Another El Dorado.
--The London
Times publishes some wonderful statements respecting the new gold district of Carriboo,
British Columbia, located about 500 miles inland to the northeast of the month of
Frazer river, on the
Pacific coast.
If reports are true, wealth can be had merely for picking up, over a considerable stretch of country.
These golden treasures lie amid a rugged mass of mountains, and were not discovered until 1860.
Within two years a well-peopled district have arisen, with all the adjuncts of civilization, including plenty of grog-shops.
The gold country is about 30 by 50 miles square, so far as explored.
The precious metal is in coarse, granulated lumps, mixed with gravel, with occasional pure nuggets of considerable size.
The mining holes are described as shining with gold.
Veins and boulders of tempting quarts are seen in every direction among the hills.
About $1,700 was dug out of two crevices in the rock less than three feet under the surface.
The best claim on Van winkle creek produced $100 to $200 per day to the hand.
On Keithlev's creek the companies were making from $50 to $100 per day to the hand, and on hill-side, (dry iggings,) $120 a man per day. On
Antler creek the rocker yielded 50 ounces of gold, (or $850,) in a single fo Two men below the town of
Antler ve taken out $8,000 with a rocker since last spring.
A man who had left
Victoria penniless, returned last autumn with $2,000 in dust, which he had dug in about two months. The average yield on the fluming claims is 60 ounces a day to the hand.
Water for sluicing sold at 50 cents an inch, (cubic measure flowing through a square table,) yet, after paying this heavy charge, the yield left $40 to $60 a day to the miner.
The gains of the miners far surpass anything recorded of
California of
Australia.
One miner says his claim will last ten years ‘"to work it out"’ Labor commands $8 per day with board; so that an industrious man cannot fall to make money — Gold dust be worth $16.30 to $16.50 per ounce, or $17 in payment for goods.
It averages about 850-100 the fine, though some specimens assayed 918.
The winter climate of Carriboo is not worse than that of
Canada.
The
Indians are peaceable.
Among the drawbacks are the want of good roads, and the consequent difficulty to obtaining supplies of provisions and tools, for both of which very high prices have to be paid.
Probably the lowest price paid for any article of food is $1 per pound, on the
California scale twelve years ago. The mining season continues from May to October; but as tunnelling has commenced, there will be no difficulty in the mines all the year through.
These stories do not rest on the best authority, for the London
Times correspondence has acquired a strong savor of blunder headed exaggeration.
But the letter writer at Carriboo declares that he has personal knowledge of the truth of what he relates.
