The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-11-04
XIII-NO go EATON, OHIO, THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1880.

the same paper said: "Many persons
have already Left the coast for the dig
gings. Considerable excitement exists
here. Merchants and mechanics are
closing doors. Lawyers and alcaldes
are leaving their desks, farmers are
neglecting their crops and whole families
are forsaking their homes for the dig
gings. By May "a gold dust had be-
come an article of merchandise, the
price being from $14 to $16 per ounce.
The Californian of that date had these
advertisements
GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!
Cash will be paid for California gold by
R. R. BUCKALEw,
Matchmaker and Jeweler, San Francisco.
GOLD GOLD GOLD!
Messrs. Dickson & Hay are purchasers of
Sacramento gold. A liberal price given.
BEE HIVE.
On the 29th of May the Californian
issued slip stating that its further pub
lication, for the present. would cease.
because nearly all its patrons had gone
to the mines. A month later there
were but five persons-women and chill
dren-left in Yerba Buena. The first
rush was for Suffers Mill, since chris
tened Coloma, or Culluma, after tribe
From there they scattered in all direc-
tions. A large stream of them went
over to Weber creek, which empties into
the American some ten or twelve miles
below Coloma. Others went up or
down the river. Some, more adventur-
Gus, crossed the ridge over to the north
and middle forks of the American. By
the close of June the discoveries had
extended to all the forks of the Ameri-
can, Weber creek, Hangtown creek, the
Costumes (known then as the Mako
sume), the Mokelumna, Tuolumne, the
Yuba (from uvas, or yuvas-grape),
called in 184S the s'Yuba," or Aiuba,"
and Feather river. On July Is the edi-
tor of the Californian returned and is
sued the first number of his paper after
its suspension. It contained descrip-
ton of the mines from personal observa-
ton. He said 1:
"The country from the Ajuba (Yuba)
to the San Joaquin, distance of about
12O miles, and from the base toward the
summit of the mountains, as far as Snow
hill (meaning Nevada), about seventy
miles, has been explored and gold found
on every part. There are now probably
5000 people, including Indians, engaged
ed by each man ranges from $40 to $3.50
per day. The publisher of this paper
collected with the aid of ashovel, pick and
atlnpan, from $A to $l28 per day-aver-
aging. 500. The gross amount collected
may exceed $500, 900, of which amount
our merchants have received $3.50, 900, all
for goods, and in eight weeks. The larg
est piece known to be found weighs
eight pounds"
On the 14th of August the number of
white miners was estimated at 4, 600.
Many of them were of Stephenson's regi-
ment and the disbanded Mormon battal-
ion. The Californian remarked on that
day that "when man with his pan or
basket does not average $50 to $40 per
day, he moves to another place" -Four
thousand ounces day was the estimated
production of the mines five months
after the secret leaked out. In April the
price OF flour here was 81 per hundred /;
In August it had risen to $16. All other
subsistence supplies rose in the same
proportion. Here is part of letter from
Sonoma, to the California;. Aug. IA:
have heard from one of our citizens
who has been at the placers only few
weeks and collected 81 800, still averag-
ing $lO0 day. Another, who shut up
his hotel here some five or six weeks
since, has returned with s., 200, collected
with spade, pick and Indian basket. A
man and his wife and boy collected $500
in one day."
Sam Brannan laid exclusive claim to
Mormon island, In the American, about
twenty-eight miles above its mouth, and
levied royalty of 80 per cent. on
all the gold taken there by the Nor.
mons, who paid it for while, but re-
fused after they came to better under
standing of the rules of the mines. By
September the news had spread to Ore
gon and southern coast, and ON the
I'd of that month the Californian notes
that 125 persons had arrived in town "by
ship" since Aug. 26. In. the "Dry Dig
gings"-near Auburn-during the month
OF August, one man got $4,000 out of
five carloads of dirt. In the same dig
gings good many were collecting from
$500 to 81 800 a day. In the fall of
1S4S, John Murphy, now of San Jose,
discovered Murphy's Camp Diggings, in
Calaveras, and some soldiers of Ste
phenson's regiment discovered Rich
gulch, at Mokelumne hill. That winter
one miner at Murphy's realized $50, 900.
It was common report that John Muir
ply, who mined number of Indians on
wages, had collected over 81, SOC, 900 in
gold-dust before the close of the wet
season of 184S. A Frenchman fishing
in a prospect hole for frogs for his break
fast, at Mokelumne hill, in November,
184S, discovered speck of gold on the
side of the excavation, which he dug out
with his pocket-knife and sold for 50, $50.
Three sailors who had deserted took out
$4,000 in five days on Weber creek.
Such strokes of good fortune turned all
classes into miners, including the law
yers, doctors and preachers. The ex-
ports of gold dust in exchange for pro-
duce and merchandise amounted to
$500, 900 by the 25th of September. The
ruling price of gold dust was $15 per
ounce, though its intrinsic value was
from $19 to 500 A meeting of citizens,
presided over by T. M. Lea7enworth, b,
and addressed by Samuel Brannan,
passed resolutions in September not to
patronize merchants who refused to take
gold dust at SIG per ounce. A memoir
al was also sent from San Francisco to
Congress in that month for branch
mint here. It stated, among other
things, the opinion that by July 1, 1849,
20, o,0UU,OUU worth OF dust, at Sl6 pei
ounce, would be taken out of the mines.
The figures were millions too low. Real
estate in San Francisco took a sudden
rise. A lot on Montgomery street, neat
Washington, sold in July for 1000,
and it was resold in November with q
shanty on it for 1927, 900. Lots in Sac
ramento, or New Helvetia, also came up
to fabulous prices that winter. By the
month of October the rush from Oregon
caused the Oregon papers to stop publ.
cation. In December the Kanakas and
Sonorians came in swarms. A Honolulu
letter, Nov. II, said
"Such another excitement as the
news from California created here the
world never saw. think not less than
500 persons will leave before Jan. 1, and
if the news continues good the whole
foreign population, except missionaries,