Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-09-21
GOIDFlELDS OF GUIANA.
The Romance of q Freachmans Discovery.
Placer Mining About Over.

Romance
Placer Mining About Over.
Thomas Dalglcish, an old Arizona
miner. has written an account of his
own personal adventures among "The
Goldfields of Guiana for The Century.
Mr.. Dalgleish says:
The first fine placer Oh the Cuyuni
was found in 1898 by Frenchman
named Jacobs. His outfit was furnished
by two Portuguese named Carrara and
Rosa. They took out from 900 to 800
mounds q month for two or three years,
the gold being worth $195 a pound.
When I reached there, in 1893, the
placer was in full working order ia
cobs is said to have disposed Of his
gains at Monte Carlo. Carrara died in
solvent Rosa left a few thousands.
That is, in brief, the history of the
owners of one of the richest placer
mines in that country. The mine was
sold in 1895 for 81, 800, and Jacobs is
now simply an employee in the placer.
The Barnard syndicate has taken out a
great deal Of gold from placers situated
Oh the PotaTo river, but it is my i'm
preston that placer mining is about
over unless new territory is opened up.
Quartz mining is still i'll its infancy.
There are at present two quartz mines
in operation on the Barinla river with
a good showing, but they are in the
disputed territory, and, I think, have
been obliged to shut down. Quartz on
the Cuyuni is finely defined, although
there is not a quartz mine On the river
at present, but IN all probability good
quartz mines will yet be worked in
British Guiana.
At present it is impossible for a poor
man to prospect to advantage IN that
country. He must purchase all his pro-
visions at Georgetown, buy or hire
boat, pay big wages to his captain and
bowman and give security for the wages
of his men and pay Tor their food.
have known only one or two poor men
who have made a stake out there.
After prospecting three or four
months, which is very fatiguing and
trying to the constitution Of the strong
est, man may find nothing, but he
will have learned a gcCd deal. Then he
may take g nCtiCn, # be has few hun
dreds left, TO buy another outfit. This
time he may find a creek that will pay
him one or two ounces q day il the ton.
When that much is got in the ton,
sluices are soon put in, which yield two
OF three times IS much gold. II he has
the good fortune 10 keep his health and
to find gold, he has to carry his yield to
Bartaca Grove, where he passes through
the gold station. Hero every man, both
laborer and master, is searched. Some
think this very disagreeable but l see
nothing Objectionable in the law, which
is a great protection to the placer owner,
the object being to prevent laborers and
others from stealing gold. AZ George
town he must carry his gold to the COM
missioner Office, where he gets per-
nit TO pay the royalty at another gov
eminent Office, after which he may sell
it to the banks.
Miners are not allowed to sell gold in
the bush OF ii Georgetown. Each day
miner must enter his find i'll his gold
book, and If Eli inspector should come
along and ind sold that was not entered
he might conGsCate it. This is why
miner must buy his entire outfit in
Georgetown and have money enough
to see himself through before he starts.
ALI the British colonial officials, at least
all that I came in contact with, are po-
lite and gentlemanly. I have met for
eigners who think their laws are very
stringent, but [ would rather be where
there is some law than on the other side
of the Uruan, where there is none