The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-03-17
Pixies Peak.

Pixies Peak.
All the papers from Alton to Denver
City, and from Chicago to Auraria, printed
on the routes, expecting to reapprofit from
the spring emigration to the Kansas gold
mines, have again commenced "writing
up Pixies Peak. The same papers agree
in one good suggestion, and that is, that
nobody should undertake to start across
the plains before May. and then only with
money or provisions enough ahead to last
six months after getting to the gold region
If all observe this recommendation, there
will at least be little danger of a repetition
of the privation and suffering endured by
the poor emigrants a year ago.
But notwithstanding this sober precau-
ton, we fear little good will result from it,
if the papers indicated continue to accom-
pany it with such exciting stories of the
untold riches Of the Pixies Peak mines
People will hardly care to cucumber them
selves with half years provision ahead,
when assured that they will be certain to
realize abundance to buy provisions with
the day after they get to the mines. We
have before us already quite a batch of
this new edition of Pixies Peak sensation
literature, of which we propose to give a
few-only a very few brief specimens, and
these we take mainly from a late number
of the St Louis Democrat The matter is
contributed by a Denver City correspon-
dent
For the past ten days hundreds and
hundreds of hardy miners have been
tiocking from the various valley towns
where they came to replenish outfits, and
have returned to the various districts and
sections of the gold bearing mountains
where rich gulch and lead diggings have
been very lately discovered. They have
been all DESTROYS of planting their stakes
and picks into these new FL Dorados, SO as
! TO be not behind in reaping the early gold
en- harvests in common with the parties
who are now operating so successfully
there The latest developments of excit-
ing importance have been made during
the past eight days, in the new and extern
sively rich section of the mountains known,
Just now, as the Norwood District, which
has been divided, according to the late mi
ners' law, into several sub-districts, now
known here as " February Gulch,' "Secre
to Gulch," Errick Gulch," &c.
This Norwood District is some II
miles northwest from the Gregory dig
gings, and was, Feb. oath, covered with
four feet of snow; yet the miners were
shoyelling away the snow and finding
abundance of gold from the surface
down."
Those who are mining in the gulches are
making good wages everywhere. In Spring
gulch, lately, three persons, each working
a rocker, took out 81 each-that is, for
the whole weeks work of each-calling
their working days about three hours long.
They had not been able and prepared to
labor longer each day than three hours
The week previous the same parties ave
ragged SI04, each man. Peter Murray
works not far from there, keeping two
rockers going, and is making regularly
from $40 to $50 per day.
The writer gives the opinion of a good
geologist:
81 A gentleman of the very highest and
fairest character, and a good geologist, who
has lately passed through the various
mountain diggings, states that it is the
richest gold country he has ever been in
and he has spent ten years III California
and Australia very intelligent Noun
tain City correspondent states that it j:
thought the whole mining district viii
average rich lead every three hundred
feet, and the intermediate spaces inter
woven by feeders, like the veins of the hu
man system, all leading into larger anc
more important ones. In working tina
ditch on Clear Creek lately, the laborer
struck on q lead, and took out of a small
space some twenty beautiful gold-bearin.
quartz specimens, several of which con
tanned from 81 to 81 80 of the pure hare
gold
He ventures an opinion Of his own:
1t is my belief that that great natura
watershed region, or quadrilateral table
mountain, so to speak, from the four seve
raj corners of which the great Arkansas
the Rio Grande, the Platte and the Colo
RADIO rivers take their rise and flow in theil
several opposite directions-one to the
Gulf of Mexico, the other to the Gulf o
California, the other to the Mississippi ri
yer, aud the fourth to the Mississippi rive
near Omaha, Nebraska ! say it is my be
lief that, enveloped and embodied between
those great natural starting points or wa
ter-sheds, there is solid mountain Of mas
goH.
When that solid mountain of gold
discovered doubtless it will pay for all @
us TO go to Pixies Peak, but in the near
time people well to do at home had prob:
bly, better trust the business of finding
to others not so fortunate. In spite c
this gassy talk. we think the chances c
~eslizing sudden wealth at Pixies Peak ar
II regarded with sufficient incredibly t
event anything like a very enormou
migration thitherward this spring.
Dangerous Illness of Gov. Bisscll.
Gov Bissell is dangerously ILL., O