Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-17
wAKULLA sPLINrERs.
The Gold Excitement Outcrop-
ings.


VANILLA COUNTY, FLA, August r.
Permit me to make mention summary of
some of the attractive features of this
county. Her recently discovered ''gOld
mine is agitating the minds of her good
citizens. Judge DuvaFs letter, giving an
account of the finding of gold, of which
my honOred friend and your facile CORE
spondent Leon makes mention in your
last issue, was a private letter written to
Hon. John L. Crawford, Secretary Of
State, from Judge Duval. and not intended
for publication. However, it got in the
papers, and seems to be unquestionably
founded on ''.fRdingS," and gold thereof is
the declaration of facts. Though not alb
solutely defnitive, yet the shadow of un-
certainty is very vague, as the following
letter from our honorable Secretary, re-
plying to that of DuvaPs. will show:
OFFICE SECRETARY OF STATE,
TALLAHASSEE, FLA, August TO, 1881
Yours breaking good news and ''gold
tidings" to me, together with a sample Of
the plenteOus supply of the precious metal
down in Sopchoppy is received. Believe
me, when you first wrote me / thought 1t
was bugabOO, but having examined the
rock with its glittering metal think II IS
bonanza. ! showed it TO the Cabinet.
Knowing that Mat. Lively had specimens
of all the metals from the richer mines Of
the United States and its Territories, l
challenged him for a comparison, and we
compared them as to their resemblance
and difference. A rich sample from a
rich mine in Colorado has all the charac-
! teristics of your sample. The rock is OF
the same color and character, and the
| glittering metal gold is exactly like it
U e 1.ra4 Of 10 en-
abundant Having compared the Colo
RADIO and Sopchoppy samples, Mat.
] Lively Mr.. Lively Is one OF
Tallahassee's most honored citizens,
1 and practical druggist, OF thirty years
I eXperience) }, said he believed your sam
/ pie is gold; and having dropped nitric
/ acid on it without producing any impress
I sion whatever, he pronounced 1t gold;
1 and judging from the sample, he thinks it
\ is immensely rich. | decided to send it
I to the Smithsonian Institute, requesting
the professors to analytic it, and report
I the result of their analysis, and was writ
! ing the letter, when Z. X. Foster, Super
/ intendent of Public Instruction, came in
I my office and voluntarily proposed that
send it to the GeOlOgist of his native
State one CT the Northern States who
! is remarkable for his geological knOwl-
/ edge, and acquaintance. Accepted his
! proposition. The analysis will be thor
/ Ough and correct. | congratulate you on
/ your promise of prosperity.
Yours truly, JOHN i. CRAWFORD.
''All is not gold that glitters" is true,
friend Leon, though metals genuine must
/ glitter to satiate the cravings of vanity.
/ AS to the mineral productions of Wakul-
/ la, the finding of gold, it is no myth, but
| a fact. She has numerous sulphur and
| iron springs, of which hundreds of inya-
/ lids can testify. 1t has also been demon
( strated that quantities of mineral ore,
iron pyrites Gall fools gold }, mica of fly
/ gold copper, sOapstone and galena, to-
/ gether with phosphate deposits, are bu-
/ ried in her soil awaiting future develop
ments to be successfully utilized. Sew
/ eral fine specimens of pearl years ago
were taken from the waters OF the Ock-
1 lock0nee river. In addition to her
meteorological resources, Wakulla
claims justly to be one of the best
agricultural counties of the State. We
I challenge competition in producing corn,
sugar-cane and sweet potatoes. 600 to
700 gallons Of syrup, and $50 to 400
bushels of potatoes per acre are considered
a fair average, though there are instances
when the above has been far exceeded,
The general outlook of crops in this cOun-
ty the present year is excessively tiatter-
iOp tfflIn NAT -