Volume 17 (1868) (428 pages)

72 The Mining and Scientific Press. . Mining and Scientific joress. W. B. EWER SeNioa EpiTor. G. W. M. SMITH. W. B, EWEA. A. T. DEWEY. DEWEY & CO. Publishers. Orrice—No.505 Clay street, corner of Sansome, 2d floor. Terma of Subscription: One copy, per annum, inadvance,.. nongnoognecnogdl $5 U0 copy, six months, In advance ous pee For saie by Carriers nd Newsdcenlers, -<e Wairzas should be eautlous about addressing correspon dence relating to the busluess or interests of a firm to anin” divyldual member thercof, whose absence at the time might cause delay. Our Agents. Our Farenps can do munch in ald of our paper and the cause of practical knowledge and science, by nssisting onr . its in their Inbors of canvassing, by lending their influ. ance and encouraging favors. We sball sqnd noue but worthy men. Mr. A. C. Knox, js our city soliciting and collecting Agent, and all subscriptions. or other favors extended to him, will be duly acknowledged at this office. Jan.11, 1866. Dr. L. G. ¥ntes is our duly anthorized traveling agent. July 6, 1867. Mr, A. BB. Butler is a duly authorized traveling ageut and correspondent for this pnper. July 15, 1867. Resident Agents. Centaat City, ©. T.--Messrs. Richards & Grane, of the Clty Book Store, Main street. will act as our agents. Guoacerown, ©. T.—John A. Lafferty, Postmaster, is our agent In this place. DenvKa City, , T.—Messrs. Woolworth & Moffnt, are our agents for tbis place. 4 Cuxvenne, D. T.—Mr. Robert Beers is our authorized agent for (Hy shoe Oana, N. T.—Messrs. Barkalow & Brothers, nre our agents for this placc. San Francisco: Saturday Morning, Aug. 1, 1868. Crreauis, Napa.—The remarks you allude to, which appeared in a San Francisco daily, respecting it being premature to form an opinion as to the prohable yield of the current year’s harvest in England, and that probably the telegraphic reports of the favorahle prospects there, have only a hearing operation in view, is not founded on a very deep knowledge of the * circumstances which in England produce serious fluctnations in the coru markets; aome of which, for your information, we will hereafter allude to. The paragraph under notice, descrihed the accounts received of the English wheat prospects, during May and June, as heing unfavorahle. Inthe most favorable seasons, in England, the wheat plant invariably looka sickly during the month of May; nor does the plant receive a healthy character, if drouthy weather occurs, for a rather lengthy period. The sickly character descrihed is usually denominated, among English farmers, as ‘‘spayning,” and is caused by the plant, at this period of its growth, ceasing to derive any material nourishment from its coronal or seedroots, or thoso hy means of which it had been nourished previously; the top or deep roots succeed, which penetrates the soil to a considerable depth, and so possessing a larger area for obtaining its food. Respecting anticipation of the future harvest, excepting in extreme cases of climatic vicissitudes, no serions efforts are attempted to estimate the future harvest yield, until the month of July, at which time the wheat plant is in flower, and when it is always in a critical period. If fair weather prevails at that season, the wheat harvest of the year will, ceteris paribus, almost invariably prove good; the exception only occurring on the occasion of an extraordinarily wet reaping season following, which very rarely happens in years when the flowering season lias proved favorable. So well known are the facts named, that the term “weather markets” is commonly applied to the corn markets held for about six or eight weeks of the months of July and August. The facts noted are.worth the careful attention of the wheat growers of California. We subjoin by way of illustration of the popular opinion in England as to the appearance of wheat at the time of spayning, the following doggrel quatrain : Vaneedtanmacceatge eget May, Ifyou go again in June " on'll coe away witha merry tune.” Suvapis, Santa Clara.—The statement made respecting the value of mustard-seed in Liverpool and Paris, is totally erroneous. The value, on an average, in Liverpool, doea not exceed six cents per pound, in place of twenty-four and thirty cents, as announced by some projectors. The brown, or as itis usually called in this State, wild mustard seed, if placed in the market in good condition, will usually obtain a price th.rty per cent. higher than the white, or common garden mustard-seed. This arises from the circumStance that the white mustard-seed coutains nearly douhle the weight of a mncilagiuous oil, as compared with the wild variety, (sinapis nigra), The Institute Pavilion. Tho Pavilion in which is to he held the forthcoming Exhibition of the Mechanics’ Institute, is now completed and open for the reception of goods. This edifice, covering upwards of 70,000 superficial feet, and rising oyer 80 feet from hase to ridge, has heen completed in just 52 working daya; although, as the carpenters ccmmenced almost simultaneously with the parties engaged in grading the ground, but few men could be put upon the work during the first week or ten days. The dispatch with which the work has been done is fully commensurate with the skill manifested in the design, Mechanics are now engaged in settiug the boilers which are to furnish steam for the motors. The boilers are placed in a suitable room outside of the maiu structure. We notice that they hear the card of the Miners’ Foundry as makers. The motors will consist of three engines, to be furnished, one each, by the Pacific, Union and Miners’ foundries. Exhibitors should make all possible haste in getting their goods into the Pavilion and ready for exhihition. The Fair will be opened promptly upon the day set—next Saturday—and it is especially desirable that everything shall be in readiness by that day, so that exhihitors may ohtain the full benefit of all the time allowed them, and the public find the exbibition complete in all its details, on the first opening. Among the novelties not before uoticed as coming in, we may mention the Coffin & Standish Steam Plow, with which our readers are already quite familiar, and which is further noticed in another column of the present issue. Mr. Newman, of San José, will exhihit the first piece of silk ever mauufactured in this State, and will make au exhihition of the entire process of silk manufacture from the hatching of the eggs, up through the reeling of the silk from the cocoons, and the weaving of the silk into dress goods. He will have a loom at work upon a wide piece of taffetee, from thirty to forty inches wide. Five or six hands will be constantly employed in this interesting department. Mr.Prevost will also make a fine cxhibition of silk worms and cocoons. Mr. Hallidie is already putting up in the Pavilion a wire sash cord machine, for making sash-cord for windows. Capt. Cox will also exhibit one of his ma. chines for working cement gravel. The restaurant privilege has been aold to Nick Mathiesen, a caterer of considerable reputation, who announces that ho will fit up splendid accommodations. oe Montirnication ExTrraorpInary.—Two hundred and forty cocoons of the best quality weigh ahout one pouud. Suppose onehalf of these to contain females; there will then be one hundred and twenty. Each of these will deposit, say, five hundred eggs; we have then sixty thousand eggs. If these eggs all produce worms, and those worms all make their cocoons, we have, as‘ the year’s result from the single ponnd, tro hundred and jfifly pounds of cocoons. The calculation for the second year, made from the same data, shows a yield for that yeay, of 62,500 pounds,—or thirty-one and a quarter tons! Suppose each pouud produces, for the nextyear, an ounce of eggs,— for a fsw thonsand either way will make bnt little difference, and we will he reasonable, — we have 62,500 ounces of eggs as the product of the third year. These eggs, at only $5 an ounce, are worth in the market $300,000,—knocking off the odd thousands here as before ;—a very tolerahle three years’ profit on the outlay. Perhaps it would be as well, however, for those of our readers who may become excited by the above figures, to haich their jirst crop, at least, he. fore counting the rest. the means necessary to defray the expenses . perity which exists among the masses of Prosperrry oF San FRancisco.—We do not know of a better evidence of the pros this city, than is afforded by the regular cxhibits of our saving societies. Probably no city in the world can produce so favorable a record in this particular as San Francisco. In a population of not much over 130,000, our saving institutions at the present time exhibit a volume of $20,000,000 of gold. Three years ago the amount was less than $7,000,000 ; it has increased $3,000,000 within the last six months. The increase of the past year has been at a time when there has been a most unusual activity in the purchase of homesteads among the laboring class of people. These homestead associations are themselves nothing more or . less than saving institutions, where the purchaser lays by ten, fifteen or twenty dollars . per month, as he may be able, to purchase . a lot on which to huild a house of his own. There is no other city in the world where so large a proportion of its population own their own homes, as this; and that proportion is constantly increasing in magnitude. The usefulness to the masses of saving institutions is nowhere so apparent as in San Francisco, and it is with pleasure we ohserve that a movement has already hecn made to secure their establishment in the interior towns. The facilities which they offcr to persons of small means to employ their savings at reasonable rates and with sure returns, cannot he equaled hy any other mode of investment. _ Tan Cxrivese Missioy.—We had the pleasure of a call, on Thursday, from Hon. J. Ross Browne, Minister to China, and Col. C. D. Poston, formerly of Arizona, but late of Washington, who accompanies tho emhassy as Commissioner of Agriculture. They leave on the steamer of Monday. We yesterday learned that Baron Richthofen, will also accompauy the mission iu the character of geologist. The object of his mission will be a thorough and scientific examination into the mineral resources of China. Tho importance and propriety of such a commission did not become apparent until it was too late to secure a salaried appointment from Washington. To meet this emergency a number of wealthy gentlemen of thia city haveraised of the Commission, and he will sail with Messrs. Browne and Poston on Monday, “Overtanp Montuiy” ror Aucust. — The pnhlishers have laid a copy of this magazine npon ourtable. It fully sustains the promise of the opening number. Al]most everybody will find in it aomcthing worth reading. The pioneer will he interestedin ‘‘A Day with the Cow-Column;” the traveler in ‘‘Scalping asa Fine Art;” aud art-lovers in No. 2 of ‘‘Art-Beginniugs on the Pacific.” Varions other articles with attractive titles appear in the Table of Contents; but the late hour forhids us at this moment further to make examination. The publication is a credit to our city and State; and we trust it will he generally supp orted. ScHoot or Murine at Camprmce.— By refercnce to advertisement in another column, it will be noticed that the course of instruction in the Department of Mining aud Practical Geology, of Harvard University, will be continued on an enlarged scale during the approaching collegiate year. This department is now under the immediate charge of Prof. J. D. Whitney, late of the California Geological Survey. Tickets for the Mechanics’ Fair are now for sale at the bookstores and by memhers ofthe Board of Managers. Price of season ticket for single person, $3; for geutleman and lady, $5; childrens’ season ticket, $1.50; single admission, 50 cents; children, 25 cents. The Managers annonuce that they have received encouragemeut beyond their expectations, and anticipate the most suc[cessful exhibition over held in this city. Colorado Ores. The Colorado Mining Journal of recent date says, that as the overland railroad is approaching that neighhorhood, much interest is beginning to he felt with regard to the practicahility of sending the richer ores of that district to the East, for treatment, instead of paying the large prices that are charged at the rednction works in Colorado. The railroad offers to take ores from Cheyenne to Newark, New Jersey, (where extensive reduction works have been huilt) for $39 per ton. ‘With a hranch rail-road from that point to the mines, hut a small additional tax only would have to he added for tbeir throngh transit. Ores are reduced at the Newark Smelting and Reduction Works, as per oard of proprictors, as follows : ARGENTIFEROUS LEAD ONES, Ahove 55 percent. lead eo Currency. Sulphurets (per ton of 2,000 pounds). Ninety-nine per cent. of the assay value of the precions metals will be delivered. Loss on lead from 12 to 15 per cent. It will be seen from the ahove fignres that the costof treatment of sulpbnrets is much higher than the cost in this State, The process employed at Newark is not given. We infer, however, that it is by chlorination. The guarantee of ninetynine per cent., however, is impracticable, and cannot be done on a working scale at any price. Colorado no douht containa large quantities of very rich ores, yielding from $200 to $500 and over, per ton, nearly all of which requires careful treatment. These ores can be mined for from $5 to $20 per tou, and the time will soon come when they can he transported to the East for from $40 to $50 per ton. When that timo arrives, the overland railroad will do a large amount of that class of transportatiou, or the owners of reduction works in Colorado must greatly reduce their present rates. The same remarks will hold good throughout much of the State of Nevada, The completion of the railroad will, in one way or the other, give a most wonderful impetus to the developmeut of the mines throughout the entire region of conntry, from the Black Hills to the Sierra Nevada. io Cox’s Cement Macuine.—Many of our readers, who have nevor seen this machine, will be pleased to learn that one of them will be exhibited at the Fair, where all who visit the city, during the coming month, will have ample opportunity to examine its construction, and witness its mode of operation. The economy of its use in working cemented gravel has now been fully established. One of these machines has been employed for a long time by Mr. Allen Oliver, at Jamestown, in Tuolumne County. Itis now at work upon cement tailings, from gravel which has been rnn through sluices. Fifty tons of these tailings are put through the machine every twelve hours, from which two dollars per ton is obtained at a cost of the labor of one man. Buta small quantity of water ia used, and that at a cost of only five cents an inch. There are untold millions of tons of such tailings in the State, which wonld pay all the way from twenty cents to twodollars and upward per ton. Even at the former rate, such tailings will afford a good business. Mr. D. T. Mughes, formerly anassayer of this city, is running one of these machines near the same locality, but npon gravel as itis taken from the mine. He is putting through nearly as much gravel as Mr. Oliver, From what we can learn of the success which attends the working of this machine, we think it is something well worth the attention of our cemeut miners. Ass Tue Track-Layer.—We learn from onr Washington agent, that a patent has heen allowed to Mr. Rohertson, for his trachlaying machine.

72 The Mining and Scientific Press. . Mining and Scientific joress. W. B. EWER SeNioa EpiTor. G. W. M. SMITH. W. B, EWEA. A. T. DEWEY. DEWEY & CO. Publishers. Orrice—No.505 Clay street, corner of Sansome, 2d floor. Terma of Subscription: One copy, per annum, inadvance,... nongnoognecnogdl $5 U0 copy, six months, In advance ous pee For saie by Carriers nd Newsdcenlers, -<e Wairzas should be eautlous about addressing correspon dence relating to the busluess or interests of a firm to anin” divyldual member thercof, whose absence at the time might cause delay. Our Agents. Our Farenps can do munch in ald of our paper and the cause of practical knowledge and science, by nssisting onr . its in their Inbors of canvassing, by lending their influ. ance and encouraging favors. We sball sqnd noue but worthy men. Mr. A. C. Knox, js our city soliciting and collecting Agent, and all subscriptions. or other favors extended to him, will be duly acknowledged at this office. Jan.11, 1866. Dr. L. G. ¥ntes is our duly anthorized traveling agent. July 6, 1867. Mr, A. BB. Butler is a duly authorized traveling ageut and correspondent for this pnper. July 15, 1867. Resident Agents. Centaat City, ©. T.--Messrs. Richards & Grane, of the Clty Book Store, Main street. will act as our agents. Guoacerown, ©. T.—John A. Lafferty, Postmaster, is our agent In this place. DenvKa City, , T.—Messrs. Woolworth & Moffnt, are our agents for tbis place. 4 Cuxvenne, D. T.—Mr. Robert Beers is our authorized agent for (Hy shoe Oana, N. T.—Messrs. Barkalow & Brothers, nre our agents for this placc. San Francisco: Saturday Morning, Aug. 1, 1868. Crreauis, Napa.—The remarks you allude to, which appeared in a San Francisco daily, respecting it being premature to form an opinion as to the prohable yield of the current year’s harvest in England, and that probably the telegraphic reports of the favorahle prospects there, have only a hearing operation in view, is not founded on a very deep knowledge of the * circumstances which in England produce serious fluctnations in the coru markets; aome of which, for your information, we will hereafter allude to. The paragraph under notice, descrihed the accounts received of the English wheat prospects, during May and June, as heing unfavorahle. Inthe most favorable seasons, in England, the wheat plant invariably looka sickly during the month of May; nor does the plant receive a healthy character, if drouthy weather occurs, for a rather lengthy period. The sickly character descrihed is usually denominated, among English farmers, as ‘‘spayning,” and is caused by the plant, at this period of its growth, ceasing to derive any material nourishment from its coronal or seedroots, or thoso hy means of which it had been nourished previously; the top or deep roots succeed, which penetrates the soil to a considerable depth, and so possessing a larger area for obtaining its food. Respecting anticipation of the future harvest, excepting in extreme cases of climatic vicissitudes, no serions efforts are attempted to estimate the future harvest yield, until the month of July, at which time the wheat plant is in flower, and when it is always in a critical period. If fair weather prevails at that season, the wheat harvest of the year will, ceteris paribus, almost invariably prove good; the exception only occurring on the occasion of an extraordinarily wet reaping season following, which very rarely happens in years when the flowering season lias proved favorable. So well known are the facts named, that the term “weather markets” is commonly applied to the corn markets held for about six or eight weeks of the months of July and August. The facts noted are.worth the careful attention of the wheat growers of California. We subjoin by way of illustration of the popular opinion in England as to the appearance of wheat at the time of spayning, the following doggrel quatrain : Vaneedtanmacceatge eget May, Ifyou go again in June " on'll coe away witha merry tune.” Suvapis, Santa Clara.—The statement made respecting the value of mustard-seed in Liverpool and Paris, is totally erroneous. The value, on an average, in Liverpool, doea not exceed six cents per pound, in place of twenty-four and thirty cents, as announced by some projectors. The brown, or as itis usually called in this State, wild mustard seed, if placed in the market in good condition, will usually obtain a price th.rty per cent. higher than the white, or common garden mustard-seed. This arises from the circumStance that the white mustard-seed coutains nearly douhle the weight of a mncilagiuous oil, as compared with the wild variety, (sinapis nigra), The Institute Pavilion. Tho Pavilion in which is to he held the forthcoming Exhibition of the Mechanics’ Institute, is now completed and open for the reception of goods. This edifice, covering upwards of 70,000 superficial feet, and rising oyer 80 feet from hase to ridge, has heen completed in just 52 working daya; although, as the carpenters ccmmenced almost simultaneously with the parties engaged in grading the ground, but few men could be put upon the work during the first week or ten days. The dispatch with which the work has been done is fully commensurate with the skill manifested in the design, Mechanics are now engaged in settiug the boilers which are to furnish steam for the motors. The boilers are placed in a suitable room outside of the maiu structure. We notice that they hear the card of the Miners’ Foundry as makers. The motors will consist of three engines, to be furnished, one each, by the Pacific, Union and Miners’ foundries. Exhibitors should make all possible haste in getting their goods into the Pavilion and ready for exhihition. The Fair will be opened promptly upon the day set—next Saturday—and it is especially desirable that everything shall be in readiness by that day, so that exhihitors may ohtain the full benefit of all the time allowed them, and the public find the exbibition complete in all its details, on the first opening. Among the novelties not before uoticed as coming in, we may mention the Coffin & Standish Steam Plow, with which our readers are already quite familiar, and which is further noticed in another column of the present issue. Mr. Newman, of San José, will exhihit the first piece of silk ever mauufactured in this State, and will make au exhihition of the entire process of silk manufacture from the hatching of the eggs, up through the reeling of the silk from the cocoons, and the weaving of the silk into dress goods. He will have a loom at work upon a wide piece of taffetee, from thirty to forty inches wide. Five or six hands will be constantly employed in this interesting department. Mr.Prevost will also make a fine cxhibition of silk worms and cocoons. Mr. Hallidie is already putting up in the Pavilion a wire sash cord machine, for making sash-cord for windows. Capt. Cox will also exhibit one of his ma. chines for working cement gravel. The restaurant privilege has been aold to Nick Mathiesen, a caterer of considerable reputation, who announces that ho will fit up splendid accommodations. oe Montirnication ExTrraorpInary.—Two hundred and forty cocoons of the best quality weigh ahout one pouud. Suppose onehalf of these to contain females; there will then be one hundred and twenty. Each of these will deposit, say, five hundred eggs; we have then sixty thousand eggs. If these eggs all produce worms, and those worms all make their cocoons, we have, as‘ the year’s result from the single ponnd, tro hundred and jfifly pounds of cocoons. The calculation for the second year, made from the same data, shows a yield for that yeay, of 62,500 pounds,—or thirty-one and a quarter tons! Suppose each pouud produces, for the nextyear, an ounce of eggs,—

for a fsw thonsand either way will make bnt little difference, and we will he reasonable, — we have 62,500 ounces of eggs as the product of the third year. These eggs, at only $5 an ounce, are worth in the market $300,000,—knocking off the odd thousands here as before ;—a very tolerahle three years’ profit on the outlay. Perhaps it would be as well, however, for those of our readers who may become excited by the above figures, to haich their jirst crop, at least, he. fore counting the rest. the means necessary to defray the expenses . perity which exists among the masses of Prosperrry oF San FRancisco.—We do not know of a better evidence of the pros this city, than is afforded by the regular cxhibits of our saving societies. Probably no city in the world can produce so favorable a record in this particular as San Francisco. In a population of not much over 130,000, our saving institutions at the present time exhibit a volume of $20,000,000 of gold. Three years ago the amount was less than $7,000,000 ; it has increased $3,000,000 within the last six months. The increase of the past year has been at a time when there has been a most unusual activity in the purchase of homesteads among the laboring class of people. These homestead associations are themselves nothing more or . less than saving institutions, where the purchaser lays by ten, fifteen or twenty dollars . per month, as he may be able, to purchase . a lot on which to huild a house of his own. There is no other city in the world where so large a proportion of its population own their own homes, as this; and that proportion is constantly increasing in magnitude. The usefulness to the masses of saving institutions is nowhere so apparent as in San Francisco, and it is with pleasure we ohserve that a movement has already hecn made to secure their establishment in the interior towns. The facilities which they offcr to persons of small means to employ their savings at reasonable rates and with sure returns, cannot he equaled hy any other mode of investment. _ Tan Cxrivese Missioy.—We had the pleasure of a call, on Thursday, from Hon. J. Ross Browne, Minister to China, and Col. C. D. Poston, formerly of Arizona, but late of Washington, who accompanies tho emhassy as Commissioner of Agriculture. They leave on the steamer of Monday. We yesterday learned that Baron Richthofen, will also accompauy the mission iu the character of geologist. The object of his mission will be a thorough and scientific examination into the mineral resources of China. Tho importance and propriety of such a commission did not become apparent until it was too late to secure a salaried appointment from Washington. To meet this emergency a number of wealthy gentlemen of thia city haveraised of the Commission, and he will sail with Messrs. Browne and Poston on Monday, “Overtanp Montuiy” ror Aucust. — The pnhlishers have laid a copy of this magazine npon ourtable. It fully sustains the promise of the opening number. Al]most everybody will find in it aomcthing worth reading. The pioneer will he interestedin ‘‘A Day with the Cow-Column;” the traveler in ‘‘Scalping asa Fine Art;” aud art-lovers in No. 2 of ‘‘Art-Beginniugs on the Pacific.” Varions other articles with attractive titles appear in the Table of Contents; but the late hour forhids us at this moment further to make examination. The publication is a credit to our city and State; and we trust it will he generally supp orted. ScHoot or Murine at Camprmce.— By refercnce to advertisement in another column, it will be noticed that the course of instruction in the Department of Mining aud Practical Geology, of Harvard University, will be continued on an enlarged scale during the approaching collegiate year. This department is now under the immediate charge of Prof. J. D. Whitney, late of the California Geological Survey. Tickets for the Mechanics’ Fair are now for sale at the bookstores and by memhers ofthe Board of Managers. Price of season ticket for single person, $3; for geutleman and lady, $5; childrens’ season ticket, $1.50; single admission, 50 cents; children, 25 cents. The Managers annonuce that they have received encouragemeut beyond their expectations, and anticipate the most suc[cessful exhibition over held in this city. Colorado Ores. The Colorado Mining Journal of recent date says, that as the overland railroad is approaching that neighhorhood, much interest is beginning to he felt with regard to the practicahility of sending the richer ores of that district to the East, for treatment, instead of paying the large prices that are charged at the rednction works in Colorado. The railroad offers to take ores from Cheyenne to Newark, New Jersey, (where extensive reduction works have been huilt) for $39 per ton. ‘With a hranch rail-road from that point to the mines, hut a small additional tax only would have to he added for tbeir throngh transit. Ores are reduced at the Newark Smelting and Reduction Works, as per oard of proprictors, as follows : ARGENTIFEROUS LEAD ONES, Ahove 55 percent. lead eo Currency. Sulphurets (per ton of 2,000 pounds).. Ninety-nine per cent. of the assay value of the precions metals will be delivered. Loss on lead from 12 to 15 per cent. It will be seen from the ahove fignres that the costof treatment of sulpbnrets is much higher than the cost in this State, The process employed at Newark is not given. We infer, however, that it is by chlorination. The guarantee of ninetynine per cent., however, is impracticable, and cannot be done on a working scale at any price. Colorado no douht containa large quantities of very rich ores, yielding from $200 to $500 and over, per ton, nearly all of which requires careful treatment. These ores can be mined for from $5 to $20 per tou, and the time will soon come when they can he transported to the East for from $40 to $50 per ton. When that timo arrives, the overland railroad will do a large amount of that class of transportatiou, or the owners of reduction works in Colorado must greatly reduce their present rates. The same remarks will hold good throughout much of the State of Nevada, The completion of the railroad will, in one way or the other, give a most wonderful impetus to the developmeut of the mines throughout the entire region of conntry, from the Black Hills to the Sierra Nevada. io Cox’s Cement Macuine.—Many of our readers, who have nevor seen this machine, will be pleased to learn that one of them will be exhibited at the Fair, where all who visit the city, during the coming month, will have ample opportunity to examine its construction, and witness its mode of operation. The economy of its use in working cemented gravel has now been fully established. One of these machines has been employed for a long time by Mr. Allen Oliver, at Jamestown, in Tuolumne County. Itis now at work upon cement tailings, from gravel which has been rnn through sluices. Fifty tons of these tailings are put through the machine every twelve hours, from which two dollars per ton is obtained at a cost of the labor of one man. Buta small quantity of water ia used, and that at a cost of only five cents an inch. There are untold millions of tons of such tailings in the State, which wonld pay all the way from twenty cents to twodollars and upward per ton. Even at the former rate, such tailings will afford a good business. Mr. D. T. Mughes, formerly anassayer of this city, is running one of these machines near the same locality, but npon gravel as itis taken from the mine. He is putting through nearly as much gravel as Mr. Oliver, From what we can learn of the success which attends the working of this machine, we think it is something well worth the attention of our cemeut miners. Ass Tue Track-Layer.—We learn from onr Washington agent, that a patent has heen allowed to Mr. Rohertson, for his trachlaying machine.