"This is your
business." Soon the mill was built and almost ready for use.
"You may let the water into the mill race to-night," said Marshall to
his men. "I want to test it and also to carry away some of the loose
dirt in the bed."
Down came the water with a rush, carrying off before it the loose earth;
all night it ran, leaving the race with a clean, smooth bed. The next
day, Monday, January 24, 1848,--wonderful day for California--James
Marshall went out to look at the mill race to see if everything was
ready to begin work.
"To-morrow," thought he, "we will commence sawing, and put things
through as fast as possible. The men are waiting, we have plenty of
trees down, there is nothing to hinder;" but at that moment as he walked
beside the bed of the tail race he saw some glittering yellow particles
among its sands. He stopped and picked one up. The golden touch had
come.
The following is Marshall's own description as published in the Century
Magazine (Vol. 41). "It made my heart thump, for I was certain it was
gold. Yet it did not seem to be of the right color; all the gold coin I
had seen was of a reddish tinge; this looked more like brass.
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