The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-08-29
McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST go, 1850

Letter From Pixies Peak.
Gen. BIGELow permits us to copy as fol-
lows, from RoDMAN's letter to him:
NEAR DENVER, July 1s. 1860.
Friend BigeLooc - y 4 Mining
mining and Quartz mining. 1t is pretty
well established fact, that the most of the
Clutches here as well as well as on the Ar
kansas and Blue Rivers do not amount to
much, and this will at once account for the
heavy emigration going back to the States,
and without doubt three-quarters Of the
whole emigration came here on fools err
rand, to jump into Gulch, fill their pock-
cts, and 60 home again; but they were
slightly disappointed Quartz mining is
the thing here, the quartz is gold-bearing
and the mountains are rtz-bearing, and
that man who will bring the best machin-
cry out here to take the quartz out Of the
mountains, and the gold out of the quartz
will make the most money. There must be
at the least calculation $50 to 16O steam
quartz mills here, and from thirty to forty
water mills, and this latter number will
undoubtedly be increased to one hundred
in the course of two months. am not pre-
pared to say that all the steam mills now
in operation are making money. To run
steam machinery far from home and foun.
dry is expensive business; and what is still
worse, they cannot run their machinery
without grease, and the smallest drop of
it which gets into their quick silver on the
amalgam table spoils the whole thing, COW
ering the quick. silver with fat coat and
spelling it's appetite to take up the gold
The water mills have, therefore, decidedly
the advantage; they are of simple construc-
tion-need no grease and can be kept in
motion at hardly any expense at all. There
is another thing which is Of the greatest
Importance. The most of the mill owners
who came out here, put up their machinery
without knowing anything about the rock
or ore which they are going to crush, and
without knowing how to treat the same in
order to get the gold all out of it. For in
stance-you dig down quartz-vein to
certain depth you are certain to find the
quartz strongly impregnated with sulphate
of iron or with barytes Of iron or carbonate
of copper, all Of which are elements, which,
10y coming in contact with quick silver will
lessen, and in most cases destroy it's capa-
bility and desire to take and cat up the
small particles Of gold, and if our millers
knew how to handle the stuff and had the
machinery for separating it, they would do
a great deal better. TO illustrate to you
that even little education never comes
amiss let me tell you an incident One of
my neighbors had a large lot of quartz
strongly impregnatcd with gold and sui
phate of iron. He could see the gold in the
quartz, but at the same time was unable to
get particle Of it by crushing and quick
silvering the same; he told ne the fix he
was in, and said he would give any man
$25 to show him how to keep his quick
silver fresh with it's affinity for gold
told him to put up kiln and burn his
quartz hard in order to give the sulphur
chance to evaporate, then crush the mass
without quicksilvering, but expose it in
thin sheets to the air and put coating Of
salt over it in order to help the iron to cor
rode and oXidize, then to crush it again and
let the pulp run over the quick silver table.
Well, he did so, and got 5000 out of the
ton. He paid me the s25, and should not
wonder that he would take out patent on
the proceeding for he is shrewd Yankee.
There are now enough good gold-bearing
quartz mines discovered, and enough quartz
already taken out to keep all the mills now
in the mountains for the next five years
hard to work; and every day the number
of quartz leads is increased by new discov-
cries. But as have alread" stated, it takes
good and sufficient machinery-the ready
capital to buy the same, and to take it across
the plains and put it up a great deal of
perseverance and bottle of sweet oil are
two more ingredients, without which man
should never be in these mountains. Prices
for quartz claims are vastly different; you
can buy them from $25 to $4,000, which
latter price was paid yesterday for a claim
of 25O feet on one of the favorite leads
The most valcable claims are the water DOW
er claims, and justly so, because the water
mills will eventually do the principal busi-
ness. They can make money by realizing
five dollars out Of the ton of quartz, where
the steam mills have to break up at S25,
because their expenses are too great. Mer.
chandising pays excellent, and man with
| a good stock Of mules and oxen can get
rich by freighting across the plains and
selling his goods here or at Denver. Su-
gar is worth 40 cts. per pound, Coffee the
same, Salt 20 cts. Peaches, 40 cts. Ap-
Piles, 35cts. Bacon, 25 a. 80 cts. Flour,
| IA @lS dollars per cwt. Corn Meal, 12cts
per pound Rice, 80 cts. everything else
in proportion. As have remarked before
my mill will commence crushing day after
tomorrow | have a nice neat rig, and some
of our old Georgia miners say it is the best
thing they have seen. bought my water
claim early when got here and paid $4OO
for it. Fourteen days after boug ght mine
Cleghorn, from McGrcgor, bought the claim
joining me and had to pay $4,000 for it.
have had chance to sell at $4,000, but |
am bound to try and test the thing to my
own satisfaction.
| In conclusion let me again tell you tha,
| have the utmost confidence in these noun
tains and this quartz. am sure, and moi
alone sure, l am convinced that at the very
lowest calculation, and with the worst kint
of luck, | will make $25 day anyhow
| Remember me to all who inquire after MI
and expecting few lines from you as soor
as convenient, am your friend,
... FRANCIS RODMAN.
sYThe New York Times is reluctan,
supporter of Lincoln for the Presidency
and it takes every occasion to ridicule bis
chief recommendations for that otfice-his
unparalleled homeliness, and his rail-split.
ting and Aat-boating exploits. The follow.
ing is but specimen slur:
a man with singular name, but who
seems to have been able to survive the in
Fiction, is living in the thriving town OF
Rising Sun, Indiana. His name is Solo,
mon Pangborn; he was born in the city OF
New York in 1885, when it was small
town Of five hundred and twenty three
houses. Solomon is therefore 1875 years
old, and IS able to split rails or sail fiat
boat. His name has. neper been mentioned
as candidate for the Presidency, but he is