The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-04-07

is what they report. Said sweeney
last night while we sat by the side Of
the moonlit gulch:
"These mines are Il fraud. | have
prospected in every hole along this
gulch where | was allowed to pan out
dirt, and / have never found dirt which
will pay wages. am the only miner
working his claim in this gulch, and
what / say | stick to, and challenge con-
tradiction. And this is what | say: A
good miner can make from two to three
dollars per day, but a poor one can't
make his salt"
No one here cares to contradict old
man Sweeney, and all the practical
miners indorse his assertion. 1t is only
real estate brokers and mining specu-
lators who endeavor to keep up this fic-
ton about rich diggings on French or
Spring Creeks. l have made daily and
diligcnt search for a sight of some gold
mineral in the Hills, but rs yet have not
seen ten dollars worth in Custer. None
has been sold here since my arrival.
IT IS A RICH LAND.
But the absence of gold in quantities
sufficient to pay for mining should not
deter those seeking lovely and bcauti-
full homes from coming here. The soil
is II deep black loan; in NJ place have
| found it less than four feet in depth.
There are countless springs of pure
water. I~neXhaustible bodies of pine
timber cover the rocky places in the
hills, while the valleys are open and
clear of both brush, rock and timber.
This pine makes clear white lumber,
and there are hundreds of miles of il
awaiting owners. Grass grows in the
valleys knee-high, and forms Il sod
equal in density to the Kentucky blue
grass sod. Under the pine trees the
gramma grass and bunch grass grow
more luxuriantly than upon the plains,
and ever now / can gather the greer
grass by handfuls as l ramble through
the woods, which are clear of under
VI liNu. iluiDl' D'tlS vi Hitd VI lSilI'
glass have been found. Cement, Gin,
nabar, tire-clay, lead, iron, coal anC
limestone ! have found in various por
tions of the hills, the lead, iron and Goa
in immense quantities.
II CLIMATE.
1t is ten days or more since we cain,
into thn Hills and durinp all tbot tim,
o%vercoats have been dispensed with, anc
two-thirdS of the time ! have been il
my shirt-sleeves. The nights arc cain
and frosty, the mornings misty an,
foggy, and the afternoons and the mid
die of the days warm and bright. Their,
has been very little snow here this win
ter, none since we arrived here. !
little now yet remains on the northern
slopes of the highest peaks. Plums
cherries, strawberries, blackberrieS
raspberries and currants are found will,
in all the valleys. Garden seeds, sucl
rs radishes, turnips, beans, peas anc
watcrmelons, planted nea the stockad,
last April, were found matured in Au
gust, when tsc settlers returned, an,
several bushels of fine potatoes were dug
up from the rubbish left by the soldiers
where they had thrown out their potato
parings. Showers of rain fall here al
through the spring and summer months
and old trappers AID hunters with whom
have conversed say the climate is on
of the mildest and most delightful OF
earth.
TIE FUTURE OF II HILLS.
The absence of gold and silver in pay
ing quantities in these placer mines doe.
not preclude the possibility of the exist
ence of rich placer diggings in the new
ly discovered Deadwood and Iron Creel
districts on the north side of the hills
Two-thirds of the people who arrive a
Custer go on over the hills to the Dead
wood and the Iron Creek diggings
where $40 per day diggings are report
ed. Few who go w come back here
and those who do, invariably go back t.
their claims after purchasing food. I'm
menSe quartz lodes have been discover
ed, but the absence of an assayer in tn,
hills has prevented a test being made
An envoy from the miners leaves Custcl
to-day to carry specimens OF quartz t,
Omaha. Should these assays equal III,
expectations of the prospectors anc
miners the Black Hills will soon be full
of quartz-mills. But even without fur
Their discoveries of gold or silver, ant
~conceding the placer mines of Frencl
Creek, Spring Creek, Rapid Creek ant
Castle Creek to be frauds and shams, Il!