cams_WROlden_b011_f010_002_001

Sacramento City Septr 20"/49-
I am almost ashamed to write after my
long silence, but you will remember that I said
in my San Francisco letter, that I would not write
again until I had seen the mines & could speak
definitely; since then I have traveled, mined & prospected,
this country a little - my machine was perfectly
useless, like all the machines from the States - the
Rocker originally in use here is the only machine
that answers the purpose. The diggings here instead
of being Sand Bars are Rock Bars - accompanied
by a small portion of diet containing the gold to
get which is much harder work, than to wash it -
There has been no exageration about the richness
of the mines. but the washings have been exhausted
much sooner than was expected. the most of the
River bar banks & the easy points for turning the
River will be exhausted by the time the rainy season
sets in - For about 2 years the mining will be in
the dry diggings which in the bottoms of the Ravines
Galches and beds of small streams in the moun-
tains these have already furnished a large am't
of gold - they are not so certain in their returns as
the Rivers but generally pay much better in the long