New-York tribune., 1875-07-01

pect" toward the eastern slopes Of the Hills. A
sufficient escort Of three companies of cavalry COM
posed the military element Of the party. After
march Of seven days they reached point
best known to the readers as the gulch
in "Custer's Park" out of which they drove
as he supposed all the miners. The camp may be
properly called the one Miners C0rrall." In
making this journey the command described what
appears like are, with Camp Jcnncy as one point
and the present camp the other, the line of march
making IA circle to the north. The difficulty of
traycrsing with wagons such n country as this
hardly be conceived by those who have never had
the good or i'll fortune to experience it. ravine
only few feet wide, but or II feet deep will de-
lay train for hours; the thick undcrbrllsh met
with has to be cut down; IL snow-stom will delay
an outfit for days Such storm think of 1t, in
June , stopped the expedition for day; 1t was
simply impossible to proceed. Col. Dodge after
crossing the main divide, found water. Numerous
streams varying in size. met with, and this is
fact to be remembered if this region turns out To be
rich in gold and silver.
TIE FIRST GOLD.
At the first stream the miners Of Mr.. Jenneys
scientific party found gold by pannine' No sooner
was the result of this prospecting' known than the
! excitement ran through tlic crowd like an electro
| shock. Soldiers and teamstcrs set to work pan
ning" using anything that came TO hand, from TN
cup To the split side of n canteen. Opportunity was
afforded for this lucrative operation, lnasmuch az
halt was necessary at each stream to cut he balks
build bridge or otherwise prepare road for the
| wagons. At every haliing place gold was fcund IN
greater OF less quantities. generally less; still it was
gold.
| The parks so elaborately described by TIE TRrB-
UNr,s correspondent who accompanied Gen. Custer
last year. especially Floral Valley, were again seen
| in all their picturesque beauty; but wrong i'm
preston may have been conveyed by Gen. Custer 3
report as to their extent. None of the parks were
found to be of great area they can never he eX-
pccted 10 furnish agricultural or grazing facilities
for NAVY inhabitants. Indeed, unless the mineral
wealth proves 10 be great it will be years before
these lands will be occupicd and then they will only
furnish homes for comparatively small number OF
settlers. The timber is of great extent, doubt
! less but how this is to be brought to
market is yet an ursOlyed problem. The
method suggested by Hayden will prove failure
The Northern Pacific pcrceiving that this VIII DE
good objective point for their road in the event OF
mineral development may furnish an outlet Why
the road does not bend TO the south and cross into
Montana through Gaatin Valley, by way Of the old
Rozcnan trail. is question which has often been
asked. This route would take in line OF country,
after leaving Heart River much richer than that
to the north and would tap the. Big Horn section,
which eventually will contain largo population.
1t if the Company were welded TO the error
which was made popular III Jay Cookies advertise
ments that the Yellowstone Valley Is land OF
promise. There is still change in the determine
ton TO % 20 right across the country, as 1t IL q
through road" to use the words of Gen. Rosser, who
accompanied the Yellowstone Expedition of 1873 as
Chief Engineer for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Ii may be, however, stated that the development
of a rich gold region in the Black HIS VIII make
some impression in direction which in that event
would be wlsc
| do not believe that the Hlswlll turn out to be
rich mining district and shall remain sheptic on
this point until the fact is demonstrated by the en-
trance of mining population which shall work that
region for at least one season. The camp is only
short distance from IIarney City, where the corraIl
built by the miners last Winter stands This, as nm
derstood by the maps and reports, is in Custers
'Gulch.
THE MINERS.
Arriving here, Col. Dodge found over i" hundred
miners hard at work. part it is sad, belonged To
Russelfs party and remained behind, or rather
planted themselves on the Hills the rest took their
departure with Capt Mix. Tie rest have come in
from time to time, slipping in unobseryed by the
about a hundred harl-working, sober men.
When the troops appeared, rising as it were like .
phantom from the cliffs to blast their hopes, the
thought as one expressed il, arose: "The jig may
be up now, but nothing but death or prison Will
keen me from these dggings." They have been at
work this Spring, ditchng and preparing slucc-
boxes and panning gold from the gulch. They are
apparently experienced and rdworking men.
Their stories are straightforward and manly. Every
one of them has more less gold dust to show, and
il has been found in that gulch." Col. Dodge has
no orders to arrest these men, and probably feels
thankful that so disageeabe u task is not his. The
creek on which the miners are now at work is not
Frenchman's Fork, but small branch Of it,
Officers who were curious to witness the
actual finding of gold Gratified by the
miners "pmning" some in their presence In
every instance the pan showed from
to 25 grains of gold or "coors." Capt. Spaulding
took up some dirt thrown ont OF hole that was
being sunk for prospecting" washed out four
pans, and weighed the result. The result was 27i2
cents In gold In another case, which is equally I'M
questionable, 81 cents taken from one PAINFUL
Practical miners say that from $l5 TO 800 can be
made with proper slucing. ! question whether this
NAV not bc an cxtravagant statement; still there 10
mo doubt about tho facts already told There s gold