Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-12
H0MEWARD BOUND.
The First Detachment of
GOld-Seekers Returns.
THEIR WOEFUL EXPERIENCES,
A Railroad Dispatch Throwing Up
the SpOnge-The Situation
Fully Outlined.
THEIR WOEFUL EXPERIENCE.

AAANhhAOy bAAOWAhB sAAC bAGC CCuoAbkOA Y
affairs at the Santa Clara gold fields
checked this exodus seuth almost alto
gether, even those who still persisted
in going doing 80 moro as bravado than
anything else. That the denunciasion o
the place was true was made msnifes
during the day, for the evening train
from San Diego brought in the first de-
tachment of disgusted prospectors. Even
the Santa Fe officials threw up the
sponge, when, at P. NJ, the following
dispatch was received from their South
ern agent:
"From adverse reports to-day from
the placer mines it is quite probable that
those first discovered are pretty well
worked out. All the reports and indica-
tions point to rich quartz finds, which of
course will require development in the
numerous gulcnes in the Santa Clara
district. Other placers will no doubt be
found"
A STRONG LETTER.
Mr.. Davis, whose dispatch regarding
his experiences at the mines appeared in
yesterdays HERALD, was the sender of a
letter which arrived soon after noon at
its consignee's and fully detailed his
opinions on the situation as follows:
"SAN DIEGO, Cal, March 10, 1889.
"Messrs. HellHIaR, Haas e 20. Los angeles:
"GEETLEMEN-Permit me TO write you few
lines in relation to the telegram sent you this
day. have Just arrived from the mines and
Ensenada, and can assure yor that the min
ing boom in Lower California Is the worst sell
that has ever been perpetrated on suffering
public. AS to the placers, there is but one
gulch in which there are any, but the quartz
specimens are good. The piaeers yet discov-
cred are in one gulch, and 1t seems a pity to
allow SO many people to go intp thst
country to lose what little they have for all the
ground is taken where anything has been found
long ago, and there is no chance for anybody
now. The one gulch pays well, but this will
ali be worked out in two weeks by those who
own it, and it will be well for your papers to
save all they can from going down there.
vestigate before they go any further, and they
may save themselves something. All the old
miners here say it is good place in which to
viii be where from 500 to coo have failed
SO far to make find No matter
what newspaper men have written heretofore
Now, anyone who has money to spend and
time to waste, let them go on and prospect and
develop the country and have good time gen
orally, but those who expect to get money for
their trip had better wait and Investigate be-
fore they spend what they haye.
Mr.. Hellman, ask the papers of your city II
the International Company of Lower Califor-
MIA have in the past been any great benefactors
to the men to whom they have sold lands. Ask
them if this company is not behind this boom
of gold. They say they are not before
anybody accuses them. It Is like the school
self away to the teacher before he had been
accused of anything. only repeat, investi-
gate for yourself and then go on, and all who
and will then be satisfied when they return.
Respectfully yours,
"WILLIs &. DAVIS"
MORE KNocK.ogTs.
Another black eye was given to the
affair when HERALD man inquired at
Wells Fargo's Office here how much gold
dust the company had so far received
from the mines. ''Not cents worth,
either here or at San Diego" was the
reply.
The climax was capped, however when
at O'Clock last night three gentlemen,
named Fred Luce, f. R. Pitney and j.
A. Stone, entered the HERALD office.
"We have returned FROM the mines on
to-night's train," said Mr.. Luce, who
acted as spokesman, "and as We
hear that the HERALD, has been
warning the public about them we Wish
to give you our experiences. We left
here on Wednesday week, and went by
road, finding game all the way down.
En- route we counted Us teams, all head
ing south, and met one man trundling
his traps in a wheelbarrow, and eight
others pulling wagon containing their
outfits. AS l am not an expert miner, !
will not give you my own opinions on the
prospects, but will read YOU the notes
furnished me by Mr.. A. M. McCon-
oughey, well-known prospector, who
was the first man that left San Diego and
the first American that started back. "
Mr.. Luce then read as follows: 1.-The
water in sight will last aboat thirty days.
There is gold there but not enough to
Justify such ash. The placer district
is about sixty feet wide by about one
quarter OF mile long. The country is
full of lodges, the formation being slate
and granite, and colors can be got any.
where"
"We were offered the choice of any To-
cation for $780," said Mr. Luce continu-
ing the experiences of his own party,
s'but we did not want them, for, on
learning the exact situation we decided
to turn back for home, and did nothing
down there beyond prospecting three by
four miles. 1t takes 500 to record
a claim, and one is allowed three days
for prospecting before recording. The
International Company have had men il
there locating claims for the past three
months, There are about thirty-five sol
diers in the camp to keep order, but they
would not be OF much use if row broke
out, for everyone is armed. There are
not more than half the men in the camp
working, and big proportion of then
are only prospecting. l saw what J. thinl
was the same nugget three times
and that is about the way the
wonderful stories are being created. Oh
our way home we met twelve broken
down teams, but although somewhat dis
couraged at seeing us returning, thei
owners kept on south. | see that it
stated that now is good time for labor
ers to 90 to San Diego on account c
everyone having gone of to the mines
and wish you would warn the unem
ployed against this, for San Diego is file
with men looking for work. By the way,
said Mr.. Luce, as he concluded his story
"a fellow who was trying to get past th
/ officials at Tia Juana, had 81 worth {
J matches in his possession, and was il
formed that the duty on them was $6."
THE OTHER SIDE.
The following statement was ais
handed in as coming from Will Carlson
but as he is a real estate man and not a
expert on mining matters by any mean
it must he taken accordingly: eth
mines are rich and saw lots of gold, 81
| 4 L. o,.A q 81 - u -