through Gregory.s Dig
gings. We packed upe1 our mustang our
blankets, a few pounds of hard biscuit . piece
of fat bacon, some sugar and coffee, and took IA
trail that led us around to the 1T Of the road.
This trail shortcns the distance some, but there
is considerable risk in taking it, as in many
places ore Ffis-step for our sure footed mustang
would have sent him and his, load, headlong
down a preeiplee 3Gg Sect below. Fer two
mules to meet on cf,e Of these places is almost
a certain loss Of ore or t7e otssf. B.. led the
mustang, whi1e / brought up the rear vitli a
lengthy g CAD" to prevent his tagging In this
way most Of the miners make the Journey
Those, however, who have neither horse nor
mule take immense packs on thcir backs, and
slowly trudge up the mountains, stopping every
few moments to rest.
We followed the trail for two miles and then
struck the road. All along the road side We
saw carts broken into a hundred pieces. One
poor fellow. who was going to the mines with
a grocery, had among other things, several bar
rels oflieuor. He had neglected to prepare him
self mith ropes, and while wifIdissg around a bluff,
his cart upset, and away went his brandy, wills
key, wine and cooking utensils hclter SHELTER
down the mountain elnptying the contents of
the barrels into the creek a half "a mile below,
making free brandy snaaafes for harNlrcds who
were coming up the road below. l wasin-
formed afterwards that the taste of the liquor
was ID the stream a quarter Of a mile below
where the accident occurred. As we were 60
ing up the stream we did not have an oppor-
tunity of testing the truth of this. We made
four miles by noon, and stopped on the bank of
a small creek for dinner. And such q dinner
One hard biscuit, a piece Of fat pork, md q cup
of pater from the creek. We had forgotten to
bring our frying pan, 50 We were compelled to
cat our pork RAE! Ii may starthe some deli
cate Cinderella who may read fhis. when I say
that VIC never relished an American House DIM
ner or an oyster tefe gotten up in Millcrs best
style more than we did this. No one can form
any idea, without a trial, of the rarc1rouS APP
petite a tour over the Rocky Mountains engen-
ders.
We made twelve miles by sun set and stop
ped, in company with some thirty others. TO
camp. We borrowed some cookifsg utensils
from our companions, and cooked our supper,
which differed from OUT dinner in but one par
ticular, one was cooked and the other was not.
Picketing our mustang and building a fire of
dry pine, we lay dow on the ground with no
other shelter than the broad canopy of heaven,
anss, sept sSeetly GmtI morning. There is no
softer bed than mother earth, when one is worn
out with travelling. The next day We arrived
at Mountain City, The hraa quarters for Greg
ory's Diggings. The town, consisting of some
sixty cabins. is situated on the bank of a small
stream which goes zigzag through the ravine.
Every man builds where he pleascs, so the the
streets are without any regularity, and remind
one very strongly Of an old fashioned rail fence,
Besides these cabins there arc Thousands who
live in bough houses, made of pine limbs sup
ported by posts placed in the ground. FThesc
make fine airy" houses while the sun shines,
bet the first shower viii give the occupants a
compete soaking.
There are at present some 100 cabins in
Mountain City ; surely a rapid growth for a
CITY only sixty dSvs old. One meets with
strange sights whiffc wandering through its If
regular streets. bl~acks,aitiE,s working out in the
open air, lawyers with their stsnty libraries IN
der a pine tree, physicians With a stock OF
drugs displayed under a canvass tent, stores
and groceries in the open air, and laSehter
houses in taie center of the principal street nj
the city. a mans appearance. there is no i1Si
dex of his real worth We met several men of
splendid; talents dressed in buckskin suits. some
fourishihg q six foot CAD over a stubborn yoYe
of o&eny Others with their picks and spades dig
ging in The; mountains for the f" Lead with as
much zeal as an ambitious railroad rishman
digs for the good favor Of his boss Editors
lately from the editorial sanCtum,. wearing q
flannel shirt which for weeks has been asl utter
stranger TO both soap and water, climbing the
mountaias IN search of better dIgyirgs.- No
one pays any attention. whatercp, to his person.
ale. No one changes Ills clothes Until they be-
so ragged hat common d~eeepcy eomlpels
him to'sipIt himself with something better in
their stead.. The principal gold discoveries
hare been made in the vicinity of Mountain
City, Wy sinking a Hole; sometimes 80 feet deep
until the lead of decomposcd quartz is discov-
cred around which the pay dirt " is found -
This IN some cases is carried in sacks or hauled
ont sleds down the mountain, for a half a mile
to- tfc creek, where the gold lodged en- the bot
tom is taken out at night, cleaned and wasIIe1
through sluices. The quartz is piled ap around
the holes awaiting the arrival of machinery
for crushing. Some of these %sluices, (it re-
qaires four or five men to marriage one,) are to
my certain knoa7edgp; making from 800 to
S2OOper day. This may appear to be stretch
ing the truth, after the immense STAMPEDE
back to the StTtess bot it is, nevertheless, a
fact. Others arc Busily engaged in mining in
stfcafns, 6dt' as yet are not very successful
Unlike the mines Of California, the richest dust
yet found is in the quartz leads running from
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