Year: 1859

Plymouth ('iive corners the central point Of
the gold diggings of Vermont, consists of small
cluster of houses Gncluling good botel built
last year,, among the green Mountains, where
the hill sides are so steep the sheep, it is said,
have to be shod to give them a foot hold. 1t is
thirty-iya miles from Bellows Falls, the first
twenty-five of which is by the Rutland railroad to
Proctorsville station, and the remaining ten miles
by stage from the latter place The diSgings are
mostly upon stream, rather larger than our
''town brook and for distance of three miles
claims or rights to dig the banks and bottom
of the stream have, here and there, been leased.
Possibly all Of them would extend mile. A
majority are, however, untouched or Temporarily
at least) abandoned, and but ten spots are now
being worked, employing about thirty persons.
Claims are leased for ten dollars a running rod,
in width three rods (brook included passing
through the center(, for ten years time; though
all these conditions may vary as buyer and seller
can agree. The stream is completely full of
gravel and stones the latter from the size of
pea to boulders of tons weight.


In working the claim, the first thing to be
done is to turn the whole current Of the brook
through ditch or large fume. A regulated
supply of water is then allowed to pass through
flat bottomed troughs, inclined, having cleats on
the bottom inside, for a distance of about ten
feet. The earth and gravel from or near the
bed of the stream is thrown into these troughs
above the ceats, rakcd over, the large stones
taken out, much sand and gravel passing down.
ward with the current, and the gold with sand
settling down among the cleats, or whatever
may be placed upon the bottom board to OBJ
struct the flow of water. After the greater part
of the stones and gravel are worked out in this
way, the trough is cleaned thoroughly into pans,
the gold and sand together washed carefully, in
order to get out the latter more completely, and
finally what little may remain is dried with the
gold and blown away by the breth. Much of
the gold is fine not larger than pin head flat
tened out, and from one TO five dollars or even
more.


The stream runs directly upon the bed rock in
places, in Others the rock is covered with gravel
to greater or less depth, even six feet in some
spots. The richest localities are said to be
where the gravel is deep, for there the particles
of gold have washed downward and the dig
gings grow better the nearer the bed rock is
approached The water which finds its way in
to the excavations must be lifted out by pumps
worked by water wheel or by the hands


MIR Hankerson, former citizen of SPRING
field, and returned Californian, has decidedly
the best claim, as far as yet known. He says
he discovered the gold in this region some four
or five years ago and though he spent some time
in Maine afterward, "prospecting," he vet op-
Grated here two weeks last fall, and realized
S4OO. He says digging don't pay as well this
spring, yet in the three weeks he has taken out
about the same amount with the help of two
men. He furnishes the ground and tools, and
takes half the product; the two workman taking
the other half. He has the advantage of others
in selecting good claim, by his practical knowl-
edge, the result OF many years labor in gold