The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1860-06-16

rroMs ths WasAos ealvsr Manes.
LKrfEa B1oM Mr. \. ARlcK TO nR. Nassau q
THls CTR.
/ vIaslxlA Crrr, Utah Ty.,
I April %, 1860 j
DEAR NAssAU:-You viii probably be as mac
surprised ON receiving letter from this localis,
a was upon the receipt Of yours from Law
renccvillc. NJ. I am happy to state that sine
my arrival in ''Brigham-dem" have enjoyed e,
ceilent health, and ann At present as rugged as
Catfofnia Lion, (not so ferOcious however, an
Notwithstanding the many privations We have +
en1ure, it /. pleasant 70 see every one around il
the full enjoyment Of health.
Well, Doctor, I owe you and many Others a,
apology for the AsssisSs have given you 70
seeming negligence.
received batch Of letters few DAYS since
(dates varying from June to December,) from a
individual IN the vicinity Of Sacramento, by III,
name Of ''R T. Arett, who had been in the habi
Of getting my letters from the Office, and hs,
finally concluded they were not intended for him
e wise conclusion and hearing Of my wherea
bouts, enclosed them to me, hoping would ex
cuse him. In my delight on reading them, / die
so, but my private opinion is that he s skeesiels
Present my kind regards to all my friends, ant
humbly ask their pardon. shall take pleasure
in answering them as soon as can find time "a
do 90.
! presume you have heard Of the "Washoe'
excitement and can readily account for INV pre
sence here. Having left Burlington on "wild
goose chase, and never succeeding in catching
any thing but ducks, consider them too insight
Meant to command my attention, and am deter
mined to have goose or nothing. left Sac.
ramento some time last winter, ESQ long since
have forgotten the date, and after weeks Of vea.
ry travel through snow, arrived here about 10
days since. and you may imagine that leaving the
warm and genial climate Of California to encoun.
ter the perpetual snow of the Sierra Navadae
produced quite change, and although suffered
much from cold and exposure, do not regret
the trip, and only regret that did not have some
Of you Burlington chaps, to enjoy it with me-
We'll, here l am in the midst of one Of the great.
est excitements, presume ever known, to a gold
seeker. Thousands Of men are hocking here, and
it will require but little time to develop the re
sources OF this country. As yet there has been
nothing outside Of the famous "Comstock Lead"
struck, that amounts to much 1t has been traced
for two or three miles, and if nothing else should
be discovered, am Of opinion that it alone will
m al A. "a
known world combined. The richness of the
rock varies from $1,000 to $4,000 per ton.-
Claims upon this lead were taken up last sum-
mer, and it is difficult to get good claim for any
price, people are afraid to sell for fear of being
cheated. The "spanish Company" "a company
OF Mexicans) have their claim opened the far
thest distance as yet, and the quartz improves as
they 60 down. will send you a small specimen
(enclosed In newspaper which essays about
$4,000 to the ton, it is probably fair specimen
Of the richest silver ore yet found. They have
refused $4,000 per foot front on the ledge
There are other companies getting out ore, and
times are becoming quite lively. However, little
will be done until the snow leaves the trail, SO as
engines and machinery over the mountains
which will require six weeks or two months. as
the snow was 90, 80 and even 40 feet deep in
places when crossed.
have taken up some claims, but cannot PROM
Use what they win turn out. The "Comstock'
lead is difficult to trace, as it is ''blind lead"
(never making its appearance by groupings on the
surface and it is much luck as any thing else,
il fellow strikes it. l have claims in enough
different localities to strike something if there is
anything to be strickea There is any amount of
"Shenanigan" carried Oh here, apd it requires ex-
treme caution and good Judgment to be able to
trade with the ''silver mining sharpers'
Wh;skey, cards, &C., are becoming abundant,
and the old scenes of early life in California are
being revived in all their brlliancy.
Every thing here commands an exorb;tant
price. Flour 60 cents per ID; sugar 81 20; po
:atoes so; bacon so; eggs SO per dozen, &c.
and every thing else in proportion. The greatest
drawback upon the country is the scarcity of fuel
wood is worth $40 per cord and difficult to get
at that. The people generally live in tents-lum-
ber is $500 per m, but Notwithstanding people
are anxious to get it for building purposes at
that rate. Every thing will be much cheaper
however, as soon as the mountains become pas
sablc-as yet there is nothing but trail, wide
enough for a mule or jack to pass-and every
thing has to be packed.
would not advise any one to come here, as
thousands will come, and leave in a much worse
condition than when they arrived. There are
hundreds here now-old broken down miners of
California-of disappointed hopes and desperate
fortunes. Many may make their fortunes, while
thousands will be humbugged and disappointed
The mines are too limited to admit of a large pop
ulation unless something further is discovered.
70 young cub who has nothing to keep him
in any particular locality. has money to spend
and wishes to ace the elephant, it may be well
enough for him, perhaps to take trip and get
his eyes open, but all rational, prudent men will
prefer to prosecute some legitimate occupation,
and be eontented and happy, as they should be.
to "let we'll enough alone" There are many Of
my young friends, both in the Hawk-Eye and
DuCk-Eyc CtdW, ulat SiOWtu Uc uuppy W uaNe
here, but this is the last place in the world |
would advise them to come, for l well know
that where one succeeds there will be hundreds
who will not I have erected little shanty (at
an expense Of about 5000, and am pretty COM
fortaby fixed for the summer and shall probably
remain hero until fall, to watch the progress Of
affairs II anything "turns up" worth coming
for will advise my particular friends of the fact
II have taken up claims in the names Of a num-
ber of them, in order to hold them, Gas the law Of
the mines would not permit them to hold them in
my own) and if they should turn out to be
worth anything, they shall have the benefit Of
them It is difficult to hold any number ofclaims,
unless you can get good men to work them, and
they are being 'ji.eapcr every day. A company
of about 80 men came here few days since,
armed and equipped with bowic-kniyes and re-
yolyers, dumped" one Of the richest claims here,
and now hold it mc ri armis. They have erected
a little fort, and defy the town. They would be
- .:As.,-.. n~.,k g., rln.lcsv IS olasc,