The number of persons now engagd in gold hunting, will probably exceed 6000, including Indians, and one ounce per day, is the lowest average we can put for each person, while many collect their hundreds of dollars, for a number of days in succession, and instances have been known where one individual has collected from $1500, to $1800 worth of pure gold in a day.
Explorations have been progressing, and it is now fully ascertaind that gold exists on both sides of the Sierra Nevada from lat. 41 North, to as far South, as the head waters of the San Joaquin river, a distance of 400 miles in length, and 100 in breadth. Farther than this has not been explord, but from the nature of the country beyond the sources of the San Joaquin, we doubt not gold will also be found there in equal abundance. The gold region already known, is however sufficiently extensive to give profitable employment to 100,000 persons for generations to come. The ore is in a virgin state, disseminated in small doses, and is found in three distinct deposits,—sand and graveld beds, on decomposd granite, and intermixd with a kind of slate.
For a long time subsequent to the discovery of the mines,—the only implements usd in washing the gold, were large tin pans, or Indian baskets. Latterly, ‘machines were usd—at first, a rough log hollowd out (in some, instances,) by burning and scraping with a butcher knife—afterwards, more finishd ones made their appearance, built of red wood boards, in the shape of an ordinary trough, about ten feet long, and two feet wide at the top, with a riddle or sive at one end to catch the larger gravel, and three or four small bars at the bottom, about ½ an inch high, to keep the gold from going out with the dirt and water at the lower end. This machine is set upon rockers,—which gives a half rotary motion to the dirt and water inside.’—Four men are requisite to work one of these machines properly.
Within the past month, many sick persons from the mines have arrivd at this place, and scarcely a launch comes down the Sacramento, without more or less sick persons on board,—while some die on the river. The very natural inference drawn from this, by those who have never been at the mines, is, that they lie in a sickly section of the country, and those at work there, are in daily expectation of being sick. In our opinion,—however, nothing can be farther from the truth. As far as our experience goes, it is on the large rivers only, where disease prevails, and in passing up and down upon them, the person not in perfect health is almost invariably the one to become sick.—We have observd but few, very few cases of sickness in the immediate neighborhood of the mines, but such as we believe would have occurd under similar circumstances in any other climate. Let the miner pass the Sacramento safely, (and we would almost insure any person’s doing so that was perfectly regular and temperate in all his habits,)—let him not, when he arrives at the mines, work as though he was privilegd to operate for a limited time only, but poco poco, resting at proper intervals,—let him abstain from the free use of intoxicating drinks, living upon wholesome food,—avoiding, for instance, half baked bread—let him sleep under the shelter of a tent, with warm bedding,—and if, after following our advice in all these particulars, the gold hunter becomes sick, why—we do not know anything about the matter.
CALIFORNIA GOLD MINES DESCRIBED.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Geography of the Gold District of Alta California.
From recent searches for gold in Northern California, it appears that the present gold district is comprisd, nearly all of it, within the following boundary. It lies on the western declivity of the Sierra Neveda range of mountains, and gold is sought for along the tributaries of the great Sacramento river in the northern, and the St. Waukeen river in the southern part of Northern or Upper California.
The names of the tributaries of the St. Waukeen, beginning with the most northern one, are as follows. Makelemas, which unites with the Saint Waukeen, near its confluence with the Sacramento. Next south, is Calaveras. South of this, is Stanislaus. The next important river, is Twalamy. Still farther south, a distance of 20 or 25 miles, is a considerable stream, calld Merced, or River of Mercy. South of Merced, is another, calld Mereposa, though I believe this is dry part of the year. These constitute the principal mountain streams, tributary to the St. Waukeen.