New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-02-11
CALIFORNIA GOLD REGION.


vatioIs On tie spot, published u the At1 C9il,r
| Eia, and b accounts sti4 more recent ron MAJ
cDuutry.
Il order % understand the views referred o. rs
Necessary, u TIE arst place, % give sA-'1n
the GEOLOGICAL features %. the country 4 Fs-.e.
o; 600 Tes IN length, and from ~ 70 iy3 u Nl..
| q formed bv The sierra Nevada or SNOWY rang
on the East and bv the coast range ca lie !" ess
| Tas valley u wstered b. two rver', we sara
rneuto and an joachim, one rslns q le n rii t--
/ other due S1uth AID raining toward e-ch ''-eri
after urlt.ny their waters tney enter ne Ie- o
/ San FTaDclsco- which h'lA-s ne vs. 80
/ liz valley These rive-s may BE- sad t0 "asa
| ,bs bsse "a the Sierra Nevada- their waters be.ns
squni,sd. a.nOs. exclusively, oy streams "l.cl
tsr. their rse il that ran-e o. luolht1ls u ms
manner the4 form continued Inc, though coming
from opposite direction receIvlng the cralla-e
ana 6ehr:us brought down ~ the .ll11lerlh.e
,1--arfs which cuf the SIDES % the sierra TIE
su,risl and dluvial deposires are there,o-s. q
most exclusively on the eastern sde and this
acco1n-s also o- the overflow Of the rver on that
SIDE On looking a. the map Of Colonel Fremont
was struck with the extraordinary number ~
these rayines They look ike - many streaks o.
the map or rather. ines drawn BY artificial aseL-
cy. bat that agency IL the sudden melting oi the
SHOWS and heavy rams NJ that climate One cause
a tbs great quantity q water discharged By the
short mountain torrents IS the ant Of sufficient
elevation Of the mountain. IN that Latitude % retain
the SHOWS until they can melt gradually. 20 is tie
case Of the Andes Of Peru and Chill aud yet slih
cieut.y elevated 10 receive great depth Of snow
Ths. when melted by the rams. PUSHES dovn with
great force carrying detrtus along with d. and
cutting through al the Incumbent strata. until u
reaches the level Of the rivers although st above
the trap or granite which forms the nucleus o. the
mountain
As this detrit1s is carried down, u becomes
more aud more disintegrsted until It's further pro
gress is arrested by the Of the rivers before
mentioned and u al last deposited DOB fine sand
and pebbles The metallic threads are Ound
probably. not less than two-thirds OF the way up
the mountain and If a shaft were sunk az the base
o. the mountain, II would have 20 60 10 q depth
bsorc reaching the vein, corresponding with It,
present elevation above the orgIna. lcve. The
metal therefore, vii only be found in these allgyla
Gepistes not beyond 80 or 80 feet ~ depth i11ncd
30 tn curse OF time by the descending torrents
Tho nearer the river, and the farther from the
seam. %, finer VII ie the particles Oi gold. aud
the h her 40 The c1arser aud less separated from
the quartz IN which 10 Is detained. The most *
ycns.ye part Of mining reducing the quartz 70 sand
by stamping the alDalgatlon with qulcksu. er. and
the separation OF these hy disiat0u, s thus saved
snd the gold obtained with comparatively little
expense The stamping or breaking up oi the
quartz Is performed by the natural agency oi the
water and by the rocks falling upon each other IN
the course of their dcsceu; NIL thess deposites
shall be- partially exhausted, although o much more
ircc srOus pursuit than regular mining the latter
wlll not be generally resoned = There is 10
doubt also, that other. with more perfect machines
Too washing and smaisamatOn. viii follow those
li0neers and wash the same earth snd sand over
again % as great profit at the first operation
When examined the lead mines oi Missouri.
fond that those VINO came ailer the regular sme.t
ers took their scorIs aud lcavlugs and extracted,
tv means of the ash furnace, about 25 per cent. IA
edition 10 the ~ already obtained but without
Toe expense aud uncertainty of mining which rem
lCred It sort OF gambling pursuit
Having given this briei description ! VIII now
proceed 10 what may be called theory that is.
,4cLs de1ir,d from induction Let as suppose
series 81 horizontal strata, one above another bui
81 unequal depth. incumbent Oh the Orsina. uustra
lied mass which forms the nucleus of the globe
According g. seolog.sts this was the natura. 30
sitl0n Now, IN Consequence OF some great 40 canle
agency. the lower mass thrown up from below
aud becomes the nucleus OF r. mountain. and thai
Which was before tie lowest COW appears ~ The
toq. while the various strata which lay Hat upon 10
are tilted up ON It's SIDES. These being cut through,
IN the manner described. there IS cXposcd % view
u these cuts the various strata and their contents
IA the same manner as II a shat had been sunk
Trough them 10 their horizontal position. II there
be any mct8hc seams to the right or left o. these
cuts. they vii be seen ike threads, and running
leugihwisc with the range OF mountains The
metals contained IN the now vacant spaces Of these
raynes have been carried away and deposited be
low. The masses. thus broken and separated,
have been still further reduced IN the manner be-
tore stated greatly diminishing the labor OF mining.
The deposits of dotritus nterlnxed with gold may
be the work o, thousands OF years but the guam
tty may be estimated 10y the number and width Of
the natural cuttings through the gold seams now
disconnected IL is certain that the amount OF gold
at the bottom cannot exceed the amount carried
DOWN from these original depos.tes Without as
81 flN
Sierra Nevada is actually greater than ia the same
range further South, It's peculiar geological and
Geographical character may be reason why gold
may bc found IN California IN greater abundance
ihan IN any otDer part OF the world. 10 y found
along this whole range from Sonora % Chi, al
though in greater or less abundance ami there Is
no doubt that variety of other metals vii be met
with perhaps as valuable, when the passion Tor gold
washing shall have somewhat sbsfed 1t is re.
msrkable that gold has been found almost inv a-aby
ON the western or Pacific side OF the great range,
while silver copper and lead are discovered on the
eastern side, aud az much greater elevation IL
probable that, instead OF gold silver and copper
exists on the eastern side OF the Sierra Nevada
toward the great BASIN.
But by what process or operation Of Nature
came these ans or veins OF gold OF other metals
% be thus deposited Was It by the agency Of
ire or by water and al.uvion' think IL probable
that 10th may have been al work, being the two
-reatest solvents M nature ana, al the same time
me greatest chystslizcrs Perhaps metallic
may be the work of alluvion, and the production
pure metallic substances-thai a heat With re
,peci 70 gold think the latter theory IS the more
rcssonabe, as 1t is always found Ia pure state,
Nhue the quartz Tor pure sick IN which It IS con-
tained may be al.uvis. and one O. the earliest
5epostes from the decomposition OF the anc ent
unstrstifed mass. Bnt where shall We seek for
the original supply OF the precious metal How 5
Il formed Or whence has Il been extracted BY the
agency OF heat il IS not enough 10 say that like
other metals II Is found diiiused throughout all
tore Tor an appreciahle quantity OF gold has been
extracted from violet. In my opinion il exists on
the original unstrathed mass, ~ impercepthle
proportions but those proportions varying IN differ.
eat places. other metals being more less abnl-
dant. The greater proportion OF our soils. accorl
nc 70 S!r Humphrey Davy. IS 'ormed by the De
comps stoa 81 the original mass au3 this accounts
Tor diffusion OF gold in minute particles, Inch may
be tSk en up by plants and enter into tie compost
Ton OF organized bodits. L. then the uLstraiihed
coCS the original seat Of the metal bu; in part
c.es infinitely minute II may have been separated
hy very high degree o. heat. b. "A hich wogd be
slldlmsied or NolaillIzed ana thus carried upward
| by chemico electric force, ard by process resem
hin- Oscillation IN this Way. u would peletrate
the ggaliE rook. or b. condensed N tie spaces %
the iaminaied strata. such the tale, sch..i cr
INCA safe Such Is the theory OF Trimmer Buch