The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-04-13
Diseouraging Reports from the Black
Hills.

rs, returned yesterday, by the Sioux
CITY road, from The Black Hills. The
report he gives of the Hills is not cal
culated to induce any one from this sec
ton of the country to 60 out there.
The story told by him is in substance that
the country is full of trouble, dissatisfac.
ton, want, suffering land, in some places,
some gold, but thus far not much.
When Mr.. Robertson reached the
Hills in February last there were from
800 to 1000 people in the Hills, and
all the time he was there others were
continually arriving, and when he left
not less than 5000 were in the Hills
looking for sudden fortunes, but not
finding them. Others were still CON-
inc in at the rate of from 800 to 500 per
day. Notwithstanding the hardship of
getting there and the still greater hard
Ship after reaching the Hills, people are
fiocking in from all sections of the
country only to meet with disappoint-
ment, and at last go away good deal
worse off than they were when they
arrived there. On his way back to
Colorado, Mr.. Robertson met over
l.UO
to the Hills, many of them without
blankets, or any thing to eat, and in no
wise provided for such trip into sHch
country. Most of those in the Hills
are there to see others work, but not to
work themselves. They hope to obtain
gold without much labor, and rather
than work for it they will resort to all
sorts of shifts to live by trickery and
fraud, if not by downright murder and
robbery. The gambler and the sharper,
the outlaw and the tramp, the broken
down lawyer, and the political hummer,
all loaf around Custer and Hill City, all
hoping that something will occur by
which they can get something for moth
inc. OF course, there are many good
men there, but the great mass are as
above stated, and they are not likely to
improve by remaining. Mr.. Robertson
has no idea what all these men who are
flocking to the Hills are going to do for
subsistence. 1t is wild, uncultivated
country, and, if there is gold there in
paying quantities, which has not yet
been shown, the great majority of those
there are not in any condition to get il
out.
In regard to the question of whether
or not there is gold there, Mr.. Robert
son is of the opinion that the examina-
tons that have been made do not war
rant any one in saying there is gold
enough to pay for digging. He visited
nearly all the gulches, except in the
northern part of the Hills, and found
only two claims where they are working
to any purpose. These two had beer
worked for some time, and the one thai
Welded the best had not produced al
average of IS cents per day for the
working days. He does not desire Il
have il understood that he intends tt
say there is not gold enough in the Hill
to pay for working. He does say, how
ever, that the experience thus far doe
not warrant the belief that it can b.
found there in paying quantities. Som
of the old California, Montana, ant
Colorado miners think it possible tina
gold may be found to considerable ex
tent, but most of those who have testeC
the claims do not like the looks. NJ
person can say with certainty, however
that there are or are not rich digging
there. Long experience and the expen
diture of large sums of money will b.
required before this question i
settled. One party from Colorado
had sunk fourteen or fifteen holes. Ii
the majority of these bedrock wa
reached, and in all cases little gold wa
obtained, but not in paying quantities
This party in two or three cases wa
driven out by water or large powders
Bedrock in Spring Greek varies in dept
from - feet 10 Is feet. The creek fall
about 20 feet to the mile. The grea
number of springs render drain ditch
ing absolutely necessary, therefore
single claim must be very rich 10 pa
for opening. The usual mode is to form
a company Of five or six claims of 50
feet each, and dig a ditch through al
Quartz mining is unknown. Mr.. Rob
ertson met an old friend of his at tn
Hills who had a good deal of experienc
an this mining business, who told hin
there were not twenty men in the Hill
that are mining enough gold to pay 70
what they eat. From what he saw, MI
, Robertson fully believes his friend wa
right. No one from Colorado is goinj
to the Hills, and many of the old min
ers are returning home, or going back t
theColorado or other mines. 1t is elaine
that the Powder River range and the Bi
Horn region, northwest of Black Hills
on the line of the Northern Pacifi
Road, contain large quantities G
gold. This region, however, is held b.
the Indians, and there is no possibilit
of getting TO it. If the Indians ar
driven out so that the miners can ge
in and examine, no doubt good man
people would 90 from the Black Hill
up there. Another gentleman who ha
visited the claims of Custer and Hi
Cities found numerous claims opened
bed rock, and had taken the pains
prospect several of the best known @
them. He selected "pay dirt" care
fully from bed rock, and found an aver
age of one "color" to the pan and S
fine that it would not exceed from 8
, cents to 81 day to the man if faithful
" worked. lie met several Colorad
miners who had been there for tire
months. One of them, Mack James
: who is well known in Colorado, said
had not seen any thing that would pa
day wages. In Cheyenne thi
same gentleman heard that a mine
: named James Allen had brought i
81, 900 in dust from his claim in Sprin
Gulch, situated about so miles belo1
t Custer City on what is known as Nor
tana Bar. To this claim the gentlema
| proceeded and found two men workin
| for Allen, who had an S0-foot bed-roc
; tunnel run. He prospected the clair
| carefully, taking an average OF the pay
/ dirt, and found an average of one colo
: to the pan, which is not more than one
{ tenth of a cent to pan. Many claim
owners are trading claims where the
get chance for flour and bacon.
Mr.. Robertson is decidedly of tn
) opinion that any one that is earning
r good living here should remain and tbs
It would be very unwise indeed for an
one to give up even tolerable good pr
sition here and take to the hills. Notf
ing would result but dissatisfaction an
disappointment.
CAREFUL observation has contirme
| Tho common halipf that rats and mic