The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-06-27
GOLD IN THE BLACK HILLS.
A Description of the Country and
Who Are There.
Some Gold, but More Men-whaS Fhey
DO When They Go There.
Especial Correspondence of the sentinsl.l

Especial Correspondence of the sentinsLI
DEADwooD, ID. T., June 14.-Since writine.
my last to you we have had quite an sddi-
ton to our city from Indiana, more particu-
Iarly from Indianapolis; namely, ]. W.
Coons, ex-city treasurer; o. Frink, DR. Cock,
B. Hammell, Tom Kirby, John Gallivan.
and on yesterday Moran and Dillon Most
all of the Indiana boys are satisfied to stay
and prospect a little while longer believ-
ing that in due time they will strike ('oil''l
gold 1t is settled beyond dispute that gold
abounds in all the hills and gulches in and
around Deadwood, but as / said before, it
takes an immense amount of labor, patience
and gold to get it out.
Thousands of men arrive and depart from
this neighborhood every day. Those who
come and stay a day or two, or lust long
enough to eat the last morsel of grub they
may have, and who, instead of taking pick
and shovel and going to the hills and
gufches and prospecting, or even making an
attempt to discover gold or seek work, these
men, and such as these, leave the country
disguised, and to every one they meet on
the road to Deadwood they say: Don't go
any further; turn back. There is no gold at
Deadwood ana there never was" Yet these
men did nothing while they were here ex-
cept visit the saloons and gambling houses,
OF which this town, God knows, has got her
share.
Sold abounds here in every hill and
gulch, but whether in paying quantities to
warrant big outly in mills aud machinery,
it is too early for any man to say with
truthfulness
THE DIFFERENT MINES.
The mines at Lead City, Golden Gate, Gay
City, Hidden Treasure, Galena and one or
two other cities (the names can't Just now
call) are working to their full capacity The
quartz mines are yielding from 81, 900 to
$4,000 every clean up, which is about six
days run. That they are making that
much is true, and how much more you can't
tell, as men here, who are making the
money, are rather reticent about their 'pri-
vate business"
The quartz gold here runs every way-not
/ am told, like California. Some of the
mines have heavy tunneling: others drift
ing, and just as frequent surface or very
shallow drifting. Stamp mills and machin-
cry are arriving by every OK or mule train,
and / dare say that inside of 90 days not less
than 100 mills will be in operation. Now,
parties not knowing would think, why surely
this is the place for the laborer to go. Ahl
my Indianapolis friends, if the labor were to
come only from our city, then you all could
come; but, don't forget it, that we have peo-
pie from every nook and corner on the globe,
anu thousands are on our streets and at our
mines seeking work.
WHO SUCCEED.
Old experienced gold and silver miners
succeed in getting work, at say from $5 to
So per day. Some of our poor indianapolis
laborers would say, GOSH If could only
get the half of that I'd be satisfied" But
stop; let us see what 1T costs to get that
always look before you leap. 1t will cost,
first class passage, including board, about
$57 to get here; then three or four days af-
ter you are here to look around, and now
comes the grub"
PRICE OF PROVISIONS.
To-day provisions are lower than at any
time since I've been at the Hills, and still
-four is S1s per cwt.; bacon 23c. per h.;
coffee 60c. per h.; tea S1.75 to $3.l0 per h.;
sugar 2sc. per ID. molas ses So 25 per gallon,
and whisky (said to be very poor 25c. per
drink.
Now let some of my old army friends
multiply the prices of those articles by the
| ration" and see out of their wages how
much they will have left. And here is
| another very costly article, 'your health;"
| for what man can lie on the ground night
after night nearly frozen? The nights here
| in June are as cold as they are at home in
December. Yesterday we had three Inches
of snow, and on Sunday last the hail was so
large that it knocked down horses. All
these woes and ills of life man must bear
in a mining country. As for merchandising,
there is no article of merchandise you can
not get here, but at considerable advance
over Indianapolis prices. In short, every
department is over done.
GAMBLING HOUSES AND SALOONS
predominant. Gambling goes on all day
and night Tve seen men sell their blank
| cts on the street on the representation that
they wanted bread, yet in five minutes you
would see these same fellows "bucking the
| tiger" Nearly everybody seems to have
mania for gambling We have two
| v.pyvrv rup .rrpc
here, and the old attaches of the sMet'' are
! well represented. Miss Fanny Bean and her
father, Miss lie Roy (who got married so the
| papers say yesterday, Miss frankie Lee and
| two others whose names / can't just now
call.
Last week we had what they call a stam-
| pede from here to the big Horn" country
and the Powder river country. Gold is said
to have been discovered there in chunks" as
| large as the bumps of benevolence in some of
| our rich Indianapolis friends heads Old
! California miners shake their heads at those
who go, and say "they will 90 to the Big
Horn, but will come out at the Little
| Horn"
In conclusion let me say through your
| columns in answer to the many letters that /
/ am constantly receiving in reference to this
country, don't come now; wait another
| year, and then the mines will have been de-
| veloped, and if there is gold in sufficient
quantities to pay for opening and mining,
there will be plenty left for you to open. II
you have plenty OF cash, and willing to
try your luck in this grand LOTTERY, come,
and come via l., B. and w., c.. B. and q,
| u. p. r. r. to Sidney, Nebraska, then stage
it over. i may pay Indianapolis visit this
winter and at that time will be pleased to
give more full history; but for the present
| I'll remain here, rs am here, and think
can't do better at Indianapolis. All Indian
apolis boys, without any exception, are bod
lily (but I can't say mentality well.
Yours etc, II. 5. b.