The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-05-07
Golconda Gleanings.
TIT BLACK HILLS THE NATIONS
TREASERE-YAUT.
Tie Plain, I~InFarnished Tale Of 4. &
Tomblin.
What "A Practical Miner s.W and
Knows OF the New Eldorado.-Dis-
interested and CnimPeachabis
resffmony--Parshan,s Pile
of Clittering Gol

Mr.. A. l.. Tomblin, who left here on
the sth of April for the Black Hills,
reached here on his return, yesterday
afternoon. Mr.. Tomblin is a veteran
miner; went to the country to learn
from actual experience the facts o
corning the existence or non-existence
| of gold in the Hills. He was sent by
a party Of Iowa men and being a con-
scientious and reliable gentleman, his
report is necessarily accurate and per-
fectly trustworthy. Mr.. Toniblin is
an old and valued friend of Wilbur +.
Storey, of the Chicago Times, and
when he Informed Mr.. Storey of his
intention of visiting the Black Hills,
Storey told him that in his opinion
the country vas a fraud, but that he
had had no reliable reports from there;
that he desired Tomblin TO give him
the truth concerning the country and
he would publish 1t. whatever it might
be. and that If it was favorable the
Times would make haste TO change its
tone regarling,the country.
Mr.. Tomblin reached Custer City
on the 18th of April. Being a practi-
cal miner his first move was to pur-
chase 3 pony and visit the gulches in
hat vicinity and he at once struck
out, going up and down Custer gulch.
French creek, Spring creek and its
tributaries. He visited all the claims
which have been opened and pros
/ pected thoroughly besides.
PANNING U THE GOLD.
In Smith Bros.' claim, on Palmer
gulch, Mr.. Tomblin washed three
pans of dirt, which yielded five dollars
and sixty-three cents, in n pan get
ting a single nugget worth four dol
lars and twenty-eight cents.
At CollinsTBros.' claim, in French
gulch, he got tw~enty-eight colors to
the pan. He washed dirt from various
other claims but has no record of .he
results, though they were equally
gratifying.
Mr.. Tomt,lin became satisfied from
his own experience and from the
statements of reliable men with whom
he has had previous acquaintance, that
there is gold in the Hills in enormous
quantities. For this reason he did
not visit the.lmines of Deadwood and
Whitewocd region. as he had reliable
reports from there which convinced
him that the new mines are far better
than those about Custer and Hill
cities.
WHERE GOLD is.
Mr.. Tomblin states that by careful
prospecting he found that most of the
gold at and about Custer, is lot to be
found in the beds of the gulches MS is
generally supposed, but instead is
found on the hill sides. In the gulches
which he prospected he would find
good colors in surface dirt taken from
the beds Of the gulches, but upon
going deeper would find no gold, while
in dirt from the hill-sides he found
nuggets of good size and scarcely any
fine gold, the dirt still containing mug
gets at considerable depth from the
surface.
In the vicinity of Hill City the dig
gings will pay from $3.50 to 81 per
day per man, but the place is almost
deserted on account of Indian depre-
dations, the late inhabitants having
gone to the new and rich diggings in
the north.
He gathered from reports that the
best diggings for poor men are located
farther north, in the gulches Of Dead
wood, Whitewood and Rapid creeks,
where the gulches are wider and more
extensive.
The latest reports came from Sand
creek and another stream the name OF
which he has forgotten. the location
being thirty-five miles north and east
of Custer City, where marvellously
rich discoveries have recently been
made.
THE WATER QUESTION.
Several parties who recently arrived
here from the Hills have said thai
there will be no water in the streams
during the summer and that difficulty
has already been experienced there
on account of a scarcity Of water
These statements are denied by Mr.
Tomblin, who says there is abundance
of water in all the streams at thu
present time. Spring creek, In particu
lar. being very high. At present. It'll
difficult and almost impossible to ge
down to bedrock on account OF ther,
being so much water in the ground
When the mines are once systemati.
cally worked, drain bitches will be
constructed to carry off this water and
then, by introduction of . system OF
hydraulics the mines can be worked to
the best advantage. The facilities
for the erection of hydraulic works are
unsurpassed, and therefore the sue
cess of the mines is assured. Be sides
these advantages the country is no
torious for its dampness, heavy rains
falling almost daily throughout the
spring. summer and fall, and this fact