The times., 1897-07-25


tor In the opening up and civilization of
hitherto comparatively unknown regions
OF the globe. To gold the entire Pacific
coast owes its present prosperity. The ex-
istence Of gold had long been known in
California, and washings had been carried
on in the southern part, near the san Fer
aaudo Mission, as early as lS41. No dis
covery Lad been made, however, which at
tracted much attention, or caused excite
ment previous TO the occupation OF the
1cuntry by the Americans.
piece OF native gold was picked up in
an excavation made for millrace on
the south fork of the American River,
1T a place now called Colona. By the
end OF December, 1913, washing for
gold WAS going on all along the foothills
OF the Sierra from the TuoluInne River
TO the Feather, distance OF $50 miles.
;hc first Adventures came from Mexico,
the South American coast and even from
the Sandwich Islands. The excitement
eventually spread East, and in the spring
Il lS49 the rush of emigration across
the plains and by way OF the isthmus OF
Panama commenced.
tt was estimated that 100, 900 men
reached California during that year, in
,ludins representatives of every State
OF the Union. The emigration to the
land Of gold continued with but little abate
ment for three years, but the excitement
fell off IN a mar ked degree in 1854
California discoveries had given rise to
general search for precious deposits in
the Atlantic States, and this had been
followed by Misrepresentation A great deal
a
mines and i'll attempting TO develop old
snes, which had never yielded anything
of value.
Forty thousand men were engaged In
mining for gold in this country at the close
of 1850. and during 1852 and 1853
fully 100 900 weIe at work. At this time
the California gold washings reached about
S65 ,00o,o0 in value year.
At this period the diggings for gold were
chiefly along the rivers. These Were
'.flumed"--that is, the water was di-
vertcd from it's natural channel by means
of wooden flues--and the accumula tion of
sand and gravel In the former beds was
washed.
The fist and richest 'placers," such as
the bars of the American, Yuba, Feather
Stanislaus and other smaller streams In
the heart of the region, yielded each miner
as much as one to five thousand dollars
a day.
She miners We're excitable and fire.
quently left valuable localities in search
for something hetter. Occasionally a kind
OF frenzy would seize on them and thousands
would flock to some very distant locality
on the strength OF newspaper and other re-
ports. Many would then perish from
disease aud starvation, the rest returning
al poyery and rags.
The Kern River fever ragged through the
States in 1855, and at least 5000 miners
went to that distant region of the Sierra,
only TO find that the gold deposits were
already worked out
The Fraser River rush occurred In 1858
end caused more suffering to the men of
California than pestilence might have
dope. Twenty Thousand person left the
states for that remote region, where all
suffered great privations. Many died and
the survivor went back in a state of
destitution
About the same time that the gold fever
was at its height on the western coast of
North America, Just two years after the
rush of the "forty-niners,'' the great gold
boom in Australia commenced.
1t twasat Summerhill Creek, twentymiles
south of Bathurst, in the Macquarie plains
that Australian gold was first found by
Z. Hargreaves, gold miner from Califor.
MA. The intelligence was made known
In April or May, 1851, and then began
rush OF thousands. Men left their former
employments In the bush or in the towns
to search for the precious ore which has
ranked almost as an idol in ell ages.
Gold was found atAnderson's Creek near
Melbourne, the following August and n
few weeks later the great Ballarat gold
fields eighty miles west OF the city, were
opened, and after that Bendigo, now called
6andhurst to the north.
Then came gold fever which surpassed