Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-08-14
The Georgia Gold Belt.


consists of strip OF land running
somewhat irregnlarly nearly due
northeast and southwest across the
northern end of the State. 1t av-
erages about ten miles in width, and
has been traced 200 miles in length,
parallel with the Blue Ridge. White,
Lumpkin and Habersham counties
embrace the richest deposits, SO far
as now known, but the limits of min
ing are gradually widening. The
presence of gold here has been known
from the earliest times. Cherokee
Indians were the occupsnts OF tho
territory when white settlement first
began, and they were accustomed to
seek the gold for ornamental pur-
poses, and to dispose of it in barter
to less fortunate tribes. Evidences
of their mining still remain, but are
insignificant. The methods adopted
by the first white settlers, and in
vogue until recent years, were very
rude, consisting merely of washing
out the gravel OF the beds of the
streams by running it through sluice-
boxes and splint baskets into "gum
rocker" which was nothing but a
split and followed out log dozen or
so feet in length. While the water
from the slnice box passed through
this trough from end to end, the
rocker was Kept in constant motion,
and the heavy gold, permitted to sink
to the bottom through the constantly
agitated silt, was caught by trans
verse cleats, with or without the aid
of mercury. 1t is said that the first
piece of gold ever taken in the Unit
ed States belonged to this deposit,
and was picked up in 1899 by Con-
rad Reed, boy who lived in Cabar-
rus county, North Carolina. 1t was
as large as a smoothing-iron, but was
sold to a silversmith for $3.50. AT
terward much larger Jumps were
found: one weighed twenty.eight
pounds, according TO tradition This
excited so much attention that ex
ploration was begun, and the gold
traced southwark, until the borders
of the Cherokee territory in Northern
Georgia were reached, and prospect
ors began to encroach upon the res
ervation. Protests from the Indians
naturally followed, and Georgia sent
large police force to keep back the
invaders, but it was of little avail.
The rush to the mines was much like
the stampede to the Pacific coast in
lS49, and reckless, dissipated men
from all quarters of the country
flocked in, prowled about the woods,
set up log-huts and sIanty groceries
on all the streams, and paid no re.
spect to the rights OF the Indian, or
any one else unable to defend them.
Even United States troops were
powerless to keep the lawless hordes
west of the Chestatee, and here as
elsewhere the discovery of gold was
the end of Indian possession and alb
original simplicity and charm
These days are known as the
period of "the Intrusion "-one OF
the two dates from which the noun.
tain men reckon all events the 9TH
er being "the late war" Finding
that no protection of the Indians by
police measures was feasible, the
State in 1880 adopted the Indians,
territory and all, and constituted the
region county called Cherokee, GU,
OF which several small counties have
since been made. Then the mineral
lands were divided up into forty acre
lots, and put up at lottery by the
State. One of these lots, on the va.
hooDa River-No. 1052--now a part
of the Hand Company's property,
had already become celebrated. II
WINS within the reservation, but men
used to creep across to it at night
and carry home meal bag full oil
dirt, out of which they would pan
from twenty to forty dollars next
day. The instant it was ascertained
that an old farmer down in the cen.
trail part of the State had drawn this
prize, shrewd spectators set off post
haste to buy it from him.
1t soon came to be found here, as
elsewhere, that gold was not to be
picked up in twenty-eieht pound
Jumps every day, nor did every bush
ell OF soil pan out a double eagle
The worthless, lazy and dissolute ma
jority of the early horde of invaders
gradually drifted away, while only
the small minority of new. Corners
whose accession was of real value to
the community, staid. The popula-
ton, like the dirt, was slowly panned
out, and the current of events carried
the dross away. At present, the
mines are largely owned by corpora.
tons, or by private capitalists who
are not residents of the district
Only two OF the companies, however,
are represented in the New York
Mining Board, if | am rightly in
formed. 1t was found that as the
gold occurred neither in extensive
placeys, like those of California, nor
in indestructible quartz lodes, the
methods of mining in vogue else
where would not answer mere if the
best results were to be obtained.
The inventive genius aud practical
knowledge of those interested were
therefore set to work to devise the
best means of meeting the case, and
it was speedily found that the tails.
man which alone would open the
riches of the hills to human use was
mater. So far as this mere fact is
concerned, it could hardly be called
"discovery;;" but the utilization Of
the idea, aud the practical methods
by which the enormous power of this
natural agent has been put under the
miners control. are the work of Col
onel Hand, to whom, more than to
any one else, no doubt, belongs the
credit of the splendid development oil
this industry during late years, and
the glowing prospects it now holds
out.-Ernest IngersoH, in Harper,
Magazine for September.
How THE ANCIENTs ENGRAvEr
GEMs.-We must remain as yet some
II