Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-11-14
From the San Francisco Herald. October l.

The mining counties have never worn more ami
mated or prosperous aspect than at present, and The
success of mining operations is becoming every day
more and more abundant. We have little doubt that
the whole surface Of the mining region will IN process
OF time be found 10 be as pentifully impregnated with
the precious metal as are the beds and banks of the
water courses Some months ago cry was raised
tina: the placer dggings nearly exhausted This is
now found 10 be an egregous mistake and almost IN
every spot where the soil is turned up gold found IN
greater or less quantities. Indeed, hitherto the dry
diggngs have proved the most lucrative, and where
ever they do not al present YIELD ii is simply for want
of water. In most places the streams are very low,
but the water is hushanded with great and dvi
ded up into numerous small streamets for the use of
companies individuals.
In Mariposa county quartz operations are almost
wholly suspended for want of water. The only
steam machinery at work is that belonging to the Mer-
ced Mining Company, who employ steam for crush
ing and anna gamating They have twelve stampers,
and believe. twelve rastras at work, and those in
terested are very sangune TO the of their
enterprise. The company owning The Washington vein,
one of the best in the country have steam machinery
erected, and only await supply of wafer. The Bal
timore and Quartzburg Company have also some very
beautiful steam machinery ready fo operations
the rains commence. The quartz ledge belonging
to this company, the Texas or Number Nine vein, as
it is called, is exceedingly rich, and is situated but
about mile from the works. Within circuit of ten
miles around Quartzburg there is number of veins
appropriated, most of them promising we'll The Gal
ness ledge, about three miles from Quarzburg, is
worked by number of gentlemen, who have len ras-
tras in operation. Everywhere. except in the Mereed
Mining Companys works, these rastras are driven by
mule power.
In addition to the quartz VEINS the dry dggings in
the vicinity of Quartzbug said 10 be very rich
Numberless heaps of earth are thrown up ready for
washing when the rain comes But in Mari posa
county the placer digging will never be followed SO
extensively successfully as in Tuolumne the
northern counties. In Mariposa gold is doubtless
more generally dfused through the quartz rock than
in any other county, except in the OF the decom
posed quatz of Nevada In Tuonme the rock gold
appears TO be generally confined certain deposits in
the ledge and in many places the lead has been sud
denly lost, and the mine becomes comparatively worth
less.
But the placer diggings of Tuolumne are at present
yielding more abundanty than before. The
greatest activity prevails in the various mining locali-
ties around Sonora. and the effect on the bushes Of
the place is such that almost continuous train OF
wagons may be seen every day the road between
that city and Stockton. The machines for washing
out gold have likewise been improved upon. The
rocker is almost wholly discarded, and the long tenn
has taken its palace.
The yielu in the northern mines is fully proportion
ate 10 that in the southern, and is not eXtravagan
TO say that gold mining has scarcely more than com
menced in California From the first of January, 1851
TO the corresponding date year, the product OF
the mines will not be less than seventy millions oil
dollars, and it may reach to eighty millions. Every
month our miners learn something new. and each &C
cess of experience adds to the flood of gold that flows
from port to the Atlantic States. If could but
arrest this flood and turn it to the enrching of
land, the people of California would not labor they
now do solely for the benefit of others.