The weekly Butte record., 1862-03-29
The Northern Mines a DelKion.

The Northern Mines Delusipn.
4 correspondent Of the Alta. writing from
Placer county nnder date of March Goth, give:
some interesting statements in reference 10 The
mining prospects in the Nez Perces and Carl
boo country:
, One year ago next April left Placer coun-
ty for the purpose of exploring and prospecting
the Nez Perces country When left my old
county had little loose change with me.
( the amount of S2,700 thought that wonld
be sufficient to pay my way for one year
visited the Nez Perces. and as soon as | got
fixed and ready TO prospect secured three of
the best miners (od Caiforniansl. whom had
to pay ten dollars per day and find everything.
We prospected thirty three days without max
ing dollar. The thirty three days prospect
ing cost me 1928. | thought this poor show
to make anything. and then secured one good
man aud started for the Cariboo mines, or
rather the Cariboo country, for am satisfied
that there IS no mining country in the Cariboo
district
We arrived on the 27th of June, and found
plenty of snow and nothing for man or beast
to subsist on. We had our own provisions,
sufficient to last three months, and the end of
that period was fixed for our departure, pile
or no pile We prospected until the 18th Of
September, without success. As the season
was advancing, knowing that We would have
to get out of the country by the 10th of 0cto-
Der, | concluded to secure as many good
miners as could, and send them in every di.
rection to prospect. | was lucky in obtaining
FIVE good men, whom had to pay twelve dol
lars per day and find everything. We all
started out, over mountains aud ravines pros
Pecting every place where gold should have
oeen, /! any there was in the country, but we
were, as the old saying is, " unlucky.' There
we worked and toiled, night and day, for over
three months, and all the gold we ever got or
saw was seven dollars and thirty-seven and a
half cents. l consider the Cariboo country
the poorest gold country | ever have seen, and
if Americans have claims in the British coun-
try they have to pay four dollars month tax
whether the work or not, and many poor
honest miner is now working for the British
Government TO pay his taxes
If the California miners know when they are
well off. they will stay at home, where every
man can make his three or FIVE dollars dav,
having all the comforts of life We left the
Cariboo country on the 7th of October, and
made our way over to Salmon river, Washing
ton Territory, where we concluded to stop
awhile and see if we could not make a strike
The first thing was to secure provisions, which
was no easy matter SO one prospected while
the other hunted up food. We obtained the
latter by going eighty miles, which was all
right As long as one has money iu his poek-
ct IN new country he can get along and do
very we'll but if be has none he stands poor
show. A large number of the miners there
had bnt a hundred pounds of flour when Win
ter set in, and | have no doubt but many suf-
iered terribly for want of the necessaries of life
We remained at Salmon river until the last of
January, when we started back for California,
where, thank God, we arrived safe aud sound,
glad to get back to old Placer county-better
and wiser men than when we left
My trip cost me 50 367 and all the gold
obtained in all of my prospecting was $50 %; /
81 81, at Cariboo, British Columbia, and
81 % at the Nez Perces, and SlS at Salmon
River. | am satisfied to remain where | am
now. as | consider the CaribCo country a worse
sell than the Frazer River bubble. 1t is all /
gas from the John Bull country. 1t is mis- |
cradle place, with cold bleak winds. and snow
falls to the depth of twenty feet. 1t is impOs- |
sble for a man to work over three months in 1
the year at the CariboO mines if there are any /
mines there, and the locality has none of the /
appearance of gold country. The Nez Per- /
ces country has a milder climate than Carlboo;
but still the Winters are much more severe
than in California. Unless man has about |
81 600 be has no business going to the Nez !
Perces country and if he has got 1000 or
$4,000, let him 90 to the Carlboo country. 1
which will keep him about one year, and at
the end of that time he may have three hun
dred cents left, and be will be thankful to get
out of the country with what be has left if he
has any.
California miners, stop where you are take
a miners advise-one that has been through
the mill and speaks from eXperience-the coun- 1
try has been falsely represented.