The weekly Butte record., 1861-11-30
tFrom the Mountain Messenger.l
All About the Cariboo Mines.

gaining most reliable information concerning
/ them, has given US few interesting items
which we believe have never been reported by
/ the papers.
! The Carboo district, about 40 miles square.
/ is crossed by chain of mountains the beds
of various creeks which course down its sides
comprise the richest gold diggings ever known
to the world These creeks are tributaries of
Frazer River. To reach these mines you take
the steamer from San Francisco to Victoria.
thence up Puget Sound and Frazer River to
New Westminster, the capital of British Co.
lumbia, containing the Custom House and
camp Of the Royal Engineers, Sappers and
Miners. From thence are two routes. First.
the Douglas, which DIVORCES from Frazer. and
ascends the Harrison River, crossing FIVE lakes.
which, with one exception, are supplied with
steamers. The portages are made by stage.
This route strikes the Frazer again at Lilooet,
the highest town upon that stream Mining
here is principally carried on by Cinnamon and
Indians. Considerable of town exists upon
the opposite side Of the river, which furnishes
a large amount of goods for the Caribooites
From Lillooet no public conveyance is to be
had, and travellers usually secure Cayuse hor-
ses for navigation to the forks of the Quesnelle,
lI5 miles. This point is as far as mules can
be driven, on account of deep mire, and goods
are taken the remainder of the way by horses
or Indians-prncpally by the latter From
Forks of Quesnelle to Antler, one OF the princ-
pal Carboo creeks, the distance is about fifty
miles
The other Frazer route proceeds from New
Westminster to Fort Yale thence by saddle
trail 20 miles to Lytton. This trail is said to
be one Of the most frightful ever ventured over
by passengers-man of whom follow its mar
row, winding way under cover of night when
their courage would fail them in making the
passage by daylight. In places the mountain
sides upon which the trail hangs is nearly per-
pendicular for thousands of feet down to the
violent, roaring Frazer. Lytton is. 200 miles
from the Forks of Quesnelle, which distance is
traversed by mules and horses.
There is also third route, called the over
land, by which the markets are supplied with
live stock from Oregon and Washington Ter
ritory.
a coast route is contemplated which may
supercede all the others.
The trip from San Francisco is made in
about twenty-three days, and affords about as
rough a variety Of travelling as can be expert
enced in so short a time. Mr.. Fuller went
decided preference for the Douglas
The specimen of Cariboo gold shown us is
intermiXed with greyish quartz, the orc be-
ing very irregular in shape, yet handsome
withal All the gold extracted from these
mines has been quite coarse, the particles
ranging in value from 1915 cents to 30 ounces.
Quite different from the Frazer River dust of
SO, which was so very fine that but few of the
deluded men who sought it ever saw it-yet it
is uaquestionably the source OF the few rich
deposits found upon the bars of the lower
Frazer
Our informant is knowing to the fact that
AZ ounces of gold was washed from one pan of
dirt taken from the bed rock. In Abbott &
| Co.'S claims, on Antler Creek. four men in one
day sluiced out 2961s ounces. Eleven hands
in all were on the ground There are four
owners in the company and they have taken
out this season oUer four hundred pounds The
claims are only one fourth worked, and the re-
mainder Of the gravel is supposed to be equal
ly as valuable. Another company. on wills
liams Creek, possess claims full as abundant of
the shining ore. Many claims have produced
from 40 to 60 ounces per day
Besides the difficulty of getting to these dig
gings, the anticipating miner should remember
the high prices of living and the brevity of the
season for creek mining. The lst of July is
the earliest period for operations, and the 1st
of October the latest. Flour was sold this
season at from 60 to IS cents per ib.; bacon
from so to 90 cents. Single meals 50, when
attanable. Bad whisky fifty cents, every
shot. Our reporter candidly advises men who
are doing fairly here to steer clear of all for
eign mines. Those who are out of employment,
and have nothing to lose can do as they like
about venturing mort Inward
CariboO is a French word, and the name of
a rare animal which abounds in the section of
these new mines. 1t resembles the moose in
its general appearance. Old hunters tell curl
Gus tales of how the Cariboos in large herds,
break down branches from the trees and form
corras for their protection during the severe
winters Of that horrid climate.
Pure, crystal lakes, like those seen in the
vicinity of Gold Lake, near the summit of the
Sierra Nevada range, in our State are found
in close proximity to each other in the highest
mountain districts in the Cariboo country.
Mr.. Fuller met with number of old La
Porters in the course of his travels. Beedy,
recently partner of John Comfy in claims at
Warren Hill, was in the vicinity of the mines.
He reported to F. having met with party
ABOUT tue 1St oi OctooeF, Oh SHOW ShoeS, SoihS
out to stake off hill claims at some point where
new discoveries had been found Geo. Wilson,
our old market man, is vending his beef and
witty slang to the citizens of Lytton. Morti-
mer Cooke, an old merchant of La Porte, is
selling merchandise, in company with man
named kimball. at the same point. Jake
Herkimer, who attended to the mixing depart
ment at the old Rabbit Creek House during
Cut Arnold's administration, has married a
lrile woman and is running store and drink
ing saloon in Llooet
Our story of these new mines is longer than
we anticipated, but trust the reader will ex-
cuse its length, as we preferred to deliver all
our say in one chapter.
Coon PAY.-The Union Tunnel Company,
at Rowland Flat, Sierra county, one day last