The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1860-02-09
CORRESPONDENTS.
MOUNTAIN CITY, Pixies Peak, }
Jan'y Sd, 1860. [
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.

arrived. Two are In operation, doing a
fine business; but rather small-the one
putting up is much larger. The owner of
one of them told me the best days work
he had done, he had pounded and washed
four hundred and fifty dollars, and some
days hardly made grub, owing to the rich
ness of the quartz. The proprietor of the
other mill says he is crushing quartz that
will yield five hundred dollars per cord
If they had large machinery to crush ten
or twenty cords per day, wouldn't that pay
"humbug Big?
Considerable prospecting for leads Is
going on this winter while they can't work
in the galches, it being too cold to wash.
We can hear the reports of the blasts like
distant cannon all times of the day. These
leads generally run little North Of East
and South of West, but some run across
these main leads. l know OF no good ones
vet.
We will leave the leads or lodes and go
to the gulches. They were supposed to be
worthless for some time after the leads
were discovered in this section; but perse-
verance brought them out the last part of
the season the bulk Of the gold was taken
out. W. g., or Green Russell, as we call
him, has been the most successful miner
in this region; he worked in gulcLes al
together, and took ou: more money by dig
ging than other man. He discovered the
Russell gulch here, the best yet discover
ed. 1t is the most extensive. but some
others pay as we'll for short distance, but
there is not enough water for fist work !;
yet large amount of money has been ia
ken out, although worked to many disad-
vantages; owing to the lateness of the sea-
son when discovered they did not have
time to drain bitches to let off the surplus
water, it was deep digging and few
owned so many claims that they could
not open them properly this season, yet
several made it pay big. Mills. Gibson
tE Co. worked fifteen hands and took out
22O to 500 pwts. per day and took out
$50 pwts. from 1870 feet That's hum
bugery with a vengeance, isn't it?
But before so much was taken out in
August there came news from the head
waters of the Platte and Colorado that
pound diggings had been discovered there.
Then such another stampede was never
known. Men left ounce diggings and run
for pound disgings; many left their claims
and many sold for what they could GET
Several were sold for twenty-five dollars
per claim. and some bought their claims
back when the stampede was over, and in
two months afterwards paid as high as
thousand per cent. on what they got.
The gold in the gulches here is not
placed as it is in California. There are no
regular heavy rains here to wash off the
hillsides into the gulches, and then wash
away the soil and place it on the bed rock
in clay and gravel. But occasionally there
comes great dash of rain, like the break
ing of waterspout. and tumbles every
thing down into the gulches pell nell to-
gether, and the shower is over, and proba-
bly, not another heavy shower that season.
There is another kind of diggings discov-
cred late this season: they are called patch
diggings; they are in flats on the top of the
hills where the leads ran, and SO flat or
hollow that the rains can't wash it away.
With water convenient they would pay
pay from the top of the ground
There is a small lake on the hill back of
the town-probably half an acre in it
that pays well all around it. They wheel
or haul their dirt to the lake to wash,
with large and small rocker; the one
that rocks pumps the water at the same
time.
They are all looking forward to the day
when the water in the ditch will be here;
they think it will supply all. l think it
doubtful. A company is digging ditch
to turn the south fork of Clear Creek
(Vesper River) distance of some thir-
teen miles; they are pushing the work as
fast as possible TO get 1t through as early
rs possible. Some think it will be through
in May next, and others not till july
They pay Sl,75 per day and board. Ma
ny think that money invested that way
will pay better per cent. than almost any
hing else. They expect TO tax one dollar
per square inch with foot head, it takes
several inches to run sluice.
As soon as spring opens and work can
De done there, a great rush will be made
Tor the head waters of the Platte. Blue
md Colorado rivers, as some good diggings
we're discovered there late this season.
Soma ara o,,ioc thara ayraody The x;ntar