New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-15
THE BLACK HILLS.

BLACK HILLS EXPEDITION, CUsTERS GULCH,
June %" Gold" should be the first word OF letter
written from here during the present excitement Anu
such an excitement Gold and antgold factions nave
formed. Tired and out by long ana tedous
days march from Trous Spring, don't feel ike writing
letter From O'Clock this morning until 7:3o O'CLOCK
this evening we have been marching Part OF the time
has been spent IN the saddle part in helping the tram
over bad places every one lent hand, from RANGING
officer drtiest teamster and part OF the time stahds
on the bank Of frightful slough swearing ana yene
by Order) in chorus. The whole command WORKS hafu
10 hoist the wagons that have almost disappeared Iro
sight in seemingly bottomless pond. This wretched
place only three miles from here, where tne camp
our haven OF rest was TO be established.
This supplement to my previous account Of the excite
ment produced by the finding Of gold when portion Oh
the expedition first entered this valley may appear az
only repetition but the subject believe will excite 30
much attention all the facts will be read with inter
est The reports sent broadcast OF the finding OF god
will have the unfortunate tendency to increase inc
already too large list OF those who have the gold leVer
HOW TO KEEP BACK THE MINERS
Another excitement similar to that Of Cherry Creek
may be aroused, and undoubtedly in that event lar
greater starvation and misery will follow than even
then, when thousands OF ragged and starving men
lined roads from Denver to the Missouri RIVER "ha
the Government do 10 lessen the excitement II IL
hard say or the officers and soldiers speak
confidently executing all orders but can they with the
present force in the Hills Is there sufficient NUMBER
to arrest and take the miners out Of the Hills WITHOUT
counting that required TO pursue and arrest miners scat
tered in squads the Wind River Valley to the MIS-
souri, River 1t will be only question OF numbers NOT
fighting force miner said 20 me to-day: I'VE doht
intend TO resist amt fools enough to fight ourselves
We are the United States and amt going to cut up no
sich dido as that ar"
Its TO be hoped some control may be gained over the
incoming miners, and that they be kept back. LVeh
these mines prove he rich, which Is questionable
there will be great misery. Much of this mery may be
prevented II the miners here, and those who may es
cape the Gordon of sentines permitted to make
thorough test OF the ground. Nothing will turn back
tide OF placerhu.ing miners like their obtaining nor
nation from returning from new dlstrct sa'is
fled as to its character Rats deserving SINKING snip
are no surer warning signals of distress than roads
lined with miners returning without gold dust Inc us
tincton between placer guch mining and quartz or
lodes must be borne in mind With the former an
entirely different state of affairs exists from that OF the
latter In the poor miner Ia his own capitalist and
il he doesn't strike pay dirt before " the grub gives
out" he has to jump 60 the country" Let me say the
terms used are much slang the ycrnacuar OF
the country which in most expresses exactly the
idea 10 be conveyed az no others WILL The permanency
OF lodcs attracts capital almost immediately II not in
large sums least enough to buy provisions WITH ana
to keep up work prospecting shaft so long as
there any hope that 1t will become profitable This OF
s not an 1nvariaDe rue large quantity vi
quartz rock discovered but this fact Is not
proof Of gold mines rather the contrary assert
this from q judgment formed by looking st specimens
exhibited By the miners who returned from the Hills last
Winter and from my observation in crossing thcmir-
eral belt from west to east in coming from Camp Jenney
here This is true of much Of the belt as extends from
to between these two points Farther north,
and perhaps south hough the latter not kely)
a different condition might have affected the mineral
veins.
THE QUANTITIES OF GOLD
The quartz VEINS, instead OF being nnumerable ana
easily discovered every yard, may become fewer ana
thereby the mineral be concentrated. The process
OF inraOn injection may have been under different
conditions so as to change the entire nature of the min
era deposits 1t could hardly be less, have been I'M
able to pan" "color' Of gold precIpate the
faintest cloud Of silver from any rock yet examined.
This examination has been going for some time back
the material being furnished by returned miners and
specimens picked up the road here. speak conf
IDENTIFY OF much admitting at the same time that is
possible that or two rich odes may be struck
here in this belt about which am now writing; or more
properly the cross section Of this mineral belt That
there is mineral belt will deny, there is one
in almost every State in the Union. Mr. Jenney says:
In the southern part of Clusters Park the gneiss and
onartz alternates with bands OF softer talcOsc states
which decomposng and being removed by denudation,
covered up by long level swales OF ine grass
land while the harder ness traverses the park in dixie
like ridges from north to south In places rocky pine.
covered hills are formed adding greatly to the beauty OF
Among these quartz rocks and states are numerous
segregated veins and masses Of white crystalline and
nands to 100 or more feet in width producing an emf
hence, caulifower-shaped and being harder than
nudation and usually caps the ridge on which
it appears In places the quartz quart, is oo Of
but as yet Of the samples OF quartz brought into
camp the lodges found among the hills have shown
on careful examination the slightest trace or any
valuable mineral The gold has in all probability been
derived from the deconpostion or denadatlon OF the
and the small quartz veins running through them
and not any single lode in this region the pros,
pecting showing general dliimsion OF gola IN Sinai
and channels Of the streams, but rarely IN paying guam
In the early California times the money auc ~
the first "prospecers in new region by creylcns
that u.s. searching for small crevces In the rocks along
the beds of the streams and removing the dirt with KNIFE
quantities of coarse gold and dust obtained
by washing this dirt in pan But here no scI uigslnss
have Welded only a trace of gold, although for untold
ages the during fresets nave swept the eou
Never before was there party having 80 great re-
spect the precious metals Some nave worked nut
The hot sun and washing out the gravel in PAM and,
after several hours work, securing ABOUT thfec or
e abass seareely enough to send home in The
western part Of the Hills in Wyoming is Of recent geoio
TO appear the cabonerous limestone is found COW
ering older aud rocks Ia an almost
horizontal LAYER several hundred feet IN tihckhcss.
The eastern section Of the bills in Dakota shows very
differen. formation Underlying the carb0nferOns e
stone ia soft brown sandstone full OF ngua, uilobes,
and other characteristic fossils Of the Potsda period
The lower part OF this sandstone is conglomerate OF
large quartz pebbles and boulders resting almost h0r
zoay upon the upturned edges Of acose states of the
azoic age 1t Is among these metanorphic states ana
the granite upon which they rest that the mineral deos
its OF the hills are to be sought for. .
The fora Of the Black Hills afford fine field for the
botanist Here may be found growing together plants
to the Mississippi Valley incrnixcd with those
peculiar to the Rocky Mountains The May apple poison
ivy, wild pink rose, white birch, oak and elm are oil
found.
Twill describe the placer dggngs in some other letter
want to give the matter careful examination