Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-03-06
From the Gold Mines.
HELENA, MONTANA TERRITORY, |
; February 7th, 1868.

| prospects,. I
The public mind always Graves after
news from the gold mines, and am sorry
to say, that so many people allow them
selves to be gulled by the fattering reports
constantly ahoat In no country are the
masses so gullable as in the gold mines,
and nowhere else is credulity I, put to the
test, and SO often deceived. xeception is
an old thing here, and peopss are used
to it. As [ have no interest to advance by
attempting to deceive, | will conine my
self as near to the truth as possible.
| Since the era when the immense wealth
of California became known to the civilized
world, and so large majority OF those who
sought that Ell Dorado became possessed
of stake in an almost incredibly short
space of time, many people have formed an
idea, that to obtain wealth, it is only nee
| essary to reach the gold mines. This idea,
viewed by one who has sought for wealth
in the gold mines, appears glaringly erron'
eous, and many writer's have attempted to
disabuse the public mind on that point
| That their endeavors have been futile, is
conclusive, from the fact that SO many
pilgrims arrive here annually from all
parts of the world, and the majority ofthem
strapped. Experience alone, will be able
to teach the all important lesson, that the
| life of the gold seeker is not a desirable
| one.
Life in the mountains is reality of
hard times, dangers, exposures, and pr-
vations; one half cannot be told. The man
who by luck, finds staeak and makes a
| quick return to his friends, with few
twenties to jingle can tell a fattering story
concerning his adventures but the man
who has worked hard ever since the flush
days of '49 for bare living, and that a
poor one, can tell different tale. | know
that in the states many people argue, that
because Mr. So & So made money, and en-
dured but few hardships, they can do like
wise, and any man with good sense and
will, ought to become rich. They come to
| the mountains, and then they find that
muscle is as necessary as brains, for there
is much dirt mixed with a little gold.
They find that the golden days of Calfor-
MIA are numbered with the things that
were, and now wealth is for the few while
poverty and labor are for the many.
No one will deny that the pioneer de-
serves a large recompense for the arduous
and perious task Of exploring the noun
| tains in search Of metaliferous wealth, yet
| few of those who are first to seek are most
| fortunate to find. 1t is not he who is
| most industrious or economical, or has the
best head or frmest muscle that is most sue
| cessful. Gold mining is a great lottery
scheme, wherein most of the tickets are
| blanks He who holds the lucky number
wins, but he who holds it not, loses his
investment. The chances against wealth
are many, as may be deduced from
the number Of poor men always to be
found in mining camps. Much wealth has
been taken from the placers of Montana,
and there is much yet to be taken there
from. Our local papers tell large stories
concerning what may be expected next
summer These stories are known by the
name of bIoaos. Most men who have good
prospects for another year, or are at pres
ent making money, let little be known
about their business, for they expect moth
ing to be made by having their affairs laid
open for public inspection. tits that class
of persons who have no paying interests,
who get puff from the papers to help
them to sell if they have anything to sell,
and if they have not, it may help them in
some way TO gull some hard working man,
who has not time or inclination to inspect
for himself. Our papers likewise speak
hatteringly of the agricultural advantages
of montana, and the future prospects of
| her quartz mines.
The mineral wealth Of Montana is an at
tested fact The immense bulk Of dust
| taken from her placers. and the gold and
| silver bricks from her quartz, tell what she
| has been OF the future. we can but
guess Much of the territory is unpros-
pected, and what quartz has been dis
covered is not yet developed. The mining
prospects in both branches at the present
time, do not look very promising. The
placer mines of this territory are scattered
over a large scope Of country. The richer
deposits-such as would pay for working,
| while wages and provisions were high
| are not generally found in contiguous To-
calities. Yet there are few places that gold
in small quantities can not be found
Year by year, the cost of mining decreases
and so fast the value of the mines increase.
At the present time, the prospect looks
| dark to one who has seen the flush days
of Montana We are apt to overlook the
| fact that every year, as the country gets
| Older everything gets cheaper, and conse-
| quently mines that at present will not pay
to work, will, in a few years become valu-
able There will not in all probability ev-
| er be the same amount of money taken out
| in the same length of time; but the dis
tribution among those employed will be
more equal Mines that have been in op-
Grafton a few years, and from which the
best have been culled, will never satisfy
those who have been among the first to
unearth that hidden wealth. The DISPOSE
ton and inclination of the mountaineer
becomes addicted to rowing, and he is never
| easy unless when upon the tramp. W h'ie
those who are not satisfied with small
things, are in search of larger ones, others
take hold. and little by little accumulate
wealth. The greatest drawback to the
mines in this country is the shortness OF
the working season. In some localities
the ground is deep, and the gold is depos-
tied near the bed rock In such cases the
cheapest method of working is by drifting,
and the winter season is the best The
water is not generally as high, and wages
| are at lower rate than in summer, when
other occupations employ so many men.
In general, the ground is so shallow, and
the gold SO scattering, that the easiest and
cheapest mode of working is to remove all
the bank. In gulches that have much
! grade, and on bars or hills where dump
can be obtained, they wash the whole
I bank through the sluices But in such