Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-10-11
Among the Gold Mines.

An old miner of 10 says: Times are
sadly out o. joint now TO what they were
in the early days of California; claims that
only paid an ounce per day were looked
on with contempt, for il was not an unfre-
quenI occurrence for miners to take out
the shining metal by the pound, and
know of one man who washed out forty
seven hundred dollars from ohe pan OF
dust. Blu such instances as those were,
like angels visits, few aud far between.
also knew of a locality where. within
distance of three hundred feet, there were
five nuggets found, worth, IN the aggre-
gate six thousand three hundred and sixty
two dollars That entire neighborhosd
was famous for the size and quality OF the
nuggets found i knew OF party who,
in siuking a shaft upon quartz lode, at
what was then called Sonora camp, struck
a pocket, and took out in a short time six
ty thousand dollars; the same shaft Is now
used for a different purpose IN the rear OF
the United States Hotel at Sonora, Tuo-
lumne county. AT the mouth OF Coarse
Gold Gulch, where it empLIes into WOODS
creek, a chunk was found worth ten thou
sand dollars. although, as a general thing,
the guich did not pay we'll | prospected
it at a lster period, and was unable, in the
course of a couple of hours time, to get
even a color off OF the ledge.
Was personally acquainted with an
Irishman who, while engaged In hlllng up
a well upon his premises, when the JOB
was nearly completed, found piece OF
gold worth a couple of dollars, upon
which he erected windlass and ,hoisted
ali the dirt out again, snd from the nrst
wheelbarrowful that he washed he obtain
ed over ninety dollars; but keeping his
own counsel, he continued to work on,
and by the time MS ground hsd been
mined out, he had acquired enough to
render hun independent There was one
piece found by hun worth one thousand
and eighty dollars; he atterward undertook
to mine the public road, and was dong
quite well, when he was restrained by an
injunction, and was finally compelled TO
sbandcn the attempt altogether. His res
idence was al the foot of hill, on the
other slope of which an Italian, very In
temperate fellow, struck pocket OF de-
composed quartz, and ont of hole eight
or tell feet In diameter, and about seven
feet deep, he took out nearly eight thou
sand dollars. The soil was very hard to
wash, being composed In part of tough,
red clay, and could not be washed IN the
ordinary way, but was dissolved IN pud-
ding box flied with water, and worked
with a hoe until all the earthly matter
passed away and nothing but the grave
and quartz renamed; after which the gold
was easily collected by the panning pro-
cess; i saw him pan oct SIX ounces, worth
one hundred and fourteen dollars, in the
course of two hours time.
One of the most noted quartz claimG l
know of was at place called ST gar Pine,
from which the lode derived its name, Ii
is situated about eighteen miles or therea-
bouts from Sonora, and was discovered by
two poor miners named Majors and Gil
more. The former hailed from PhIiadei-
phia. / believe. They had been engaged
in working q placer mine which yielded
them very trifiIng remuneration in re-
turn for a considerable amount of very
hard labor, and they wers so poor rs 10
find II hard scratching TO get enough to
eat; but occasionally, during their mining
operations, they would find fragments o.
rich float quartz, thai indicated that lode
OF considerable value not far distant from
where they were working, which fact en-
couraged them to work on in the hope OF
striking il eventually, which they finally
succeeded in dong. The extent and value
of the lode lar exceeding their most san
guine expectations; but unfortunately for
,f al,,..
known, sold out his interest for thirty
thousand dollars, and, oyeIjoyed by his
suddenly acquired wealth, lie came down
To Sonora, ami coping the question to
native of the Emerald Isle elm ,Jloyed as
chambermaid at one of the hotels, married
her, and dressing himself anG BRIDE IN the
best the city could supply, left Tor San
Francisco by the first stage coach.
Gilmore, more discreet than his partner,
retaiuei his interest and realized an inn
mense fortune. IL was stated by tie Son.
ora papers that during the whole summer
OF 1862 the clam y'elded from twenty TO
twenty-five thousand dollars per week,
and that at times it even exceeded that
amount. | had large and nch specimen
taken from the claim, but saloon keeper
borrowed II and displayed 1t behind his
bar, and some one appropriated 1t to his
own use. There Was another quartz
claim, owned 10y man named SOulsby.
Prior to its discovery he was the owner of
h ranch of no great value, and one day as
his son went cut IN search of cattle, be
found a rich piece Of float rock, which he
brought home and showed to his rather,
who Immediately instituted search, and
succeeded in finding the sources from
which il came, and erected a mill. and he
alsD soon made large fortune. but it
finally gave out, and for a long time 1t diG
not pay the expenses Of running.
1neIe were other valuable claims in
that section, among which was the Bu-
chanan Lode, from which forty thousand
dollars was taken, and then suddenly
ceased paying, and was abandoned. Two
men, named Turner and Patterson, struck
a placer Claim at the ledge Of the hyGrsu
lie Ditch on Bald mountain and In little
time had fifteen thousand dollars each.
The Ditch Company's employees cut
through the spot IN digging the dlJch, and
never discovered the hidden treasures. AS
10 myself, never had any great luck in
mining On one occasion / spent five
hundred dollars and an entire summers
work, along with several others, in turn
ing q stream from. its natural channel, ex-
pectIns to obtain a considerable amount
of the root of ali evil; but the enterprise
Troved TO be failure, as We hardly OBJ
lained enough to Gay for the tobacco We
during that period OF time.