The Placer herald., 1865-01-28
Idaho 7Eines, and How to Get There.

VI G take the toiioWing from the Mercan
tile Gazette,
From Oregon and Idaho, very liberal ship,
ments Of gold dust have arrived at San
Francisco. Placer mining in those coun
tries, as in California, has been retarded by
the want Of sufficient water for washing
some Of the richest localities remaining un-
worked from this cause. Still, taken as a
body, the miners there have met with fair
degree Of success the past season; and as
bitches for supplying water are to be built
some being completed and Others under way,
the prospects Of the coming Summer may
be considered stolerably good The mines
in these northern gold fields are now known
to be rich, at least in spots, and extended
over large scope 0! country; many of the
claims are deep and containing 4 heavy bed
Of pay dirt are worked by the hydraulic
process to advantage. The sums taken out
have in many instances been large, several
thousand dollars have been extracted in a
few days. Mining claims have often been
disposed Of al figures Indicating the high
appreciation set upon them by the parties on
the ground. A small number realized for.
tunes through ucky strikes. and the majority
perhaps made VIVA; might be considered
average wages for bis class OF mines, though
very many were unable to secure paving
claims or to obtain steady employment on
hire. So far rs work was to be hal wages
varied from So to IS per.day. The general
barrenness and extremely rugged face Of the
country renders prospecting a tedious and
expensive business, aud one, too, Oh account
of the hostile disposition OF the native tribes,
not always free from danger, as the massacre
OF several parties within the past two years
teuds o show. The ohortness oi the work.
ing season is another drawback upon opera
tons in those northern regions; the Winter,
during which not much can be done, setting
in with November and holding until March
or April, with very !:ttle inlermission: The
snow falls to q great depth on the moun tains
where also the cold at times is severe. \
ma ority of the population leave on the ap.
proach OF Winter, returning again in the
Spring. While the Inhabitants have been
drawing largely from California the bulk of
them have been supplied by the overland
immigration. OF those who went from CALI
tornia and Nevada last year, some have re-
turned empty handed, while Others have
done moderately and d few extremely well.
Some came back early in the season before
the water had been extensively introduced
through the bitches, and did not, perhaps,
have opportunity to give the mines a fair
trial. AS general thing it requires some
capital to operate successfully in these dig
gings, particularly where they are deep and
the hydraulic process is resorted to. 1t also
requires some money to reach them, the
journey being long and cost Y one. The
proper time to start for tha. section from
California is the latter part of March, or the
beginning Of April; HE best route in going
from San Francisco is. to take the steamer
to Portland, and thence up the Columbia
river, and by which there is only 200 to 800
miles Of land travel. This latter part Of the
Journey having to be made in part on animals
is necessarily tedious and expensive. Parties
starting from Northern California or the
State of Nevada, can proceed by much
more direct route, and one which it may
generally be expedent to adopt rs enabling
them TO arrive in the mines at 4 less cost
and already supplied with animals for pros
pecting when they get there. There arc
several Of these routes, the choice TO be de-
termined by the point Of departure, mas
much as the distance and facilities for SUBJ
sistug animals are about the same on each.
In starting from points east of the Sierra
Nevada, the road through Humboldt and the
Owyhee country should be taken; parties
setting out from Northern California viii
follow the Upper Sacramento and Pitt river
l1, e T al Nat ut,
further north, via Yreka and Klamath Lake;
while those starting from places further south
may proceed by the Chico or Red Bluff and
Honey Lake road The distance by these
several routes is between 400 and 500 miles
Very CoMMENDABLE.-The Unions San
Francisco correspondent says:
The fashionable world at present is occu
pied with the ball to be given by Mrs. Gem
eral Mcdowell, at the Occidental HoteI, on
the 24lh instant This lady manifesls a
commendabe spirit in endeavoring- to re'
concile political differences and soften down
the asperties which bitter pariizanship al
ways engenders by the amenities OF social
life. She has for some time been i'll the
habit of giving weekly receptions, which all
citizens entitled to recognition were invited
to attend without distinction as to party
and of this idea the coming ball will be the
cap sheaf suppose. The want Of some
such social harmonzer has long been felt in
this city, where entertainments were rapidly
coming to resolve themselves into either
rebel cabals or loyal leaeues-at least in The
opinions of outsiders. For my part hating
calls heartily, and not fraternizing much
with callers, | think that in the matter o