Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-09-05

The "gold belt" of which the most pro-
ductiye portion lies at this point, consists OF
a strip of land running somewhat irrcgularly
nearly due northeast and southwest across the
northern end of the State. 1t averages about
ten miles in width and has been traced POO
miles in length, parallel with the Blue Ridge.
White, Lumpkin and Habersham counties
embrace the richest deposits, so far as is now
known, but the limits of mining are gradually
widening. The presence of gold here has
been known from the earliest times. Chero-
kee Indians were the occupants of the terri
tory when white settlement first began, and
they were accustomed TO seek the gold for or
namental purposes, and to dispose of it in
barter to less fortunate tribes. Evidences of
their mining still remain, but are insignif-
cant. 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 run
ming it through sluice-boxes and splnt bas-
kets into gum rocker" which was nothing
but split and holowed-out log, a dozen or
so feet in length. While the water from the
ce-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 throughthe constantly agtated
silt, was caught by transverse cleats, with or
without the aid of mercury. II is said that
the first piece of gold ever taken in the United
States belonged to this deposit and was pick
ed up in 1893 by Conran Reed, a boy who
lived in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. 1t
was as large as n smoothing iron, but was sold
TO a silversmith for SO 30 Afterward much
larger Jumps were found one weighed twen-
ty-eight pounds. according to tradition. This
excited so much attention that exploration
was begun, and the gold traced southwark,
until the borders of the Cherokee territory
were reached, and prospectors began to en-
croach upon the reservation. Protests from
the Indians naturally followed. and Georgia
sent q large police force to keep back the in
vaders, but it was of little avail. The rush to
the mines was much like the stampede to the
Pacific coast in 1S49, and reckless, dissipated
men hocked in prowled about the woods,
set up log-huts and shanty groceries on all the
streams and paid no respect to the rights of
the Indian, or any ons else unable to defend
them. Even United States troops were pow
erless to keep the lawless hordes west of the
Chestatee, and here as elsewhere the dscov-
cry of gold was the end of Indian possession
and aboriginal simplicity and charm.
These days are known as 1.-THE Intrusion"
one of the two dates from which the noun
tain men reckon all events; the other being
4" the late war" Finding that no protection
of the Indians by police measures was feast
BILE. the State in 1880 adopted the Indians,
territory and all, and constituted the region
county called Cherokee, out of which several
small counties have siuce been made. Then
the mineral lands were all divided up into
forty acre lots, and put up at lottery by the
State. One of these lots, on the Yahoola
River-No. l052-now a part of the Hand
Company's property, has already become cele-
brated. 1t was within the reservation, but
men used to creep across to it at night, and
carry home "A mcnl-bag full of dirt, out of
which they would pan from twenty to forty
dollars next day. The instant it was ascer-
tanned that an old farmer down in the central
part of the State had drawn this prize, shrewd
spectators set off 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
eight pound humps every day, nor did every
bushel of soil pan ont double eagle. The
worthless, lazy, and dissolute majority of the
early horde of invaders gradually drifted
away, while only the small minority of new
comers, whose accession was of real value to
the community. staid. The population, like
the dirt, was slowly panned out, and the cur
rent of events carried the dross away At
present the mines are largely owned by corpor-
ationS, 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 l am rightly in
formed. 1t was found that as the gold occur
red neither in extensive placers like those of
California nor in indestructible quartz lodes,
the methods of mining in vogue elsewhere
would not answer here if the best results were
to be obtained. The inventive genius and
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 talisman which alone would open the
riches of the hills to human use was water.
So far as this mere fact is concerned il cOuld |
hardly be called discovery :" but the utili-
zation of the idea, and the practical methods
by which the enormous power of this natural |
agent has been put under the miners control,
are the work of Colonel Hand, to whom, more |
than any one else, no doubt, belongs the |
credit of the splendid development of this in
dustry during late years, and the glowing |
prospects it now holds Out. Ernest IRger- |
soil, in Hdrper's Magazine for SEPTEMBER