The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1860-11-14
Letter from washoe Mines UsalE Ter
rtt0ry.
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Of them by briefly stating the condition al
present, Of the Washoe gold and silver
mines; taking into consideration their re-
mote distance from the Father of waters.
and more particularly that f.. famed gcllc,
Psak intervening betwixt. It perhaps par,
alyzes all desire to know or care anything
of western Utah interests. However, viii
venture afew facts touching, doubtless, q lit
tie Of everything, and not much Of any
thing.
When arrived here the middle Of last
April, the weather was cold and very windy,
together with the innumerable barren peaks
towering high in all directions, revealing its
desolate repulsion, and truly disheartening.
Having no accommodations, save ten cent
cotton tent stuck up promiscuously hero
and there, getting as near the Comstocs
lead as convenient, thinking at that time il
was the only lead Of any value, with few
exceptions. Many were on the verge Of
starvation, others barely able to tread th,ir
way over the snow covered Sisrras, the bal
ance hanging on to few American eagles,
which enabled them to witness gratifying
change; provisions became reduced to
reasonable price, the weather moderated,
and the golden twenties went quite namer.
Gus. Many aattercd themselves independ-
ent, pccuniarily, soon to takc:their eastward
fight on the wings Of love and join their
quondam blue eyed associates. But this
prosperous state of affairs did not continue
very long, but on the contrary, we were
thrown deeper than ever into dark and re-
pulsive forebodings. The redskins began
to commit their horrible deprcdations along
the frontier settlements, and threatened to
do worse, which resulted in about one hun.
dred sclfconfdent men fattering them
selves that they could whip the Pi, Utah,
and Sohshane tribes with little difficulty;
but no sooner had the hostile bullets began
to whistle, than the apparently bravest re.
treated at double quick speed, some swim
ing the old Truckec river, and others con-
cealing themselves behind sage brush and
boulders. On bearing of those unfavora-
BILE results, our mining towns became COM
paratively deserted in consequence of a
general stampede across the mountains. "a
portion of this epistle is reiteration of a
former one, but I conclude you did not re-
ceive it.) Since that period up to within six
weeks past, there has been but little prog.
ress by way Of prospecting our mineral re.
gion; at present nearly all the pusillani-
nous ones have got back to their former
occupations, and now every thing bids
more favorable than ever. Capitalists are
becoming quite plenty, quartz mills are be-
ing erected, and many are already doing
good business; leads which were thought
almost valueless, are proving to be very
rich. One called the Lucerne pays as high
as two hundred and fifty dollars per ton
this is gold lead. The Gold Hill lead pays
from seventy five to one hundred and twen-
ty-five dollars per ton, the former lead is
seventeen feet wide valued at two hundred
dollars per foot, the highest for which it has
been sold is one hundred and ten dollars,
while the latter is seventy five to one hun.
dred feet wide, and ten feet sold the other
day for eleven thousand five hundred dol
lars There are hundreds of other leads
valued at ten to one hundred dollars per
foot speak Of gold leads. Silver leads
are worth from one to five thousand dol
lars per foot as they are supposed to be in
exhaustable, and neverrun out, as gold leads,
A man struck lead yesterday, and for his
discovery claim (which is 200 feet he was
cfferod four thousand dollars. Thus you
discover that some men can accumulate few
without much labor. Flour is
down to ten dollars per hundred. Potatoes
ten cents per pound; butter six bits; bacon
three bits ;'eggs one dollar per doz. peach
es and grapes two bits per pound; beef
twenty cents, and pork, fresh, twenty five
cents per pound. Board ten dollars per
week.
At present there is no little monopoly in
quartz mill proprietors. They charge from
thirty to fifty dollars per ton for crushing,
rendering leads which would be fortune
in California valueless here, but in the space
Of twelve months more the competition will
be so great that those unobserved leads
will become very valuable, and the interests
of our mineral country will be proportion
ally enhanced. Silver City is situated Al
miles south Of Virginia City, about 1000
feet lower. Gold Hill is II miles southwest
of the last named place. Last spring this
place was comprised Of eight or ten canvas
houses; now there are not less than ono
hundred substantial buildings, besides
many others of !ess value. In another
month there will not be less than fourteen
qrartz mills in running order costing from
fifteen to thirty five thousand dollars each,
not more than I Of mile from this place,
all in Devils Gate" district. This notori-
GUS gate is similar to the one on the sweet
water, the craggy rocks rise perpendicular
one hundred and fifty feet on either side of
the road, which is about seventy five feet
wide. Paul's quartz mill with four batteries
is situated at the entrance Of that gate. The
prodigious noise that those batteries pro-
duce would inspire the pedestrian with hor-
ror, and lend remote idea Of the transgres-
sor's future destiny. We had snow
storm on the 4th, the weather is getting
quite chilly, the snow did not lay long, it
fell about one foot in the mountains They