The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1870-03-22
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a California correspondent gives tie
following Interesting aceount 81 the
place where g0ll was h,s, discovered
C0loma vas tee scene oi The gold dies
cogely ID 1915 4 was hers tbas sut.
tsgs AhIi st5ed 81 tho banks 81 tie
creek, and one morang, when tie val-
ter had bceu turned from the race, Mar
shall stepped out upon the sandy bed q
the river and found some pieces oi yel-
lou metal lis discovery created 10
! sensation, ,bul only excited carosityts 10
what the curious stud was lie took
some q the pieces = lae cabin oi Wei
iucg, q fellow workman IN the mill. who
lived on tie hillside, aud they peculat-
Cd upon is character. Mrs Wemcr
boiled it in lyc they picked it, tried
all sorts Of experiments on it. but its
brightness only increased, and it would
rot tarnish They thsn became salts
"a that i Was precious gold, and the
news oi tie discovery having bruited
about tbe estimates of It's Importance
were soon confirmed 81 lie evidence Of
those who had seuu the precious metal
IN It's primitive state The immediate
results 81 this important discovery have
formed most important page in the
history Of the ninsteeath century, aud
need not be dweI upon At length, An
immense immigration was Immediately
attracted to these shores, aud tho town
Of Coloma, then Sutiers Mil, was the
goal most Of them sought All the IA.
yinos aud hillsides thereabouis proved
amazingly rich, an immense mining
population centred there, and a -four
lshlng, active, busy town sprang up ike
magic on the banks Of that quiet stream
the stiffness Of whose mir had only pre-
yiously been broken BY echoes Of falling
trees and the steady buzzing Of the saw
mill. Aud Coloma was a lively camp
From morning to night, for more than
ten years thereafter, its streets, or rath-
er its street, was crowded. Merchants
made fortunes in supplying the trade
that dlyerged from this point, radiating
in many branches through the country
miners came down from the mountains
aud gulches, with their buckskin bags
Of glltering dust and spent it as freely
as water the hotels were filed con-
stantly, saloons ditto, aud the clink Of
slugs and thud Of dust-bags il the gam
bling saloons could be heard at all
times. Ttwas the county seat Of El Do
RADIO, when that country was ii its prime
and in those good old days when to be
a county official was equal in its pecuni-
airy emoluments 10 the governing Of
small European principally. On court
days, the legal learning and talent Of
he State frequently gathered there, for
in those unsettled times litigation was
brisk, and fees were plentiful aud liber-
al.
As we entered the town, my attention
was directed to large two-story frame
building, the doors and windows Of
which were gone, and the ediiice was
fast crumbling away. This was form
erly the leading hotel of the town, and
did a thriving business its Office
crowded almost constantly, and IN its sa-
loon the constant services OF two bar
keepers were required to dispense high
toned liquid to the thirsty crowd The
main street was well built up, contain
ing many irc-prof buildings, while the
hilisides were sprinkled with cottages
surrounded by neat gardens, orchards
and vineyards, giving it homelike APP
pearouce, tor which Coloma was espe-
eislly noted But few Of the old inhab-
itants are now left, and in fact there are
bat few people in the town, Probably
three-fourths of the buildings arc un-
occupied and deserted, the mines are
nearly all abandoned, and &c town is
as nearly extinct as it well can be and
yet exist You might fire cannon
ball down the main street without dan
ger Of hitting any one, unless some
stray Chinamnn should chance to get in
the way, for the Chinese slip into these
towns as the white men leave, aud in
their contentment With small wages, not
only exist, but appear to be exceedingly
happy took lunch at the only hotel
ia tho place. il was a large two story
frame building, having probably from
tage Of sixty feet by enc hundred in
depth, with large stable attached, aud
all il good order. The improvements
on this lot cost about $4,000, and how
much doy0u suppose the present owner
paid tor tie entire concern Why
$3.50 Aud yet he was repining over bis
bargain and trying to devise some
means 70 get bis money out Of his prop
ery lie proposes to take the doors
and Eindows to some railway town, aud
nse them ID the construction Of another
hotel, and IA this manner lie has some
hopes of getting even. Nearly al the
hoIsesare suppoftedon sliits, thegr5uui
underneath tbem HAVING beey aU5irsd