The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1851-11-25
Correspondent OF tha N. Y. Tribune.
THE GOLD MINES OF CALIFORNIA.
PLACER DIoGTS6s- QUARrz
AT GRAss VALLGY-SPLeNDID REsULrs-
Rocky BAR CoMPASY--M Mills IN OPERA
e,


TIos. sc.
New York. lo7 Fulton St.. Monday, Oct. 20.
My Dear Greely:-I promised you, on an
O frs, arrival ia this ci'y rom residence on tn
Pacific side of nearly three years, to write yo'
something Of what know and have seen ir m
, explora,Ons ia the Sierra Nevadas.
= In regard 10 our mineral resources, and es
pecially those enterprises that rcqni,e foI thel
successful development a concentration OF cap.
: ilal and skill, regret TO End so much dislrnc
as appears TO exist IN the financial circles Of Ih
, City, and generals this side. The fact ,ha
ia the excitement pervading The whole people
consequent upon the discovery of gold ip Cali
: forns, hundteds upon hundreds of vessels and
cargoes have been sent To San Francisco, and
!, proved ruino1s to the shippers, ought not Ia
weigh as feather against The ineyhausibIe
sources of wealth. which that remark able conn
tty presents TO Industry aud Capital. A popula-
ton, including, Oregon, at no lime reaching
three hundreCt thousand souls could not have
consumed the goods of every kind that have
been poured into the Bay of San Francisco in
one Overwhelming stream for the past two and
half years, in score of yeats. How unrea-
souabIe. iheo, To abuse California, and charge
upon her an enormous balance over and above
all the product Of her mioes, because The people
could rot purchase all the stuff that bad been
stripped and pay the eiore profit Of three huu.
| dred per cent.
So long as the drain upon the precious metals
TO meet European liabilities, continues at the
present hieh figure, the question to The con-
tInued surply of gold from California assumes
30 Irfllug Importance. II is a matter Of grave
doubt 10 all thinking men, whether, were the
semi. monthly supplies OF two million or more
Of dust 10 be withheld single month, shock
would not be given la the banking and credit
| In, 81 fllcin
powerful to produce revolution equal TO that
of 1867. Indeed, in my humble judgment.
| abused and misunderstood California has Tor
three years sustained the whole weight OF the
financial sy stem of the Union by her enormous
and increasing annual product of gold. Were
our resources, both mineral and agricultural,
better understood, and more generally sustained
by the surplus capital ly ing idle in the Atlantic
cities, The sesitivenoss that is seen and Eel,
in financial circles would pass away, aud we'll
founded confidence gives stability 10 every lie.
climate enterprise. Though producing by
millions the rap material Of wesllh--nay, cap
ital iiself-yet wilh population heretofore al
most exclusively made up of /" adventurers.'
mere "birds Of passage" little Of il remains TO
aid in developing The permanent Interests oil
California. For this reason she must look |
abroad for meaus to properly devclope her in
exhauslabe veins of gold ore, and other equal, |
renunefailvs sources OF wealth..
IL is uow n historical fact that our pidceres. !
or surface mines, covering an exteot OF terrlt0-
" over six hundred miles in length by proba.
bly, eigory in breadth. andextending either way
bcynnt the ll.niis of the Sac have been work
ed with a constantly increasing product ir each
succeeding yeai' There is no doubt Oh my
mind thar the amount OF gold gathered this year
will come iuily up to one hundred millions If
dollars! Great as IS The yield, venture TO al
firm, tia, Tor a long period To come lhe yie'd
fion this source will not br diminished H.
campa,lson with the slirady . prospcced" ex
tent Of the gold producing region, the portion
bui partlally dog owe, is not equal 10 square
rod iu mile. Il is evident. then, that hooking
20 this source alone for continuous and regn-
Lar supply Of gold. there is the most ample
grounds for confidence 10 the ability Of Caior-
MIA 20 furnish all the specie basis necessary to
sustain the commercial aud monetary iransac-
iions of the Union for an Indefinite period. 4
But California possesses suier and more llst I
ING claims 10 Confidence than 10 be fouad in /
her golden p'dceres. Should these fail TO yield q
returnof labor in her extensive fields and led 1
yes of gold bearing quartz, undertaking he S
gold region IN The ,chole length and breadth Of i
he Sierra .Neuadds Califonia possesses an ell n
,ment of wealth which no s,reatch Of the i'm ?
iginaiion can overestimate, nor the widest
lreams of the visionary equal Every day de- j
eops fresh evidences of the immense wealth v
contained 10 these gold bearing veins, which a
rave. yet, been pierced only Of Intervals. and a
he deph OF which centuries may be required 10 L
/
My priucpal object ia this article was simply d
o give you some of the testimonies in ,ega,d 81
The prodnctiveuess Of the quartz veins, as a! IL
resent soorked, though with imperfect machn- >
Y, inexperience, and lack Of knowledge as 10 The
est methods OF separating the goc from The d
ock. N
The first operations in quartz mining were u
ecun liItle more thar year ago, in Mari te
osa. An inudicous locations, and light ma. e
hinery, rendered this frs, experiment ia exri- al
ating gold, comparatively, a failure. This m
lariposa Company is the first and only one al
iihio my knowledge, that has not been emf U
etly successful.
The presen, great center for quartz mining is
irdss Valley, in Nevada County. This town
distant moth easterly from Sacramento City cl
bout 20 miles, over good road on which a of
ally line Of four-horse post-coaches runs er
ieeiing at tue same point another daily line ST
ON Sacramento, VIA MaysvilIe. and both con- 70
nuing to Nevada City, five miles further into =
le mountains The first quartz discovery at eli
lis locality, (Which had proved exceedingly tn
ch IN the gulches) were made about the month IN,
November last; but no machinery was erect IN
] uhlli tue latteT part OF the winter. DO rich on
ID the veins on g. Gold Hill" prove, even by or
lie slow process Of crushing in hand moiters ru
I'd washing 10 water ouly, tIia, shafts were m,
INK on almost every hill for several miles a. lie
und, in nearly every instance striking rich of
los. At this time there are between thirty III,
I'd iory hills opened in the single township of tn
rass Valley, Tour and hall miles squafc) ioi
I'd exhibiting "a conlesti5lo evidence thai ex- yo
nslve veins OF gid bearing quartz undere Ot
em ALI ma
In April last two small mills only were ready to
commence Operations, with capacity for PEI
ushing no more Than six or eight Iuns IN each We
'enty four hours. AT the same time several no
hers were begun, two of which were to have tn,
enes OF twenty five aud sixty horse power sci
speciively. The FIRST of these was completed a
a commenced operafious 90 the olst OF JuIy | we