Collection: Books and Periodicals

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Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

66 HISTORY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. upon the fertile valleys so great an amount of debris, called “ slickens,” thus rendering valueless the most profitable horticultural and agri‘cultural land in the State, the Legislature of 1882 was prevailed upon to prohibit that method totally, and accordingly since that time no hydraulic mining has been done. This legislation of course depreciated the value of the mining districts, causing the towns and camps to rnn down, the remaining residents to continue poor, while the people of the valleys rejoice; and it is still a question with many whether the prohibition will finally result in a net gain for the State. The main consideration is that minerals are limited, while farming and gardening are supposed to be as lasting as the human race iteelf. Deep, timbered shafts were not common in placer mining, for the pay dirt was seldom profitable enongh to cover the expense; but for prospecting hille they proved of value in determining the advisability and direction of a tunnel, which, permitting easy drifting and offering a slight incline for drainage and use of tramways, greatly reduced the cost of extracting the dirt. This method had its beginning in California in the “coyote” burrowing of the Mexicans, and in following gravel deposits under river banks. It did not assume the rank of a distinct branch until 1852, when ancient river channels began to attract attention. Fully “half the early attempts resulted in failure, owing to miscalculations and insufficient adjunets. The first extensive drift mining was begun in 1852, at Forest Hill, Nevada, but the year previous J. McGillivray drifted a claim at Brown Bar, on the middle fork of the Amerivan. Shaft and drift mining became more identified with quartz operations, which already—in 1849—began to be regarded as a future main branch for mining. The firet quartz vein was discovered in Maripusa, on Fremont’s grant, in 1849, the reddish sainples yielding two ounces to every twenty-five pounds. This discovery was quickly followed by other developments along the gold belt, and in 1850 the first mill was planted at Grass Valley. This was a ‘periphery ” from the Eastern States, brought here by Wittenbach, who, after working vainly on mica on the American River in 1849, set it up at Grass Valley in the following year for Mr. Wright. The second was an eight-stamp “Stockton” mill, with an engine of sixteenhorse power, brought across the isthmus, and also erected by Wittenbach for Mr. Wright. The development of quartz mining was so promising that the very air became filled with wild rumors as to future operations and successes. Assay upon assay demonstrated that California ore was ten to one hundred-fold richer than well-paying lodes abroad, and explorations revealed that auriferous rock existed throughout the State. But the extraction of gold from quartz at first, on account of ignorance as to the best method of saving the small particles, failed to yield more than two or three cents to the pound where assaying gave twenty or thirty cents, and the reduction cost from $40 to $150 per ton, when it should have been effected for $6 to $15. Also expensive works were often erected in the vicinity of rich pockets, which were about cleaned ont by other methods. Hundreds were financially ruined, and quartz-mining fell into disrepute. A few, however, persevered patiently until they attained success. Those who found valuable nuggets were few as compared with the number who, alighting on remunerative claims, took out fortuhes from coarse and fine pay-dirt. These especially formed the theme of anecdote and newspaper record, all with the usual exaggeration. While Australia holds the palm for the largest nugget found in modern times, California ranks second with a large number of huge nuggets. The largest ever found in this State was trom Calaveras, in November, 1854, which weighed 161 pounds, less some twenty pounds for quartz, which represented a sum of $30,000. Other remarkable tinds are related elsewhere in this volume. The best steady average of gold-dust