The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-13
THE BLACK HILLS.
GOLD AND SILVER ABUNDANT MINERS
WAITING FOR SPRING.

WAITING FOR SPRING.
a correspondent writing from Iankton, Da
kotss, to the Word says:
The sudden arrival of two men in our cit.
direct from the gold region Of the Black Hill
has raised great excitement. The gold eX
element IL at fever heal, as it was last sum
mer and fall and the strong confirmation
which these men give to the previous &C
counts of rich gold discoveries now strengthen
our belief that Gen. Custer did not eXaggerate
his reports. Nothing that has heretofore
reached Us from the Black Hills seems so di-
rectly to establish their correctness.
Twenty-Five men, mostly belonging to
Sioux City, fitted themselves out with SIX
teams and plenty of supplies, stole quietly
across the Missouri to a rendezvous III Ne
| braska and started in November last for the
Black Hills in serene contempt of military
orders and reservation lines. After journey
| Of nearly forty days through Indian country
| where, under Capt. GJrdOn's command, they
We're ever alert and watcLtul, they reached
the gold fields about Christmas, and after
Journeylng about awhile, following Clusters
trail and prospecting, they selected spot
and camped. BY January j. they had
strong blockade built Of round logs set four
feet IN the ground and thirteen feet high, en-
closing spot eighty feet square with bastions
at the corners They then bull. quarters and
provided for comfort and safety.
his terrible winter weather has been a
damper On mining and two military expedi-
tons from Fort Sully and Laramie, sent to ar
rest and expel them, We're driven back freez-
ing and starving, after getting within forty
miles Of them. Yet on the third Of February
Gordon and Witcher set out to fulfil their
promise of sending back reports, starting
with three small, tough ponies, and in spite
of frequent storms and unparalleled depth of
snow drifts, they made the whole journey
without injury. They ssed the Cheyenne |
and White rivers. crossed the Nebraska line
near Spotted Tails agency, thence to Niobra-
of over three hundred miles. Their
route was chiefly among timbered
creeks, the longest interval without timber
being thirty miles. Withou. tent, shelter or
anything but the merest necessaries, such as
blankets warm clothing matches, rifle and
*, they got through with wonderful success
indians were met only once, and by pretend
ing to be only "Boshers men, hunting tor
cattle stampeded from the agency, they ex-
'ited no suspicion of being miners escaping
% tell the world Of the mineral wealth SO
ong hidden. Their ponies got enough dry
5raSs, by paving in the snow, to support life
" tilo "Holc LNeAtS -llFc dayS Oh pTlVdtlOD.
iordon and Witcher 90 home tomorrow to
eport progress and arrange future plans.
Cold has been found III g color " quanti-
les in most Of the gulches they have tried,
nd the old miners declare their belief that
heir present location will yield to each man
wenty or twenty-five dollars per day if :
.orked to good advantage by slrices Their
deepest shaft was fourteen feet to the bed /
ock, finding more or less gold all the way
own, especially the last three feet. Their !,
eyere labors and the cold weather prevented !,
ny successful mining. The ice would gather a
q the pan, freezing in the sand and gold.
nd preventing any separation. 4 small
ocker was made and used a few
ours on the ID of February. While
ome rocked and tended il, others j
hoped the frozen dirt, and a third party {
cate water constantly to wash it without .
eezins up. Thus they obtained a rich look t,
e sample Of shot gold, worth $40 to SIS, a
hich has has been carefully examined here ]
ne party was in fine health and spirits, with Al
enty OF provisions and game for the winter b
hile their stock WAS fast improving by roam b
g among the hills and browsing dry grass fl
hen spring opens they will begin BUSINESS j
very gulch has its rill or stream of pure h,
i.er, with ample supply and fall for sluices a,
q hydraulic mining; and timber especially c.
u, stately Norwegian pine, is extremely Il
undant, covering al the mountains. to