The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1877-05-24

dug up some dirt with our hands,
from such places as we could get il.
We intended TO keep our discoveries
To ourselves, but soon found we could
not. Weretarned to otheerowd andasked
the privilege of washing dirt from
where il was dug up. and were told to
help ourselves. We now not only
found color, but fine specimens. be-
gan TO think no wonder nearly every
boy had gold. went up on the hill
side, took pan of dirt and found
good color here Went 10 the crevice
of rock on the hillside, ''panncd" 1t
and found specimens in every pan
two. three, five, seven, in some; some
Of them, large enough to be easily
picked up with the thumb and finger,
pure genuiat gotd They pan it out
with old, greasy pans and dippers if
a boy can't get anything else he uses
old oyster cans. Then | returned 10
the hotel.
Next day was sunday; went again
to the diggings, found men, women
and children at work with like re-
suits. Saw some very fine specimens.
Have seen one that i'm my honest judg-
ment is worth Sl.5n. This piece was
not taken on this day, but l have ev-
cry reason to believe ii came from this
~. -.
Charley Marshall. On Monday morn
ing again went, did not find somany
present, but those who were there
seemed To mean business. The means
of getting the stuff are so crude, and
no one here has had any, or but little,
experience in mining; they do not
save third of what dirt they wash.
Here is an institution called Il rocker,
made something like u baby cradle,
with the toot-board kicked out; with
two of the rough rockers under ii, set
on rough boards, with tail end, with
some two or three battens nailed
across it. In goes a shovelfull of dirt,
and then pail of water, and rock she
goes. They work away, probably two
hours. Then they begin to clear up,
out as carefully rs they can, and then
get it reduced down so that they can
begin to see the little particles.
] think ] never saw finer prospects
on the surface anywhere but once in
my life. | am satisfied there is gold
in paying quantities somewhere in
this region; but it will take capital To
get it. There will have to be water
secured, either by daming or sinking
for it. No one need think they can
come here, and pick il up or wash il
out without first an investment of
capital.
Some attorneys were on the ground
to-day and re-staked the grounds.
Claims are confined 10 40 feet up and
down the gulch and 300 feet acoss.
am satisfied myself to commence
work with a prospect of getting paid
for my labor. Yours, r. Downs.
Brush Creek, Iowa May 10th, 1877.
From another correspondent.
Editor Gnsetto.-Gold is now being
found here on the Maine, Brooks and
Bear creeks, within two miles of
Brush Creek.
The ore has been assayed and pro-
nounced to be Il fine - caret gold. Ev-
erything is eXcitement-ev rybody is
rushing out to prospect; among whom
are several examiners from the Black
Hills, who say that there is Il far bet
ter show for gold here than there is al
the Black Hills, and have accordingly
pitched their tents.
Everybody, in fact, is finding gold,
even the most inexpert who stops by
the way to wash IA painful of earth.
The writer of this article can attest
from personal experience, having
stopped by the way to wash II handful
of "black sand"~a Shiny. glutinous,
gritty substance found deep in the
rocks he ''panned" several minute
particles of gold.
The mining up TO this date has been
carried on by inexperts, who, devoid
of the ordinary appliances of mining,
have confined themselves to the sim
pie operation of "panning"-a oper-
alton which the late arrivals from the
Black Hills look upon with contempt;
1t being, they say an operation mere
ly used in prospecting, and of but lit
tie account for anything else. Yet for
all that our Brush Greek inexperts
have been pannine out gold ut the
rate of 81 day for the last three
weeks. The country around the gold
district is hilly, well timhered and
we'll watered with small creeks. The
formation is a sandy limestone, but
the surface is thickly sown with bout
ders. The gold is found along the
banks, and in the beds of the creeks.
Deep crevices in the rocks filled with
"black sand" are the desderata of ali
parties. Most of the gold found is in
minute scales, and small ingots about
the size of pin-head In the early
part of last week a triangular scale of
gold was found about half the size of
silver three-cent piece, and the lar
gest piece has been found still later
nugget of an irregular pyramoid
shaI of the size of a hazclnut.
Gold! gold. is the talk everywhere;
one can hear nothing else just now
but gold, till he thinks his ears Midas
like are turning to gold.
The ''prairie schooners' with the
advance guard of the pick brigade
just arrived. h. {.
Brush Creek, Iowa, May 18th.
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