Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-04-26
FROM NEW

I hereby write you afew lines in regard
to this country and Its mines, hoping that
it will be Of some benefit and interest to
those who contemplate coming here.
We left Panama on the 18th of Feb
ruary, which is the day Of every month on
which the English steamer leaves. We
arrived in Tumaco on the 10th. Prom
Tumaco to Barbacoas the journey 10 made
in canoes, well fitted up with protection
against sun and rain. Stoppages are
made every night, in some house on the
river. and the whole journey, instead Of
being one Of fatigue and hardship. as an.
ticipased, is one Of pleasure all tho way
through.
The cost from Panama to Tumaco, on
the steamer, is $40; and in the canoes
from there to Barbacoas, So. Tho way
up TO Barbacoas is around some islands,
and then up the river Patea-this is made
in seven days. Another way is to 60 up
some smaller river, cross an isshmus OF
about three miles, and come in to the
Patea-this is made in Ave days. The
baggage is carried over by the natives and
negroes for forty cents per q hundred
pounds. These men will carry from 200
to 25O pounds on their backs, the weight
mostly resting in a sling passing over
their heads.
The Patea river is large, much deeper
than the Sacramento river, and can be
navigated up to Barbacoas, and far above,
BY any sized river steamer.
Tumaco is q pleasant and thriving little
place, beautifully situated among the
islands on the coast. I saw here the
coffee, orange, lemon, bread.fruit, cocoa,
banana, and q variety Of other trees, all
growing wild, but luxuriant, within tho
space Of one acre Of ground. That tho
natives are indolent, where Nature so
beautifully provides for them, is nothing
10 be wondered at. Besides these, are
plenty of fish a half-mile from the shore ;
and oyster beds in abundance. Tho
oysters, in size and favor, arc not in
ferior to any that can DO had in New
York.
Barbacoas is an unhealthy, flthy place.
with narrow streets, laid out in q most
primitive manner; and hero the mines
commence.
The mines are in and around Barbacoas,
in fact so far 90 I can learn, up and down
the coast, through the whole Of Now Ora.
NADIA and Ecuador, and up to the foot Of
the Andes. These placer mines consist OF
blanks Of gravel from ten to one hum
bred feet high, which contain gold in moro
or less quantities all through. Tho prin-
cipal pay strata In these banks around
Barbacoas lay on the bed-rock-not in
nv opinion the actual bedrock, but .
kind Of cement, taken for bedrock, and
then at intervals from four to six and
eight feet up to the top: In the majority
of these banks the bedrock forms q basin,
or channel, which in most cases has been
but little, if at all, worked, on account Of
lack Of drainage. These people knew Of
no method of getting rid of the water, and
it therefore lays in that condition at the
present time. Their method OF working
has been to undermine the bank on the
side, cave it down, and then remove the
dirt, or wash it down when they had suf-
6cient water, and commence again. Tho
advantage we have in u mode OF min
ing IT,, that we can tunnel these banks,
and when drainage cannot be obtained
sufficient, put in China pumps-.and hero
is plenty Of water power to drive them.
The cost Of opening these banks is df-
ferent; from 5000 to $4,000 is necessary,
according to the difficulty Of operating,
and tools and machinery to work them
successfully after opened. The vorst off,
is, you hDve to take diro't al the chances o
the start-as you cannot get to prospect.
ing them until they are moro or less
opened. Of course, every "bank" has
a reputation-good or bad-but you can
never get to prospecting on the bedrock
upon which in most cases your work will
be carried on, until you have cleared Of
the mass of rubbish Of rocks and dirt
with which every opening Of q bank il
covered.
Some twenty companies have started in
TO work some Of these banks, and moro
are preparing. Should these parties sue
coed, there is ground here for an almost
unlimited number Of people to work many
years.
About the interior Of the country, very
little is yet known. A good many have
gone there to prospect, but as the dry
season there does not set in until the lat.
ter part of May, nothing will DO definitely
known for three or four months.
The climate has so far proven unhealthy
TO most persons who have come here; but
those who have been here for any length
Of time are in good health. There is no
heat here, as the sun is obscured the most
part Of the day; but from the continual
rains a moisture pervadss the whole at
mosphere, and everything becomes damp
and widowed, and you are. as it were, in
soak all the time. People arrive here and
use the same clothes they had on in CROSS
ing the mountains, without Inconvenience;
but one can DO as lightly dressed Is . mig
ger baby, and feel equally comfortable,
and no. much out Of fashion either. Tho
sickness that attacks many on arriving, 10
a fever called calanturo;" which II
neither fatal or serious, but 10 caused from
a arrangement Of the bowels, generally
costiveness and also from q sudden
change Of climate but u properly treated
in time, is over In q few days.
Let no one come here with the idea that
they can go wherever they like, and with
a few tools make money right away. You
must frs. make up your mind what mine
or " bank " you want to bee, and then the
owner or his agent brings you to tho
mine, where, with guides through thick
underbrush and chapparrl, you are o n
Quoted to the particular /" bank in ques-
ton, and you can then 6rst prospect or
make FOUR calculations. The terms on
which you lease q mine are different, &C
cording to value-Sl6 or $40 q month for
every hand you work in it, or from one
quarter to one-half Of the gross OF net pro.
ducts; but you are generally allowed
some time for opening It.
1t is necessary for any n intending to
come here to form into companies Tor have
money enough if alone) Of from at least
four to six miners, with not less than
$3.50 apiece for working capital, indie