The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-08
THE YELLOW NUGGETS.

THE YELLOW NUGGETS.
DIGGING FOR GOLD IN THE BLACK HILLS
RICH REWARDS - HINTS OF A CUT AM
| DRIED OFFICIAL REPORT.
A member OF the Black Hills party, u ndei
date of the 18Th, writes to the Chicago
Tribune: Col. Dodge and staff, with the
scientific party, escorted by companies
and of the second cavalry and company
81 of the third cavalry, left Camp Jenny on
the 9th inst, and arrived here on the 18th
inst. lu reaching this point, the command
has described the northern halt OF the cir
conference of circle, over a
rough and rocky country, cut
derbrush. On the 11th, a snow-storm bAffied
all efforts to proceed. Alter crossing the
main divide, numerous streams were found,
all trending eastward. At the first stream
prospecting was begun, and gold was found.
The greatest excitement prevailed, and men
and teamsters all INDUCED in the lucrative
amusement of scratching and washing
gravel. Every stream that was crossed was
prospected, but, as the halts were short, it
was impossible to determine what could be
found below two or three feet. AT every
hating place gold in some quantity
was found. 1t is useless to go over
the ground described by Gen. Custer last
year. Floral valley and the park are beau
tIful, though the descriptions heretofore
published are liable to give erroneous inn
pressions as to their extent. They are not
large, and no one need expect to come into
them and build cities unless the mining in
terests of the hill pan out fully as we'll as we
now expect. Having arrived here, it will be
well to state that we are but short distance
from Hsrney's Peak at Harvey City
Here we find over bundled
miners hard at work, washing out
- Il -
They are now not only banning out gold,
but are digging bitches and preparing
sluices. They said, when they saw the
troops first: 'You may take away,
but we will come back; for nothing but
death or prison walls will keep US out of
here" They washed out several psnsful
for the inspection of the officers visiting
them; and in every instance from to %
grains of gold were obtained. Capt. Spauld-
ing took up pan, and, with dirt that had
been thrown out of shallow pit as surface
dirt. washed out four pans and weighed The
result. 1t proved 10 be 271z cents in gold.
He had never handled pan before. In one
Northumberland instance, 81 cents was
washed out of one painful of dirt. Now,
these are no unreliable statements 1t is
THE PLAIN, UNvARNIsHED TRUTH.
The miners say they will make from s. to
500 per day as soon as their sluice is in
working order; now they average from
to Is cents to the pan. Every one has either
seen gold washed out or done the work
himself. The commanding officer has seen
it; all of his officers have seen it;
the scientific party have seen it; and sll
the men and teamsters have seen IL. Now,
lest we should have so unanimous a thing
OF il, we will hear dissenting voice. You
will hear it quite soon, think, TOR 1t Is no
secret that for some inscrutable reason the
report of the expedition is cut and dried,
an Wa hafOrn the 0XnA0itlOn started.
this be as it may. there are large number
of men with this expedition who are compe-
tent judges of mining in all its phases, and
not only judges but practical workers them
selves. Besides all this, we see them dem
onstrate it every day, and the soldiers are
doing the same. How much OF this mining
land is there? do not know, ana il is the
purpose of this expedition to determine.
To draw a line as base, let
me say that from what l have
seen land 1 have more than casually OBJ
served), any hard working man can wash
out s. per day. Let me not be understood
as saying thai he would do so, for very few
men would be satisfied with doing we'll
when they could be wasting their time pros
pecting for richer diggings. Still he might
do much better,-how much better would
depend great deal on his luck and muscle
the miners who are here are not the rough
and scum element driven out OF the border
towns, but they are Intelligent and sober
men, who have entered into this enterprise
much as they would any other business en-
terprise-to win. WHAT Is going to
be done about it? A public
sentiment true to itself will de-
eide the question. There is an abundance
Of pine timber in this immediate vicinity,
and the best OF water. The grass is now
foot high, and the flowers are blooming on
every side. Col. Dodge has no instructions
to drive The miners out of the Hills, nd he
no doubt rejoices that this is not his disa-
greeaDle duty. Many quartz lodes have
been taken, and gold has been unmistaka-
bly, taken out OF the rock. OF silver / know
nothing. AS soon as things settle down so
that it can be made accurate, 1 will send you
a map of this mining district as it actually
exists, and not as many OF those that are
the creations of heated imaginations.
Mr.. Anderson's Penikese Island seems to
be a white elephant of the most pro-
nounced character The natural history
school, on that island, 1t
seems to be settled, must soon be
closed, the location of the school rendering |
1t so expensive that for the same money
school might be conducted anywhere else.
Mr.. Alexander Agassiz says that summer
school, limited to few of the best students
In natural history, connected with the col
Iege, will probably be established next year
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