Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-06-21
IN SEARCH OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE.

In SEAKCH OF The GOLDEN kl4EECE.
| Party of Calffornfans Emigrate to
| Chile in Search of Mineral Wealth
| Well-Groundod Information of the Ex-
Istence of Rich Gold Mines.
From the San Francisco Chronicle. May go
Some time during the year 1875 a
gentleman named w. G. Quimby ex-
ported himself from the east to try his
fortunes on the Pacific slope. Quimby
had the reputation of being "sharp as
chain-lightning." He had for q long
time been a reporter on the staff of the
New York Herald and had passed
through the best practical worldly
school on this terrestrial ball the
school OF reportorial life. Quimby
generally kept bis eye peeled for num-
Der one and never let slip an opportu-
nifty by which he could honorably bet
ter himself. BY some means he OBJ
tanned the appointment of United
States commissioner to the Chilean ex-
position, and skurried off to Chile.
Qulmby had good thing. In addition
to his commission he represented vari-
Gus San Francisco houses, and made q
profitable turn now and then. But this
way OF making money was too slow for
Quimby. He thirsted for the delights
OF speculative career, the whirlpool,
the fzzle, the flash, the bang and away
she goes.
But, withal, Quimby was q cautious
and wary man. He was discreet, and
shrank from doubtful enterprise.
Nevertheless, he must make money,
and to do this he must make friends
This was easily done. His position
introduced him into the upper-tendom
of Valparaiso, and his urbanity and
attractivenesss kept him there, and
Quimby. was soon hand ard glove with
the upper crust. Quimby has endeav-
ored to keep his project q dark and
| horrible secret, but Chronicle reporter
got wind Of it, and yesterday called
| upon him at his Office. Quimby was
very communicative. He showed the
reporter maps, samples, ETC., and took
special pains to give him all of the facts
of the case, which are as follows:
Quimby was particular friend of a
wealthy Chilean, whose estate, the
Hacienda Catapileo, SO miles north of
Valparaiso, comprised upward Of r.
600 acres, not Of arabic land, but of
hillocks, hills and mountains, with
gold mine here and there. These mines
(if mines they could be called) were
very old, having been worked for years,
even back as far as the memory of that
traditional icard-theg Oldest inhabi-
tants. They we've worked by natives
whose methods of placer mining was
primitive, to say the least.
Away up among the hills, near the
limits of the Hacienda Catapilco was an
artificial lake, from which the Catapilco
| creek meandered down among the
hills, through the estate and into the
ocean. This creek constituted the only
water-power for washing out the gold,
and as many of the diggings were far
up among the the hills, the natives
| labored under a serious disadvantage.
After they had got bushel or more of
dirt from their diminutive mine, they
would convey it in leathern pouches or
| bags to the creek, where they would
wash it in rockers. This WAS the sur
face dirt, scraped up from the ground,
| and PANIED out from 10 to 90 cents per
cubic yard, according to the locality If
a native miner makes four bits day
with his antiquated and only method of
mining he considers it good days
work. The holes dug by the native
miners on the Hacienda Catapilco are
as thick as squirrel holes on a Califor-
MIA ranch and not much larger; but
millions of cubic yards of dirt, as yet
unwashed, may be seen in little mounds
like gopher heaps all over the Hacien-
da Catapilco. The Chileans sink but
few shafts, and when, in streak of
energy, they do sink shaft, they go at
it IN a way refreshing to the beholder.
ALI of their shafts are at an angle, and
a flight Of steps is cut out of the soil,
thereby enabling them to walk up and
down. These shafts are sunk until the
bedrock is reached. Here the Chilean
gnomes desist and send out drifts radi-
ating from the shaft Each miner goes
down to the bottom of the shaft with
his leathern pouch suspended from his
shoulders. He fills his pouch with dirt,
Chambers up out of the shaft, rambles
down to the creek, washes out his dirt,
slows away his ten cents worth of gold
in his hair, or his ear, or between his
toes, and saunters back for more dirt.
| He works his shaft until an earth
quake comes along. Then he
climbs out of his shaft considerably
agitated and surveys the prospect. The
earthquake dampens his ardor and
quenches his ambition. Down into the
shaft he will never go again, not if gold
is there in nuggets. An earth
quake is the voice of God, who
is angry and manifests his an
ger through the medium of an
earthquake. He generally allows sew
eral years to elapse before he sinks an
other shaft, and sometimes ne never
renews the attempt in that locality. Be-
sides these shafts and diggings, gold in
considerable quantities has been found
in the bedrock of the Cataplico creek,
which traverses the Hacienda Catapli-
co. Owing to the want of the necessary
machinery, the creek has not been
thoroughly worked. When Quimby re-
turned to San Francisco, a short time
ago, he brought with him few speci-
- a. tt