Volume 17 (1868) (428 pages)

304 The Mining and Scientific Press. Commniuntcazions . In tTH18 Department weiuvite the FRRE Discussion of alt proper subjects—correspondents alone being responsible for the idaas and theories they advance. [Written for the Mining and Scientific Press.] Wintering at White Pine. Eprrors Press:—Impelled by the deIusive White Pine fever far too many are thoughtlessly rushing thither, at this season of the year, who will encounter sucb extreme cold and desolation in that elevated region that successfnl prospecting will be impossible for four or five months hence. T have sojourned and prospected Central and Eastern Nevada, during one summer and two winters, and from my experiences, would warn all from going to White Pine now; at the same time I will endeavor to forearm those who still desire to go in tbespring. During the winter of 1866-7, I was employed inthe examination of seven mining properties situated in various districts of Humboldt County, Nevada, and although they were all located in the low foot-hills,—and it was considered an unusually mild season,—I had to await the more favorable thawings, during several months, before I could report upon them. The.winter of 1867-8 was more severe, aud prevented all examinations of the ledges whose positions were known, and rendered prospecting impossible, even in this comparatively well grassed and wooded country. To show this more palpably, I may say that the Hnmboldt River was frozen over to a depth of from twelve to eighteen inches, and the alkaline flats were covered with snow for nearly two months; the thermometer sunk to from 10° to 17° below the freezing point, nightly, and in the bouse where I had to hibernate, it was necessary to take my boots abed to keep them supple for morning. Iwould not be misunderstood as to the climate, for I believe it to be the most bealthy in the world; but such low temperature freezes extremities, conceals the ground, and by covering grass and ledges alike, it renders all explorations most unpleasant and unprofitable, even to those who are inured to the life of a savage. White Pine District is ata much greater altitude than this, and being some hundreds of miles farther in the interior, and farther from supplies, it must be very deficient for the accommodation of sucb an inflnx of population. Admitting that these irregnlar pockets are but one-tenth as numerousand valuable as they are said to be, and that many poor men will become ricb thereby, (if not sufficiently extensive for large companies) I would in sober earnestness ask the question of many now talking of going, if they really know the extraordinary hazards and number of blanks tbat there are for one prize? Three thousand men are said to be there, who have prospected this region during the summer and autumn, with an enthusiasm eminently suitable for tbe work, and being practiced in prospecting, they have located all that was exposed or supposed, good, bad, and indifferent. These veteran prospectors will start forward in the early spring, and knowing what has been already examined, will explore new ground, and continue to locate claims, in advance of the uninitiated and lessexperienced. The history of mining has shown that great riches lie far apart, and that a good mine bas been often the means of scattering more money in its vicinity than has heen realized therefrom. For the above reasons it is very probable that ninety-nine of the hundred wbo are now going to White Pine, will rcturn poorer than they went, so far as mineral locations will profit them; although they may be henefited from merchandize, or from wages, for work performed for others; so that they must practice the most rigid ecouomy to maintain them longer, and end with the least possible loss, sbould they be unfortnnate. Witb tbis in view, you sbould take a small frying pan, coffee pot, tiu cup, knife, fork and spoon, soasto make your bread and cook your food in sucb various ways as necessity will dictate, from snch limited staples as flour, bacon, beans, coffee, pepper and salt. On arriving there, you will do well to follow the instincts of burrowing animals, and select asandy slope for your camp, wherein you cau dig a suit. able hole for your sleeping accomodations, in close proximity to sage or grease bush, . for making fire to warm your poor feet, etc., while you repeat the prospector’s philosophic motto, ‘‘ What can’t he cured, must be endured.” If during your first sleep in this primeval manner, a clamorous coyote, scentiug yonr provisons should dispute your title and jump your claim, by informing him witb a bold front and in a stentorian voice, that you had worked your assessment according to law, he sbould, aud prohably would depart; but failing in tbis, yon may enforce it with your rifle or six-shooter. This manner of living is imperatively necessary for greater economy aud proximity to your ever-varying labors; you can thus board yourself a week for what you would have to pay for one day at tbe inferior restaurants, and hy the aid of three thick California blankets and a little brushwood under you, you will he comparatively comfortable. Ihave seen many fiue fellows in such positious in that country, and Iwould that all sucb noble hearts should become as exalted as they were tbus humbled. In conclusion, I would caution you against wasting your time ou the igneous (porous rock) mountuins; as I have observed there, as elsewhere, that minerals are found in primitive, transition, and secoudary strata, and near their junctions. In tbat region, tbe uplifted clay slate, and lime rock foot-hill patches, have generally produced mineral. A belt of grouud lies unexplored before breast of the railway, as it advances toward the Rocky Mountains, that affords greater allurements for an energetic corps of prospectors, than anywhere in that country. This also applies to those who are approaching on their eastern slope, througb the secondaries, at the bead water declivities of the Atlantic rivers. J.S. Parupies, M. E. San Francisco, Noy. 30th, 1868. oe me fWritten for the Mining andSclentitie Press. The Water-Decomposing Roasting Furnace, The Hagan WaterBurner, for desulpburizing mineral ores, is about to have another trial at a mine near Angels, Calaveras County. The patentees are full of confidence that ores, in lumps of battery size, can be completely freed from all hase elements, such as sulphur, arsenic and antimony, by tbeir process, and at a cost not exceeding a dollar a ton. Tbe ordinary roasting does not get the sulphur out, unless the ore is reduced to coarse powder before heat is applied. But it is claimed that the Hagan method does eliminate the sulphur. It is claimed tbat the water injected upon a small fire, in the form of steam, highly dried hy superheating, is decomposed; that the hydrogen set free becomes fuel,—thus saving wood. It is said that all of the hydrogen is not burned; that part of it escapes the flame and combines with tbe sulphur, going off as sulphureted bydrogen. . As we understand it, this hydrogen is supposed to have the power of penetrating the mass of rock aud of reachiug aud bringing out the sulphur, which ordinary roasting cannot do. The oxygen liberated from the water, is supposed to go in part to the wood fire from which air is excluded, and thus the fire is kept up; apart goes to the hydrogen, whicb would also not hurn without it, and a part combines with tbe iron in the pipes, which, in fact, give proof of it by being rapidly consumed. To lessen this costly destruction, cast iron pipes are being substituted for wrought iron. These iron pipes receive the steam; they are kept ata high heat inside of the kiln, and the steam thus superheated exudes through small perforations, aud is caught by the fire and finally decomposed. Hitherto complete decomposition of water has never been effected, except at great and impractical cost. It is a common practice to inject steam upon a fire to enliven the flame, and a small quantity is decomposed, sutflicient to produce some slight effect, but itis of little practicable advantage. Sulphur is itself good fuel, and wbeu in great quantity, very little additional fuel is required for ordinary roastiug. Itis to be boped that the experiments at Angels will be watched very closely, that the doubts may be removed, whbicb allformer trials have left upon the minds of competent investigators. The last experiments at the Enterprise mine, near Cisco, have not entirely satistied the officers of the company thag. the process is likely to beof tha great benefit to our mining iuterest, which the patentees coufidently predict. Every pains should therefore be taken by the proprietors of the mine to aid in close investigation, and to make public the chemistry of the process, which is not very clear to science, a8 it is set forth. Miners will not he content witb certificates from interested parties, ner from secretaries who have not . heen present during tbe experiments. We make these remarks in the interest of the pateutees, as well as of the mining public. It will be an injury to all interests to add another not fully convincing experiment, while ahsolute proof and convictiou will bring certain fortune to the patentees, and national henefit to the mining interest. Grass VALLEY, _ [Written for the Mining and Seta ic Press.] Mining in Plumas County. THE INDIAN VALLEY MINE AND MILLS. This preperty is situated in Indian Valley, Plumas County, belonging mostly to L. L. Treadwell, of San Francisco, and a very small part of it to Johu N. Blood, Superintendent of the miue and mills. The ledge was opened by J. Watherworth, and the claim is undoubtedly on the same vein as that on wbich the Crescent mine is located. The Indian Valley miue is N.W. of the Crescent; between hotb mines are some other locations on the same vein, viz , those of Charles Callahan aud tbe Pennsylvania mine, both of which have been worked thus far with good results. On the N. W. side of the Indian Valley mine, on the same vein, is another location, the Union, belonging to H. Bidwell, but work is stopped, as the ledge was found much broken up, and containing no paying ore. The Indian Valley mine is opeued hy a perpendicular ghaft 320 feet deep on the yein, and sunk on a chimney of pay ore. The widtb of this chimney is fully twenty row, so that stopes on both sides had to be abandoned as the ore was not paying. The company keeps on sinking, but gets not more than from $4 to $5 a ton paying ore fram the shaft at the present time. Their clean ups have been, since last spring, very small, only amounting to ahout $500 a week, with their 20-siamp mill. Last summer this company bad always from $1,500 to $3,000 per week. A tunnel on the lcvel of the upper mill has been run, anda drift made ou the vein towards the sbaft, but no paying ore was found, The company is now running, from this tunnel, another drift on tbe vein in the opposite direction, towards the east, bopiug to find pay ore before they come to tbe boundary line of theiy claim. This drift is in about 300 feet, and in about 200 feet more they will reacb the end of the company’s claim. To all appearance they will not find any pay ore; the prospects of the company look certainly not flattering. The hoistiug works on the top of the claim are new, and in good conditiou; the upper mill, of twenty stamps, in fonr batteries, is old and witbout any modern improvements, having only copper plates in the batteries, and in front of the same, hlankets, but no arrangements to work the blanket-washings. Tbe lower mill, of twelve stamps, formerly belonging to the Pennsylvania Company, is standing still since last spring, the Iudian Valley Company having no quartz to keep . botb mills runuing. THE NEW YORK QUARTZ MINING COMPANY. This property is situated N.E. of the Indian Valley mine, in Indiau Valley, Plumas County. The ledge was discovered some ycarsago by the Kitts Brothers, and through theiragent, N. Wescoatt, was sold toa New York Company for $20,000. This company appointed N. Wescoatt, Sup eriufeet, and it was from the surface to about . 250 feet down from fifty to sixty feet wide; . going deeper, this cbimney runs very nar. worked by water-power, and started work at the mill last fall. But soon it appeared that the ledge was not continuing, orat least that under Wescoatt’s management no quartz could be found to keep the mill in supply. Wescoatt was superseded by Col. Perkins, sent out by the New York Company, and altbough work was still kept on to find tbe ledge or to find quartz at least, it was done without any favorahle results, and to all appearance the New York Company will have to give up prospecting, and to add another idle stauding mill to the many tbatare situated in the mining claims in California, which werestarted either 1nreasouably, or by incompeieut parties, and whicb remain as constant causes of the distrnst which is entertained by eastern capitalists of California mining enterprises. Both parties are to be blamed, and not the mines. THE OALEDONIA MINE AND MILD. This property is situated at Cherokee, Plumas County. Itis the N.W. extension of the Kittleledge, and adjoining the works of Fudkins & Kellogg. The Caledonia belongs to H. Bidwell, and some parties in San Francisco. Tbe mine is opened by a shaft 150 feet deep. The compauy is working at the same time on anotber ledge called the Dunlap, running parallel with the Caledonia, hut dipping in such a way that the supposition is that hoth ledges will meet at a certain depth, or prove to be the same ledge, which is split on the surface. Tho ore shows as well asin tbe neighboring claim, the Kittle, and a few days ago tho Caledonia Company fonnd some rich orein hotb their ledges, promising to pay $15 per ton. The company last year erected a splendid new mill of twelve stamps, running with steam-power, and they kept tbe same constantly running on good pay ore, THE ENTERPRISE MINE isin Light’s Cation, Indian Valley, Plumas County. This ledge was discovered last summer by Mr. Wilmot, now Superintendent of the works. The property helongs mainly to O. D. Squires, cashier of tbe Pacific Bank, San Francisco. Regular work was commence] last spring, hy siuking a shaft twenty feet deep on the ledge, which varies in width from two to twenty feet. Some samples of ore were worked in San Francisco, and the rich yield induced tbe owner to have a mill erected, whicb will he finished and in working order sometime next month. The most remarkable feature about the wbole concern is the new style of mill arrangement. The working power is water, and the quartz is crushed, not by stamps, but by Wheeler’s Crusher, and worked in Stewart’s pau. The working capacity of the Wheeler Crusher is twenty tous, and tbe capacity of the pan from five to ten tons per day. There is no other quartz mine in the vicinity, but there are some gravel claims. The location is about eight miles N.E. from Taylorsville. THE ELLIS MINE is situated in Round Valley, Plumas County, It was opened in 1861, and worked for three and one-half to four years, paying very well all the time; but the company ran into poor rock, and finally quit work, the mine lying idle for some years. Alsop and Charles Rodgers commenced lately some prospecting work. They take the quartz to the old Dixie mill in Dixie Caton, and they have succeeded in finding rock paying from $15 to $16 per ton. BF. B.S. A Ratuway Train Destrorep By NrrroGLYCERINE.—Ten cars were bnrned and tbe locomotive and four cars demolished by an explosion near Urbana, Ohio, on tho 29tb of Sept. The car nearest the engine contained a quantity of nitro-glycerine, which had heen smuge'led on board, and this exploded, shattering the locomotive and four freight cars, and setting five to the remainder of the train. A bouse, a quarter of a mile from the track was nearly demolished. An iron rail was thrown 300 yards from its hed, and bent like a piece of wire Timbers flew in every direction, and the telegraph wires were thrown down along distance from the train. The report was heard tbirty miles, No ono but the engineer was seriously hurt. Sreaamne to tar Norra Poxe.—The last reports from the Swodish and German North Pole expeditions, is to tbe effect tbat ice barriers bave been encountered, which retard their progress. The Swedish vessel is a steamer, and a supply of coal is laid up for it on tbe island of Spitzbergen. Seal hunting bas been profitably carried on for some years in those waters by tbe Norwegians iu steamboats, More is to be boped, tberefore, from the Swedish expedition, _tndent, built a mill of twelve stamps, . thau from that of any other nationality,

304 The Mining and Scientific Press. Commniuntcazions . In tTH18 Department weiuvite the FRRE Discussion of alt proper subjects—correspondents alone being responsible for the idaas and theories they advance. [Written for the Mining and Scientific Press.] Wintering at White Pine. Eprrors Press:—Impelled by the deIusive White Pine fever far too many are thoughtlessly rushing thither, at this season of the year, who will encounter sucb extreme cold and desolation in that elevated region that successfnl prospecting will be impossible for four or five months hence. T have sojourned and prospected Central and Eastern Nevada, during one summer and two winters, and from my experiences, would warn all from going to White Pine now; at the same time I will endeavor to forearm those who still desire to go in tbespring. During the winter of 1866-7, I was employed inthe examination of seven mining properties situated in various districts of Humboldt County, Nevada, and although they were all located in the low foot-hills,—and it was considered an unusually mild season,—I had to await the more favorable thawings, during several months, before I could report upon them. The.winter of 1867-8 was more severe, aud prevented all examinations of the ledges whose positions were known, and rendered prospecting impossible, even in this comparatively well grassed and wooded country. To show this more palpably, I may say that the Hnmboldt River was frozen over to a depth of from twelve to eighteen inches, and the alkaline flats were covered with snow for nearly two months; the thermometer sunk to from 10° to 17° below the freezing point, nightly, and in the bouse where I had to hibernate, it was necessary to take my boots abed to keep them supple for morning. Iwould not be misunderstood as to the climate, for I believe it to be the most bealthy in the world; but such low temperature freezes extremities, conceals the ground, and by covering grass and ledges alike, it renders all explorations most unpleasant and unprofitable, even to those who are inured to the life of a savage. White Pine District is ata much greater altitude than this, and being some hundreds of miles farther in the interior, and farther from supplies, it must be very deficient for the accommodation of sucb an inflnx of population. Admitting that these irregnlar pockets are but one-tenth as numerousand valuable as they are said to be, and that many poor men will become ricb thereby, (if not sufficiently extensive for large companies) I would in sober earnestness ask the question of many now talking of going, if they really know the extraordinary hazards and number of blanks tbat there are for one prize? Three thousand men are said to be there, who have prospected this region during the summer and autumn, with an enthusiasm eminently suitable for tbe work, and being practiced in prospecting, they have located all that was exposed or supposed, good, bad, and indifferent. These veteran prospectors will start forward in the early spring, and knowing what has been already examined, will explore new ground, and continue to locate claims, in advance of the uninitiated and lessexperienced. The history of mining has shown that great riches lie far apart, and that a good mine bas been often the means of scattering more money in its vicinity than has heen realized therefrom. For the above reasons it is very probable that ninety-nine of the hundred wbo are now going to White Pine, will rcturn poorer than they went, so far as mineral locations will profit them; although they may be henefited from merchandize, or from wages, for work performed for others; so that they must practice the most rigid ecouomy to maintain them longer, and end with the least possible loss, sbould they be unfortnnate. Witb tbis in view, you sbould take a small frying pan, coffee pot, tiu cup, knife, fork and spoon, soasto make your bread and cook your food in sucb various ways as necessity will dictate, from snch limited staples as flour, bacon, beans, coffee, pepper and salt. On arriving there, you will do well to follow the instincts of burrowing animals, and select asandy slope for your camp, wherein you cau dig a suit. able hole for your sleeping accomodations, in close proximity to sage or grease bush, . for making fire to warm your poor feet, etc., while you repeat the prospector’s philosophic motto, ‘‘ What can’t he cured, must be endured.” If during your first sleep in this primeval manner, a clamorous coyote, scentiug yonr provisons should dispute your title and jump your claim, by informing him witb a bold front and in a stentorian voice, that you had worked your assessment according to law, he sbould, aud prohably would depart; but failing in tbis, yon may enforce it with your rifle or six-shooter. This manner of living is imperatively necessary for greater economy aud proximity to your ever-varying labors; you can thus board yourself a week for what you would have to pay for one day at tbe inferior restaurants, and hy the aid of three thick California blankets and a little brushwood under you, you will he comparatively comfortable. Ihave seen many fiue fellows in such positious in that country, and Iwould that all sucb noble hearts should become as exalted as they were tbus humbled. In conclusion, I would caution you against wasting your time ou the igneous (porous rock) mountuins; as I have observed there, as elsewhere, that minerals are found in primitive, transition, and secoudary strata, and near their junctions. In tbat region, tbe uplifted clay slate, and lime rock foot-hill patches, have generally produced mineral. A belt of grouud lies unexplored before breast of the railway, as it advances toward the Rocky Mountains, that affords greater allurements for an energetic corps of prospectors, than anywhere in that country. This also applies to those who are approaching on their eastern slope, througb the secondaries, at the bead water declivities of the Atlantic rivers. J.S. Parupies, M. E. San Francisco, Noy. 30th, 1868. oe me fWritten for the Mining andSclentitie Press. The Water-Decomposing Roasting Furnace, The Hagan WaterBurner, for desulpburizing mineral ores, is about to have another trial at a mine near Angels, Calaveras County. The patentees are full of confidence that ores, in lumps of battery size, can be completely freed from all hase elements, such as sulphur, arsenic and antimony, by tbeir process, and at a cost not exceeding a dollar a ton. Tbe ordinary roasting does not get the sulphur out, unless the ore is reduced to coarse powder before heat is applied. But it is claimed that the Hagan method does eliminate the sulphur. It is claimed tbat the water injected upon a small fire, in the form of steam, highly dried hy superheating, is decomposed; that the hydrogen set free becomes fuel,—thus saving wood. It is said that all of the hydrogen is not burned; that part of it escapes the flame and combines with tbe sulphur, going off as sulphureted bydrogen. . As we understand it, this hydrogen is supposed to have the power of penetrating the mass of rock aud of reachiug aud bringing out the sulphur, which ordinary roasting cannot do. The oxygen liberated from the water, is supposed to go in part to the wood fire from which air is excluded, and thus the fire is kept up; apart goes to the hydrogen, whicb would also not hurn without it, and a part combines with tbe iron in the pipes, which, in fact, give proof of it by being rapidly consumed. To lessen this costly destruction, cast iron pipes are being substituted for wrought iron. These iron pipes receive the steam; they are kept ata high heat inside of the kiln, and the steam thus superheated exudes through small perforations, aud is caught by the fire and finally decomposed. Hitherto complete decomposition of water has never been effected, except at great and impractical cost. It is a common practice to inject steam upon a fire to enliven the flame, and a small quantity is decomposed, sutflicient to produce some slight effect, but itis of little practicable advantage. Sulphur is itself good fuel, and wbeu in great quantity, very little additional fuel is required for ordinary roastiug. Itis to be boped that the experiments at Angels will be watched very closely, that the doubts may be removed, whbicb allformer trials have left upon the minds of competent investigators. The last experiments at the Enterprise mine, near Cisco, have not entirely satistied the officers of the company thag. the process is likely to beof tha great

benefit to our mining iuterest, which the patentees coufidently predict. Every pains should therefore be taken by the proprietors of the mine to aid in close investigation, and to make public the chemistry of the process, which is not very clear to science, a8 it is set forth. Miners will not he content witb certificates from interested parties, ner from secretaries who have not . heen present during tbe experiments. We make these remarks in the interest of the pateutees, as well as of the mining public. It will be an injury to all interests to add another not fully convincing experiment, while ahsolute proof and convictiou will bring certain fortune to the patentees, and national henefit to the mining interest. Grass VALLEY, _ [Written for the Mining and Seta ic Press.] Mining in Plumas County. THE INDIAN VALLEY MINE AND MILLS. This preperty is situated in Indian Valley, Plumas County, belonging mostly to L. L. Treadwell, of San Francisco, and a very small part of it to Johu N. Blood, Superintendent of the miue and mills. The ledge was opened by J. Watherworth, and the claim is undoubtedly on the same vein as that on wbich the Crescent mine is located. The Indian Valley miue is N.W. of the Crescent; between hotb mines are some other locations on the same vein, viz , those of Charles Callahan aud tbe Pennsylvania mine, both of which have been worked thus far with good results. On the N. W. side of the Indian Valley mine, on the same vein, is another location, the Union, belonging to H. Bidwell, but work is stopped, as the ledge was found much broken up, and containing no paying ore. The Indian Valley mine is opeued hy a perpendicular ghaft 320 feet deep on the yein, and sunk on a chimney of pay ore. The widtb of this chimney is fully twenty row, so that stopes on both sides had to be abandoned as the ore was not paying. The company keeps on sinking, but gets not more than from $4 to $5 a ton paying ore fram the shaft at the present time. Their clean ups have been, since last spring, very small, only amounting to ahout $500 a week, with their 20-siamp mill. Last summer this company bad always from $1,500 to $3,000 per week. A tunnel on the lcvel of the upper mill has been run, anda drift made ou the vein towards the sbaft, but no paying ore was found, The company is now running, from this tunnel, another drift on tbe vein in the opposite direction, towards the east, bopiug to find pay ore before they come to tbe boundary line of theiy claim. This drift is in about 300 feet, and in about 200 feet more they will reacb the end of the company’s claim. To all appearance they will not find any pay ore; the prospects of the company look certainly not flattering. The hoistiug works on the top of the claim are new, and in good conditiou; the upper mill, of twenty stamps, in fonr batteries, is old and witbout any modern improvements, having only copper plates in the batteries, and in front of the same, hlankets, but no arrangements to work the blanket-washings. Tbe lower mill, of twelve stamps, formerly belonging to the Pennsylvania Company, is standing still since last spring, the Iudian Valley Company having no quartz to keep . botb mills runuing. THE NEW YORK QUARTZ MINING COMPANY. This property is situated N.E. of the Indian Valley mine, in Indiau Valley, Plumas County. The ledge was discovered some ycarsago by the Kitts Brothers, and through theiragent, N. Wescoatt, was sold toa New York Company for $20,000. This company appointed N. Wescoatt, Sup eriufeet, and it was from the surface to about . 250 feet down from fifty to sixty feet wide; . going deeper, this cbimney runs very nar. worked by water-power, and started work at the mill last fall. But soon it appeared that the ledge was not continuing, orat least that under Wescoatt’s management no quartz could be found to keep the mill in supply. Wescoatt was superseded by Col. Perkins, sent out by the New York Company, and altbough work was still kept on to find tbe ledge or to find quartz at least, it was done without any favorahle results, and to all appearance the New York Company will have to give up prospecting, and to add another idle stauding mill to the many tbatare situated in the mining claims in California, which werestarted either 1nreasouably, or by incompeieut parties, and whicb remain as constant causes of the distrnst which is entertained by eastern capitalists of California mining enterprises. Both parties are to be blamed, and not the mines. THE OALEDONIA MINE AND MILD. This property is situated at Cherokee, Plumas County. Itis the N.W. extension of the Kittleledge, and adjoining the works of Fudkins & Kellogg. The Caledonia belongs to H. Bidwell, and some parties in San Francisco. Tbe mine is opened by a shaft 150 feet deep. The compauy is working at the same time on anotber ledge called the Dunlap, running parallel with the Caledonia, hut dipping in such a way that the supposition is that hoth ledges will meet at a certain depth, or prove to be the same ledge, which is split on the surface. Tho ore shows as well asin tbe neighboring claim, the Kittle, and a few days ago tho Caledonia Company fonnd some rich orein hotb their ledges, promising to pay $15 per ton. The company last year erected a splendid new mill of twelve stamps, running with steam-power, and they kept tbe same constantly running on good pay ore, THE ENTERPRISE MINE isin Light’s Cation, Indian Valley, Plumas County. This ledge was discovered last summer by Mr. Wilmot, now Superintendent of the works. The property helongs mainly to O. D. Squires, cashier of tbe Pacific Bank, San Francisco. Regular work was commence] last spring, hy siuking a shaft twenty feet deep on the ledge, which varies in width from two to twenty feet. Some samples of ore were worked in San Francisco, and the rich yield induced tbe owner to have a mill erected, whicb will he finished and in working order sometime next month. The most remarkable feature about the wbole concern is the new style of mill arrangement. The working power is water, and the quartz is crushed, not by stamps, but by Wheeler’s Crusher, and worked in Stewart’s pau. The working capacity of the Wheeler Crusher is twenty tous, and tbe capacity of the pan from five to ten tons per day. There is no other quartz mine in the vicinity, but there are some gravel claims. The location is about eight miles N.E. from Taylorsville. THE ELLIS MINE is situated in Round Valley, Plumas County, It was opened in 1861, and worked for three and one-half to four years, paying very well all the time; but the company ran into poor rock, and finally quit work, the mine lying idle for some years. Alsop and Charles Rodgers commenced lately some prospecting work. They take the quartz to the old Dixie mill in Dixie Caton, and they have succeeded in finding rock paying from $15 to $16 per ton. BF. B.S. A Ratuway Train Destrorep By NrrroGLYCERINE.—Ten cars were bnrned and tbe locomotive and four cars demolished by an explosion near Urbana, Ohio, on tho 29tb of Sept. The car nearest the engine contained a quantity of nitro-glycerine, which had heen smuge'led on board, and this exploded, shattering the locomotive and four freight cars, and setting five to the remainder of the train. A bouse, a quarter of a mile from the track was nearly demolished. An iron rail was thrown 300 yards from its hed, and bent like a piece of wire Timbers flew in every direction, and the telegraph wires were thrown down along distance from the train. The report was heard tbirty miles, No ono but the engineer was seriously hurt. Sreaamne to tar Norra Poxe.—The last reports from the Swodish and German North Pole expeditions, is to tbe effect tbat ice barriers bave been encountered, which retard their progress. The Swedish vessel is a steamer, and a supply of coal is laid up for it on tbe island of Spitzbergen. Seal hunting bas been profitably carried on for some years in those waters by tbe Norwegians iu steamboats, More is to be boped, tberefore, from the Swedish expedition, _tndent, built a mill of twelve stamps, . thau from that of any other nationality,