Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1861-04-27
Important and Late News from the Nee
perces Mines.

Pioneer for the interesting and rellaDle
report of Capt. Armstrong, given be-
low:
The following statements, which we
Law before our readers. have been kind
" furnished us by Capt. &. II. Arm
strong, who has Just returned from the
Ncz Perces mines. We have hereto
fore abstained from publishing as au-
thentic the flying newspaper reports,
and our readers may rely with certain
tv upon the fidelity and accuracy of
our informant, Il gentlemen who is
known to us all for years, and is high
~ esteemed as Il citizen. We may also
say, that Capt. Armstrong confines his
narrative to what he personally sac ant
knem, and it is his desire that his. ac-
count should he conservative" not
..ultra." The reports of 81 so to the
pan. published in the Portland papers,
he does not verify from his own expe-
rience.
| Capt. Armstrong arrived at the mines
on the Sth inst, and found there about
300 miners, busily engaged in prepare
tons for extensive mining. There are,
however, 1900 claims recorded, all of
which is supposed to be worth from
81, 900 to ST., 900 each. The country,
so far as prospected, yields gold every
where. The hi CHEST amount he saw
taken ont, was 40 cents to the PAIN
This was from the bed rock, about 8 feet
below the surface. Thirty dollars, pur-
chase by the Captain, was brought here
rs OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, rough, shot gold,
not water worn, and some fine quick
silver gold.
Every miner is perfectly satisfied; it
is impossible to find Il discontinued
one. The mining country was formerly
hcaiy timbcrcd, but the trees now are
second growth of bastard white pine,
from a foot to Is inches thick. These
mines are about 40 miles East of
Walla Walla. and can be easily reached
in week. The mining is done by
sluices. the timber being sawed out by
a whip-saw. and is worth twenty-five
cents per foot. The first dirt is a red
loan, one to two feet deep on the pay
dirt. The pay dirt isa quartz gravel,
intcrmixcd with " small quantity of
blue clay, and Il great deal of black
sand. The pay dirt is from / to q feet
deep, between which you find the bed
rock, which is II rotten granite with
veins of quartz, about ci yht inches
deep of which pays well. There is no
float gold.
Capt. Armstrong arrived at the mines
on the Sth inst, and found on the sum
NIT hills of the Blue Mountains, snow
from I to & feet deep, and on tho mill
ing streams, below in the valleys, II
few hundred feet, about two feet of
snow. which however, was soft and
melted fast. 1t showed every night
during the four nights Mr.. Armstrong
was there. In the Captains own claim,
which he took, he found Il prospect of
from . to ) cents to the pan. In re-
moving the surface dirt, in the first pan
was about 25 PARTICLES. In short. then,
he confirms the fact there are rich dig
gings already discovered, making room
for about two thousand miners, and
they are prospecting and finding more
claim continually.
Walla Walla, is swarming like bee
hive, and rapidly improving. At that
place, flour is worth 81, per 100 lbs. ;
bacon, 30 cts. coffee 33A; black tea
3d.; sugar % cts. dried apples 30 cts;
beans, Is cts. yeast powders, so cts.
per box: shovcls, $3.50 Wright's picks,
So, Collins picks, 1926; sluice forks,
81, to ST.; pans, 81 so; quicksilver, 81,
per h.; axes, g., so to So so; rope, 33a
cts. per lb. soap, so cts. per bar; lard,
So, IS per 10 Id. cans; cayusc horses arc
worth $l5, to $40, and in abundance.
Clothing is about the same price as
here, with little additional charge for
freig ht. Freights are 10 cts. per lib.
from Walla Walla to the mincs-170
milcs-and falling.
The expenses from here to Walla
Walla are: TO Monticello $15, and
board yourself; from there to Portland,
S.; to the Dalles, 49,; to the Dcschutcs,
So; to old Fort Walla Walla, $15 to
now Fort Walla Walla, $5,-total S51,
and about $40 more for extra expenses,
If horse is taken from here, the
trip can be made from the Dallcs to
Walla Walla, for $40, land travel. The
amount saved by taking horse from
here, would be about $15, in money,
and two days would be lost in point of
time. The distance from here to the
new mines by way of the Matches Pass
and Walla Walla is, we estimate about
ATS miles, and we think this nearly
correct. There would, we believe, be
| roo1 wood md urass oil the way