Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-01-27


doubtingly, Boys, believe l have
found a gold mine. Il reckon not,
was the response; mo such luck" w
betimes next morning, according to
! custom, he walked down by the race
ID see the effect Of the nights sluicing.
The headgate being closed at day
break, as usual, other motives prompts
ed his investigation, as may be sup
posed, and led to a closer examination
OF the debris. On reaching the end of
the race a glitter from beneath. the
water caught his eye, and, bending
down, he picked from its Judgment
against a protection Of soft granite
some six inches below the surface %
larger piece of yellow substance than
any he had seen. If gold, it was in
value equal to about one-half dollar
Marshall was no metallurgist, yet he
had practical sense enough to know
that gold is heavy and malleable. so
he turned it over and weighed it in his
hand; then he bit it; then he
hammered it between two stones. It
must be gold, And the mighty secret
Of the Sierras stood revealed.
1t was late in the afternoon of Jan.
IS when Marshall dismounted at New
Helvetia and entered the Office where
Suffer was busy writing, and alb
ruptly requested a private interview.
The horseman was dripping wet, for il
was raining. Wondering what could
have happened, as but the day before
he had sent to the mill all that was re.
CURED, Suffer led the way into the
private room.
Il want two bowls of water" said
Marshall. Suffer rang the bell and the
bowls were brought. Nov | want a
stick of redwood and some Irvine and
scme sheet copper"
What do you want OF all these
things, Marshall?"
ITO make scales.
But l have scales enough in the
apOthecary shop" said Suffer, and he
brought a pair. Drawing forth his
pouch Marshall emptied the contents
into his hand and held it before SUIT
ter's eyes, remarking, Il believe this is
gold, but the people at the mill
laughed at me and called me crazy"
Suffer examined the stuff attentively
and finally said: 1T certainly looks
like it; we will try it. First aqua
FORTS was applied and the substance
stood the test. Next So in silver coin
were put into one of the scales and
balanced by the gold dust in the other.
Both were then immersed in water,
when down went the dust and up the
silver coin. Finally volume of the
American Encyclopedia, of which the
fort contained copy, was brought out
and the article on gold carefully
studied, whereupon all doubts van
ished.
Suffer and Marshall obtained from
the native Indians-the Colomas-and
some of their neighbors, the lords
aboriginal of those lands, a three
years lease of a tract of some ten Or
twelve miles square on payment of
some hats, shirts, handkerchiefs, flour
and other articles of no great value.
the natives meanwhile to be left I'M
disturbed in their homes. Suffer then
returned to New Helvetia and the
great California gold discovery was
consummated.
The first gold washing in 1848 was
done on the bars of the rivers, where
the gravel was shallow, prospecting
easy, and mining prompt and liberal
in its returns-the yield from a DAYS
work being often equal to a princely
revenue. A little later, the miners,
shut out from the river bars by the
rainy season, turned to the ravines
which proved in many cases almost as
rich as the bars. It was not Uncom-
mon for a man to take out 81 600 in
day, and occasionally $4,000 or more
would reward the days work. In
1849 the miners generally got SIG a
day or more, and when claim would
not yield that much it was thought
to have no value. However, none of
the men at Colma in January, 1848,
were enriched by Marshalls discovery.
James Marshall never prOfted-
comparatively speaking-by his lind,
which yielded mankind over q billion
of dollars and turned the commerce
of the world. When Marshall saw
the first stampede Of men into the To-
cality of Suffers millrace, and he re-
allied his secret was surely out, he
swore that he would have the law
keep the miners off his land e II took
the United States army. He might
have chosen at first an acre in the
best localities along the American
river, and the miners would have re-
spected his rights. That would have
made him comfortably rich for life.
But he vowed he would have it all,
al yhoW. So he would not dig or
wash a pan of gold. While the rest
of us, says one Of the miners, joined
in digging and washing gold, Marshall
swore and growled. For a few months
he made every man on the scene pay
him dollar for his discovery. But
when the throngs increased he seldom
got dollar, and then only from good
natured men. When the miners had
washed away all the gold from the
American river, near ColOma, in 1857,
Marshall was given a few acres by
the people of the town, and he plant
ed a vineyard. He made brandy from
his wine grapes, and became a harder
drinker as he grew older. P. T. Bar
rum offered him a salary to go to New
York and sit on exhibition in mu-
scum, but he spurned the offer. In