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Page: of 428
38
MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS.
Feet Above the Level of
the Sea.
Tbe" altitude of Belmont, ‘Nevads, is 8,400
feet above the levsl of the sea, basing 2,000 feet
higher than the city of Anstin. Twelve or fiftesn miles’ north of Bslmontis a high mountain, the altitnde of which is sstimated to be
11,000 feet, and at the base of it are located thoss
flonrishing rich mines, known’as the, J¢ffsrson
mines, ‘so recently discovered; and npon which .
work ‘is now.bsing vigoronsly prosecuted.
One thousand feet from ths top of Mount,
Jefferson; and 10,000 fect above the sea, ia a
lateau or pises of tabls land from whioh a
ird’s-eye ‘visw can be had of tbe thriving little
town of Belmont, with its mines, mills and
hoisting works; and’ beyond, as fsr as the eye
can reach, to the south, éast and west, isa vast
‘expanss of mineral wealth, that liss slumbering, ‘as it were, in rocky beds that line range!
after rangs of'monntains, stretching far to tbe
southward in sintions, undulating “linss nntil
lost in’ths dimness of space. -’
What would: our friends’ that livs down by
the tidal waves think ‘and'say' could they look
direcfly up overhead to given pointa mile and.
a half‘or two miles into the. sky;,and tell them
that there, on a level with that point, 500 miles’
eastward, was’ Bslmont, Nevada, and many
Ten Thousand
other'towns thst sre more than a mileabove!
them? = “i: a ! :
In most’ of ths’ largsr valleys water is found,
in’‘abundsnce, flowing from themountain sides;
arable land suitable for tbe hortionlturist and
grass for graziera,is‘plentiful. Hore, as: civil-’
ization advances into the interior, farms and
stock ranchea are located in’ths valleys and
cafions, and wood ranches in’ the’ mountains.
Salt marsbes exist in many places, from which
large quantities of salt are gathered, to be used
in ‘the -éxtraction of ores inthe mills and furmacés. Borax mines’ are also found, besides
oopper, lead and iron, Notwithstanding ‘the
bleak and barren aspect whioh the conntry first
preaents to the beholder when traveling over
the’ alkali flats and 'throngh the rooky cafione,
Providence seems to have ordained that it shall
not be the least valued in point of wealth and
ndturs] resonrees, having so arranged and
adapted the ‘prodnctaof the country as to prodnte in one place what it lacks in another
towards’ supplying the wants of the hardy
pioneers, upon whose shonlders ‘devolves the
arduowia tssk of unearthing snd bringing to
light’ those precious metals that.are eo quiokly
changed into the circulating medium so much
ooveted by the ontaide world, and which so
naturally finds’ ite way into the coffers of the
monopolist, « ' be :
One of the many features of this country is,
that here and there, covering an area of, hundreds of miles, can be seen those high peaks
and mowutains towering up above the reat, like j/
séntinels,'as it were, guarding hidden treasuree
thatlie beneath, and protecting those that are
folded in their rocky embrace. It is 2 noticeablé fact; that wherever ‘these large peaks or
mountains are foutid;so also is silver ore, in . ,
more or less quantities, and aome proving very
rioh; and yet it ia not to be argued: that all the
eilver lodes ézist near these places, for many
ledges’ of silver-bearing qnartz have been discovered in lower, rangea. of mountains, that . -are working five ‘claims, use 2,000 ‘inches of
haye proyen qnite rich; but we may very well . wster and employ 40 men.
believe that these high points only serve as
outposts, showing, in‘their silent :way, tbe
boundaries ‘of mineral belts; ahd it ia to these
landmarks that the prospector directs hia
course, wher visions of grander discoveries, to
be made in other looalities, persuade him to
shoulder his pick arid shovel, and. travel.
It ia very evident that at some anterior date,
probably centuries ago, this whole country,
‘compriaing tbe Padifioslope, has been thrown
into terrible convulsions at different times, by
the natural workinga of the internal fires and
gases which exist in all mineral countries; coneequeutly there was bound to be more or less
ofthe mineral quartz left uncovered on and
around the highest peaks. This, then, is undoubtedly the reason why float rock and ledgea
happen to be first discovered in and around
these places. 5, 9, -.) _ s
That the entire sonthwestern portion of
Nevada is equally ad rich.in. mineral resources
as the rest of the State, there can be no qnestion or doubt. Does not the finger of destiny .
point in this.direction, indicating that it will
not be many years before thia aection will be
teeming with life and activity, from the overflowed population of the Eastern States and
Europe, who are foroed to leave their fatherland’
and seek a foothold and home in the Far West?
Ledges now unthought of will be discovered,
towns and cities will spring up, yéar after year,
as the magic wand of.industry and enterprise
waves over the land in its onward course. Even
now many old districts tbat were discovered
aeveral years ago, and neglected or absndoned
for richsr fields, are bsginning to attract renewed attention from capital, whioh, through
hard experience, is discovermg new characteriatics in those long neglected ores, that promise sufer investments; with greater percentages
on the money invested, that can be found in
the older localities. And so it will be as the
age of science and metallurgy advances,
In order to ahow what sndden transitions are
tiable to take pisce in localities, we will take
the mines of Kureka district for example: A
few years ago these mines were discovered and
work done on a grsat many, but all seemingly
to no purpose, and fiually the original locators
had to abandon them, diacouraged and disheartened at their failure. But now, presto, look at
the change! Those same mines are worth their
and Treasnrer, and J. L. Gonld ‘is General
millions,! atid-a’ city has risen second to none
but one in the Stste. But will this “story of .
‘wondrons snchantment end here? May not
Morey, Hot Cresk, Reveille, lone, San Antonio, .
Ellsworth and Twin ;Riysr districts do likswise .
when thsir tnrn comss in the'dim futnre? Ans. .
tin still asserts her mining?dignity in the catslogue of mines, although-she has bsen fre-.
quently down to the bed-rock during ths last)
tsn years, bnt, like a oork: in the watsr, she’
will come tp again and swim on top. . Tybo is{
just beginning to make itself heard tbrongh a!
silyér trumpet, to let us know that it is sleeping:
no more. The mines jof Jeffarson, Spanish .
Bslt and Belmont speak for themselvss svery
day. Alida valley, and ;Gold mountain, slumberingso long near the shades of Death valley, .
far to the south of hers, have tumbled ont of
their cradle at last, and thongh still in infancy,
has shown a decided inclination to. walk in ths
silvery girdle; and now, as General Page hss’
extended a helping-hand, we may soon hear
favorsble news from that-remote district, -Montszuma, Silver Peak, Cerro Gordo and Columbus are siill-on pioket dnty, awaiting the vangnard of progress to come up,and raward them
for thsir long and faithful watchings.— Belmont
Courier.
Mining at Dutch Flat ahd’ Gold Run.
We condense the following mstter of general
interest. from an extended artiole in the Placer ,
Argus: ‘ p
The mining district of Dntoh Flat and Gold
Run, for ths two towns are so close togethsr
and their mining interdésts are‘so closely
blsnded ‘tbat-we shall treat them as ons, hss
Jong been’’nodted for‘its yield of the predious
metals, and for the certainty with which the
hardy miner conld connt on a réturn for his
labor. Early in‘the history of plscer mining
in this State, the gulchea snd ravines were filled
with miners, and large amonnts of gold were
taken ont. The existence of the great ersvel
bsnks,’and the fact that they contsined gold
was well known at the, time, but'the want of,
water prevented working them on a goale of.
‘sufficient maguitude to pay. ;
Mining at Gold Bun
By the hydranlic process first begun in the
spring of 1865, tbe Bear river ditch, supplying
abont 650 incheaof water, having been brought
in. The yield that year waa light, but in the
euoceeding years of 1866 and 1867 work wae
pacacchio very extenaively, and about $600,000 was taken ont each year. In 1868 a party
of miners owning these olaima bonghtthe
Beaver river ditoh and organized the '
“ ‘Gold Rin Ditch and Mining Co.,
And it is now the largest operator in that place.
a
tal atock is $905,000, and is all owned by citizens of Gold Run and Dntch Flat. Allen
Towle is President, H, H. Brown ia Secretary
Superintendent. ; They have ovsr $300,000 invested in mining property, of which $80,000 is
in ditches. Their water comea from Bear and
South Ynba rivera throngh 28 milea of ditches.
This season they have had plenty of water, and
‘expect to rn’ eeven or eight montba. They
They own the following claims:
Indiana Hill, 65 acres; North Star, 65 acres;
two-fifths of the Drnid, eight acres; one-half of
the Gold Run, 70 acrea; Church and Golden
Gate, 35 acres; Kearsarge, 30 acres; Bay State
No. 2, 25 acres; Pinetop,'30 acres. Thns far
tbe surtace gravel to the dépth of 100 to 175
feet only, has been worked, the lower stratnm
of over 200 feet in thickness not being worka‘ble for want of fall to carry off the tailings. The
company ‘are now engaged in the proseention
of an enterprise that cannot fail to have a very
beneficial inflnence on the mining ‘interests of
this section. For several years the yield of gold
has been declining, and the surface ‘beds dre
rapidly being worked ont. The Gold Run com:
pany only has enough of gronnd to keep its
men employed for abont two years, and if something is not done, the day of prosperity would
. S00n be over, and the prospérons towns of
Gold Run and Dutch'Flat would soon become
dilapidated ‘and deserted. The richest béds of
gravel, fully 200 fectin dépth, are yet nntouched.
To procure the necessary fall, ahd enable them
to work these rich bedathe Gold Run Co. is rnnningatnnnel over 3,000 feet in length through
tbe mountain, at a depth of 600 feet below tbe
creat of the ridge. The lower end of this tunnel opena into Cafion oreek, while the head will
open directly under the great deposits of blne .
gravel and furnishing means of working them
to the bed rock. Clambéring down the precipitous sides of the cafion, we found an active little engine pumping away condensing air by
which the drills are driven. A very steep and
narrow wagon-road has been blasted in the rock,
and the necessary buildings are parched on projecting crags. Wood is aupplied by a alide on
the opposite side of the cation, and water from
& reservoir, sitnated some 400 feet above the
engine honse. The main tnnnel, which is 12
feat wide by 9 feet in hight, has been driven a
distance of 600 feet, and when completed will
be 2,200 feet in length. Ata distance of 454
feet from the lower end, a branch tunnel leaves
the main cnt, and is now in about 300 feet from
the point of intersection. The branch is eight
feet square, and will be about 1,000 feet long,
The whole force is now at work on the branch,
which will be ready for nae by the first of Jannary, when washing will begin. The branch is
The company incorporated in 1870. The capi.
not tspped by the msin tunnel. As soon as it
is finished, work will be resumed-onithe main
cut, and it will be put through in abont two
years, or by the time.the surface gravel belonging to the company!is .6xhausted. The Burleigh ‘drill, driven by compressed ‘air’ igs the
effective sgent in panetrating the rock, and it
is walking into the monntsin at ths rapid rate
of 100 feet per month, on an average. Twenty.
five men are employed, and eome $3;000 per]
Month is disbursed in psying expenses, and
snpplying the necessary materials. Tbe tots]!
cost of the tunnel is estimated at $125,000. The
vast importanoe of this enterprise-is manifsst/
when we consider that the ground, which by its,
aid along can bs worked, is far richer than the!
best of the gravel thathas already been washed,,
and tbat there ia enough of it to employ all the:
water that can bs had for the next century.
Shafts have bsen snnk 200 fset to the bed-rock,
and good pay fonnd the whole distancs., Under
the influence of this great work which is to unlock ths hithsrto inaccessible richss of the district, every kind of business is brightening up,
and the futnrs prospsets of the towns depsndent on the mings are proportionately improved.
In addition to the Gold Rnn. company the following partiss are engégedin’mining: “' :
Hoskins & Brothsr are ‘working a claim of
70 acres. They employ 15 men and use 600
inches of water. a
The Fishhawk Company have a claim of 40
acres. Use 550 inches of water'and employ 10
men, ae. .
Sachs & Company’s claim contsins 100 acres.
They nse 350 inches of water and employ
six men.
O.; Harkness uses 500 inches of wstsr, employs seven men, and works a claim of’ 40
acrea, pecs [ a
The 'Indisna Hill Blne Gravel Company is
drifting on the channel, and érushing the
gravel in an eight-stamp mill, driven by waterpower. It ia working 30 hands and is doing
well. J. F. Moody works the tsilings of all
these olaima; and, we shonld jndge, is making
a better thing of it than any of the claims. He
owns abont3,000 feet of the-csiion, in whioh
}he has fitted finmes and nndercnrrents, and
now has: nothing todo bnt to catch the gold
that eacspea the workmen above. His clean;
nps have been of the most sstiafactory character, and this season’s work will probably net
him a larger smount than nsnal. In fact, sll
the claims have paid well, aud an expresaion
of satisfaction rests on the conntenances of all
the miners. t :
The Cedar Créak Gold Mining Company is
‘mentioned at length in another colnmn. 4
‘Sacramento Smelting Works Commencing
! Operations. :
Instead of = delay of several days, as anticipated, from striking'the hardpan in the artesian
well, at the smelting works, it was bored
throngh on Tueadny night, ‘and operationa in
smelting commenced. “An abundant supply of
good water, free from alkali, and’ very cold,
waa strnck below the hardpan, and a’ donkeyengine ia employed to pnmp it into the pipes,
from which it ie taken throngh hydrants for
immediate nse. About all tbe impurity in the
water ia a alight impregnation of ‘iron—not
enough to hurt in any way, however. ‘The fires
were atarted in the furnace—but one of the two
furnaces ia ran aa yet—at two o'clock yesterday
morning, and at aeven o'clock the metal oommenced flowing from the bottom, Since then,
there bas been a continnona flow. Dnring the
forenoon the direotors of the company visited
‘the works, examined their workinga, and expressed satiafaction with their opsrations.
There are now fifteen menemployed at the
-worka, but it will require thirty to rnn them
shortly. Seyeral of the new hands gave out
after a few hours’ work, the heat being too
imtenae, The firea have been kept burning
nigbt and day. The ore. ia spread in layers
npon tbe floor and mixed with different finzes,
serap iron, limeatone and slag. A eharge is
tben caat into tbe furnace for reduction. The
charge consista oftwo busbels of charcoal and
two hnndred poundaof tbe ore mixture, When
rednoed to a-liqnid state, the venta are opened,
end the molten metal: is allowed to run into
large iron pota. It ia then ponred into iron
moulds and allowed to cool. Each bar of bullion thus produced weighs abont ninety-four
pounds. The metal is a mixture of silver and
lead, and ia ready for the separating process.
This is as far as the work can be done here.
The alag, or melted rock,, dirt, ete., fowa from
a vent above that from which the metal flows,
and on another, side, into iron pots securely
fixed on trucks, from which it is dnmped into
the slough. At 12 m. three tons of bullion
had been run out, and by 7 Pp. Mm. one hundred
and fifty bara were made which ia the reanlt of
the firat twenty-four hours’ run. A bath-house
has been put up for the use of the employes,
which is now ready for nse, The works appear
to be a snecess, so far as the work is concerned.—Sacramento Union, July 9th. :
Ereut car-loads of new steel rails arrived
at Gold Hill, recently, from Carson, for the
Virginia and Truckee railroad. A gang of men
will soon commence laying them from Gold
Hill toward Carson. ‘The road between Virginia City and Gold Hill has already been laid
with them.
Tux Perkins mill, at the monthof Dixie
eajion, Plnmas county, is now running aplendidly, and the rock is paying well. A ron of
run for the purpose of reaching eome claims
five days last week turned out 100 onnces of
amalgam. E ‘
-watér.
in The Cedar Creek Mines. —
© From an article in the Plscer Argiis we take
the following concerning the. property of the
Csdar Cresk Gold Mines Company, the principal concern doing bnsiness at Dutch Flat: It is
an English corporation;:hsving»a capital) of
‘$200,000 and is noted throughout. the country
for its snterprise and liberality. Ths principal
office is. in London, whsro the President,
George Batters, and the Secretary, W. J.
Lavington, reside. Its businsss headquarters
are at Dutch flat, and the management of its
extensive works is intrustéd to T. B, Ludlum,
‘an snergetic’ young Illinoisan, who hss been a
citizen of onr county so long that hefésls like
anative. The oompsny is prosscuting its work
with vigor, and employs a large force of hands.
Thé old Placer county cansl, aftsr' passing into
its hands, has besn improved and éxtended
nutil ths company now owns about 60 miles of
ditches. The oapacity of tlie main ditch is
6,000 inches of water, the greater portion of
which is used by the oompany in operating its
claims. Of thess the principal are the Pacific,
40 acres, the Csntral, 30, acres, : Jehoshaphat,
20 acres, half of the Gold run, the Home
Ticket, 20 acres, the Gem, 15 acres; ete, Altogather it owns 32 claims, comprising some 200
acrss of mining gronnd, employs 150 men, and
nses 3,800 inohes of water, besides selling 1,450
inches twenty-fonr-honr watsr to ontside parties. Itis also engaged in mnning a
Bedrock Tunnel “J
For, ths pnrpoge of tapping the Dutch Flat
channel, work on which has “been prograssing
for some time with favorable resnlts. The
tnnnel ‘when completed will be 3,000 feet in
length and 8 feét by 8 in size. It is now in
660, and haa reached the first shaft, from which
washing will begin about the firat of thid month.
In prosecuting this important work 18 men
aré po ee aa Three Burleigh drilly’are used,
the air being compressed by water-power. Tbe
importance of the Burleigh drilling machines
to the mining interesta of the State have been
pretty thoroughly tested here ind atGold Run.
Notwithstanding their great cost .they are indiapenaable to the ancceesful proaecntion of
suoh heavy work. The drill.and machinery in
use by tho Oedar Oreek Oompany cost $12,000,
and while the work of driving. a; tunnel is not
materislly cheapened by their nse, the, great
saving of time outweighs every other. consideration and renders their general nse inevitable. “utes age
The beginning of the work in the blue gravel
will be watched with interest by all,parties, aa
on its snccess the future prosperity of this diatrict depends. The beds are known to oontain
coarser gold than the surface gravel, and are
supposed to be richer, but they will be harder
to work. rs — 7 4,
A blast of 300 kégs of owder is now abont to
be fired in tbe Yankee Jim claim, which is being prepared for working. It is expected to
open up a large bed of gravel for working, Besides the Cedar Creek, Co., the South Yuba
Canal Co. ia snpplying water to the miners, ‘ita
canal having a oapacity of 3,000 inches. The
water is taken’ from the Sonth Yuba river, and
ia carried through abont 25 miles of“ditchea.
Tbe following claims ‘are being worked:
North Star No. 2, owned by Lakamp’& Voight.
They employ ten men and nse 500 inohes of
‘heir claim is paying well. The Red
Bank Co. bavye 60 acres of gravel left, on whioh
itis working five men and nsing 450 inches of
water, The Summit claim rnns seven men and
500 inohes of water: The Somerset claim,
owned by Staples & Bro., worke eight men and
-usea 450 inchea of water. Kidder employs five
men and uses 350 inches of water.
The general report is that more men are employed than ever before, that the mines are
paying well, and that the prospeots for the fnture are exceptionally brilliant. «
Pacrrio Company. —The mines of: this company are looking better at the ‘present time
then at any time for monthapast. The last
ore worked—which came from’ etrata in the
north Star ledge below the 400-ft. ‘level--worked $1,650 per ton at'Manhattan mill. Work is
"being proseonted in the cross-ont, bslow the
break, into the north Star ledge. Small: etrata
of high grsde ore, are being encountered in the
ledge, which widens aa progresa ia being made,
and the proapeots are good for a large body of
high grade ore ere-long. We are pleased to
note that the mineaof Lander hill, almost
withont exception, are at'tbia time looking better than at any period in their history. The
Manhattan mill ie pushed forward to ita ntmost canacity, and the extraotion of. ore ia
largely im excess of the reduoing facilities
of the district. One thing haebeen demonatrated by the syatem of mining pnrened by the
Manhattan company: That as depth ie attained
on our mines they increase in extent and riohnesa, All that is required to make Reese river
district one of the most Sete ee bullion producing sections of the State is energy and oapital for the development of onr mines, Mining
in Lander hill ia no longer an experiment; it is
an eatablished fact that our ledges are permanent and rich and improve with depth.—Reese
River Reveille. : :
Eacue Mrnn.—Again it becomes our duty to
chronicle another improvement in the Eagle
mine. Now, at a depth of 60 feet, the ledge ia
ten feet eight inches wide, carrying a four-foot
streak of ore which assays'$428 in silver to the
ton. ‘Will the San Francisco expert who proaaa it worthless please take notice?—Silver