Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-05-11
FROM NEW

The s. F. Alta Of May 9th has q COM
munica.ion from a Barbacoas adventurer
that will prove of special interest to our
people; referring as the following extracts
do to old residents of Gold Hill and Viz
GINA city:
Every owner insists that his mine is the
richest, yielding a fabulous amount to the
nan but when the miner pans the pay
dirt, he sometimes gets five cents to the
pan-rarely though, most generally fall
ing to obtain the color. For example:
Messrs. Ogden s. Mozingo. OF Virginia
CITY, informed me that they leased fifteen
souare miles Of land for five years, with
the privilege Of ten, with eight different
claims located thereon, and known as the
Commander claims, at the rate OF ONE
third of the gross proceeds to the mine
owner: They, in company with Others,
prospected the mines for seven days, the
mines presenting q clear face. In one OF
the claims, the " San Jose," the dirt yield
ed Ave cents to the pan, taken from the
top of the pay streak; at the bedrock,
fifteen feet below the surface, they were
unable to obtain the color. The other
seven claims were but a repetition OF the
"San JOSE" Notwithstanding the Hat
tering inducements held out to the party,
they concluded to return to California.
II CAUSE OF THE EXCITEMENT.
Some twelve months ago, q man by the
name of O'Connor, being in delicate
health, left Virginia city for South
America, to recruit. Hearing Of the Bar
bacoas mines, he repaired thither. The
Spanish Governor. residing at this place
(so rumor hath it), was appointed guard
ian to an orphan girl, who, on attaining
her majority was to inherit a large grant
of land, on which was located the Carga-
cont mine-since known as the O'Connor
mine. The Governor proved unfaithful
to the trust reposed in him, and destroyed
the records, laying claim to the land. On
| O'Connor's arrival, the Governor learned
that he was a practical miner, and sought
him out. A contract was entered into be-
tween the two-O'Connor working the
mine, the Governor receiving one-half of
the gross proceeds. The Governor had
been working by means Of q shaft, from
the top. O'Connor p~rospected the bank,
and found the pay streak on the side.
The work was then an easy matter, he
having but to follow the pay streak and
take out the pay dirt as he penetrated the
bank. From the LIST Of September, 1866,
to the LIST Of March, 1866, there were 46o
odd pounds Of gold taken from the mine
the Governor receiving an undivided half
-O'Connor paying the expenses OF work
- - D,k ,ho honG xyao ohntff
exhausted drifts were run in different
directions, no more gold being found than
would pay expenses. O'Connor, finding
that the mine no longer paid, determined
to leave the country. In company with
nine Others he started for New York
about the 22d of March, with the avowed
intention Of purchasing machinery to
work the mine. He carried away with
him seventy-two pounds Of gold. Pre-
vious to leaving he took o partner, Mr..
James Wheeler, of Gold Hill, Nevada.
Wheeler was left in charge Of the mine, to
carry on operations. l have the follow
ing statement from r. J. Watson, of Viz
ginia city, who worked in the mine three
or four days: After ten days run, the
cleaning up produced five pounds and
eleven ounces Of gold, worth nineteen dol
lars to the ounce, and sixteen ounces to
the pound-being Sl,729 as the result Of
eleven days work for thirty-fve hands
fourteen negro men, twelve negro women
and nine white men. The Governor, on
seeing the small quantity taken out took
but one-third, 1886 33s, leaving Wheeler
Sl,l52 66S with which to defray the ex-
penses, the mount. fell short over $3.50.
About all the dirt that paid was taken out
the first five days, the balance yielding
little or nothing. Wheeler was undecided
whether to continue the work or not, and
finally discharged all hands with the ex-
ception of two white men and two ne
groes.
It don't look reasonable that O'Connor
got all the gold in the country, but it
seems that he accidentally struck a bank
that had been overlooked. He was rem
dered all the assistance in the power Of the
Governor. for O'Connor's success was the
Governors.
These mines have been worked for three
hundred years by tkillful miners, while
California, the richest gold mining u
try ever discovered, has been worked
scarce twenty. Now, I ask any sensible
miner, which is the best place to hunt
gold: o settled country, with a healthy
climate. where can be had all the comforts
and luxuries Of life, worked for less than
twenty years, or the swamps of South
America, where you get insufficient food,
the country swarming with venemous rep
tiles and troublesome insects, the air laden
with pestilence and the malaria Of death,
and gold to be had, If got at all, by so
many difficulties, and the country worked
out, having been mined for three centu-
riess One party ran a tunnel into q
bank, and, after six weeks labor, came
across an old tunnel. The bank had been
worked out one hundred years before, for
trees bearing evidence Of that age had
grown over the entrance to the old tunnel.
The works were examined by experienced
miners, and pronounced by them to be
well and skillfully executed.
The town Of Barbacoas is filled with
miners, the majority Of whom are sick
with the fever. Those who have the
means arc leaving as fast as they can get
boats to carry them away those who are
sick leaving as soon as they are able to
travel. Quite a number of gold. seekers
from New York and California, waiting
at Panama for q conveyance to the mines,
on seeing the passengers from the schoon-
ers Ida and Surprise, sick and emaciated
from the fever, and hearing their state.
ments, were content to go no further. /
think that If those in California who are
DESTROYS Of going to New Grenada could
have witnessed the sight, they, too, would
change their minds, and remain where
they are, at least until better informed
than at present. At the present time there
is not q single mine in Barbacoas paying
expenses, and the "Cargazone" is the
only n that yields any gold whatever.
PLucKY WOMAN.
At Tumaco I was quite surprised to see
a live American woman quietly sitting IN
one corner of the room, at o sewing ma
chine, stitching away, apparently quite at
home. soon struck up an acquaintance
| with her, and ascertained that her name
was Miss Molly R, from Virginia