Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-04-10
Letter From California.
WET RAvIxE. Sierra Co, Cal, !

with the exception OF buying aud selling c'aiih'
at a very high price / was conversing with
gentleman recently returned from that region,
he told me there was one share sold in the Com.
.:ock Ied,e for one hundred and twenty five
thousand dollars. and several others sold AT
very hill. figure. The most OF the diggings
owned By San Francisco CaPitaisis-Inen that
can afford to pay big price for claims and erect
on them afterwards for the separation
Of one metal from another. The people predict
4 great rush for the Washoe Silver mines il the
: priug. They say at least twenty thousand
will 60 from California alone besides large
of lIorinous from Utah Territory
They viii be thrown in contact with each other
and q have 30 doubt) full of anger and disap-
rointmeut, something similar 10 the Frazer Ri
yer exc.tcmen: in '56. and Pixies Peak IN '39---
was one OF the many that got disappointed on
Frazer, an: do not intend To be drawn IN the
snare Of the Woshoe Gold and Silver mines un-
til can hear of something more substantial
than I have heard yet. Wages are only two
and three dollars per day, and board from eight
10 ten dollars per week 50 there Is no induce
men, for man to leave California for that place
unless he has a capital Of fifteen or twenty thou
sand dollars to erect machinery on has lode af-
Ter being lucky enough to discover one--and /
th..k it is very doubtful whether one out OF hive
thousand will be able 10 discover anything iha;
is worth erecting machinery on. for | am per
s,,ns!ly acquainted with at least fifty men who
,scr. out there last Summer from this vicinity,
aud overhauled the country from one end to the
ftau
was already discovered" 1t is not all gold that
Cutters"
an working in Wet Ravine. There are only
two companies working in Wet Ravine at this
time; that Is the Masonic Highland CO., and
Fremont Co The Masonic Highland Co. have
got water enough 10 wash about one third Of the
,av dirt that IS taken out, the balance they are
piliuc up until water becomes more plenty -
out of the one third OF the dirt they TAX, out IN
a week. they wash about from so t. 100 ounces
OF gold They are 6 in Company and shares
sell for about $4,000 They work their ground
out of q shaft $40 feet deep with two powerful
steam engines one hosting engiLe and the
other to pump the water. Wet Kavine Is stu
ated midway between Forest City and Allega-
ny Town. directly the great lead That runs
from Forest City 10 AIlegany Town. Chips Flat
Minnesota, snow Point. dc. The Tunnel that
comes IN from Forest City side strikes through
TO the Masonic Highland Cos. ground on one
side and the Tunnels from Allegany Town side
strike through the other
The Red Star Co. Eureka Co; Excelsior Co,
Union CO. New York Co and Pacific Co. Al
.rsaay Co; are all paying we'll while the Bay
= arr Co, Branch Co, North Western Co. and
Cumberland Co, are not paying salt a the say
ing Is among The miners.
was informed b. AIr william Gold-wo7;lly.
formerly OF Linden, Iowa Co, Wis, OF a serious
accident on Chips Fiat, on the 9th of last
month. in the Iowa Tunnel. While four or FIVE
# the breasters were in the breast at * ork II
broke down on them, killing one man instantly
and iuiuring one or two others. Mr.. james
GoIdsworthy. brother of William Colds worthy,
was in the breast at The time. and narrowly es-
capped with his life y rushing out through the
breast as it was cayiug. I believe there was
not scratch on him.
Mr. Samuel Tr,loar OF Linden was in the
Tunnel at the time but he came off safe and
sound. without receiving any in ~ whatever.
Tie Man who was so unfortunate as to receive
ms death blow was called Josiah Chino, Of
Cornwall. England about IS years Of age.
man that vas eli liked by every one who knew
him One OF tile men TINT injured by the
ca,ing Of the breast is a Mr. Rogers, l believe
from tie same place. and the other, l did not
learn his name.
Messrs. Editors have worked in the lead
mines of Wisconsin for twelve or thirteen years,
of and on and do actually think I perform
more hard labor in California in one year than
did in Wisconsin in three years. besides the
dan yer YOU have 10 - through. Whenever l
see = men return . California after visiting the
Atlantic States think he IS either crazy or
foolish, especially with family. l know OF
several families in this State that are thousands
Of dollars in debt, aud do not see any possible
show fu- them TO ever get out Of bebt for 1t
costs them more to support their families, and
especially up here IN the mountains. than they
can earn; while If they had their families back
in the Atlantic States, they would be able to
support them there better than they here
one half the money costs IN TINS country,
aud Ia tie course Of q few years the husband
might be able to return To his family with few
hundreds o. perhaps few thousands OF dollars
to live ia ease and cuntentment; while if he
has ms family California with him he has
got 10 drag out most miserable life in the
mines to support them and himself, ald die in
debt, without accommodating any properly to
leave rs legacy for his children after his
death
This winter So far. has been very fine. warm
and dry with the exception Of he last two or
three DAVIS when it has been showing and blew
iu- very fast. The SNOW has fallen 10 the d., :
OF { feet IN the last two days. thing not uu-
common ia the mountains OF California.
Yours cts. J. K.
RSiLRoAD STATISTICS We are Indeb' 81 to
the Agent OF the l. Central aud VI. Poin; Rail
roads. at Warren Nh Murphy for the following
figures showing the business done in Freight
Tor sue month of March IA the year 90 81 By
reference 40 the statistics il Will be noticed thai
the igarts of This year are much larger than
last year which shows that the times are rapid +
y Improving Warren Iadepe,elent.
ILLINOIS CENTRAL. MARCH. 1859. /