The Sierra citizen., 1854-03-25
Mining Items.


the week and gave some statistics con
cerning the labor on their tunnel. 1t il
an undertaking of the greatest magnitude
to have been pursued to completion, tha
we are aware OF. The work was com
menced in September, 1852, and for min,
months the pick, hammer and drill wa.
applied incessantly-night and day, siA
men at work. Seventy-two days labor ftl
one man was required to remove Is inches
Of rock. Nomore progress was made in th'
soft and shelly places than where the rocl
was hard, as it was next to impt ssible {
prevent the blasts from blowing out bacl
without doing any execut on. Reckoning
the cost of powder, 600 or more pounds,
drills worn out, and labor, 1916 days. a
S.. the tunnel cost S9,337 up to Marcl
18th, 1854. The company have beer
drifting IL months tn ough the bed rock
and are now just getting into the channe
back, having struck gravel overhead
pitching downward. Length of the tun
mel, through solid primitive rock 230 feet
They struck alternate strata Of quartz and
slate the whole distance, and some of the
former was almost impregnable. Where
SO much labor is expended there should be
some return, and we do hope they may
reap rich harvest of slugs in the wash
dirt; which they have every prospect Of
the claims above aud below are all paying
well.
WISCONSIN FLAT.-A company at this
place consisting Of four persons, Messrs
Keelan. Kinney, Buns and Brown, have
been averaging for the past fortnight
twelve to sixteen ounces per day. Three
of them only were employed last Friday
and realized thirty-three ounces.
/ Last Tusday Mr.. Blair's company die
well. One lump was shown US weighing
l6H OF, portion Of the product that day
SNAKE BAR.-Claims on this bar arc
doing remarkably good business. Posey
Co., Of six, average $3.50 per week each.
Ham BAR SL1DE.-Sierra Co., sold out
last week for $1,000 cash; the claims above
them are paying heavy wages. and the
Old Dutch Co., just getting into the lead
average SlOO to 200 per week to the man
The following is from our regular cor
respondent.
FOREST CRY,
March 2lst, 1854. {
Editors Citizen Il had almost declined
the idea OF addressing your columns the
present week Oh account of other business
but my own anxiety to get a proper
knowledge of the mines in this region in
duced me to employ what idle time hat
in visiting the different tunnels and OBJ
serving the process of reapiny fortune
rapidly. My first step was to the Mt
Vernon claim. With MIR. Davidson fol
guide | penetrated the tunnel some three
hundred feet, where the company are sue
cessfully operating. At TINS distance IN
their main tunnel they have run side drifts
and breasted out width Of thirty Or forty
feet safely timbercd, conveying their dirt
by means Of cars. Their proceeds for last
five weeks overrate 700 ounces-6 shares
Shares i'll this company are held ut $1,000
My next visit was to the Empire tun
mel, where was mos, hospitality welcomed
and conveyed through their grounds. re
MIR. Rod gers l hope you will return my
thanks Tor several beautiful specimens
presented m, and taken out while was
i'll their grounds. was shown one lump
taken out by them to-day weighing Az
ounces; several others of smaller size wert
also exhibited. The product of theil
claim to-day amounts to near three and /;
quarter pounds. This tunnel extends five
hundred feet and pays from the margin.--
Shares are rated at 70 GOO and considered
good investments.
/ Buckeye tunnel was next in my way; il
is $50 feet long and pays largely. Last
Saturdays receipts amounted to al o.
They hold their claims sacred and beyond
price. Mir. Wells showed to my astonsh
ment, $l4, 4,767, ,l5c, the gross product Of
tins claim for five weeks.
/ LIVE YANKEE The perseverance oil
the Live Yankees is now being richly re.
warded. Their tunnel extends 400 feet
through hard bed rock, which they toiled
nigh. and day in blasting, and are reali.
zing II to ~ ounces per day-4 hands.
Il Several new tunnels are now III active
operation by companies who have sufficient
means to carry out the project of testing
the flats below town.
i At Spring Hill, west fork of Kanaka
Creek, one and hall miles above Smi h {
Flat, are II to 70 tunnels already .nJ
several more prospective, from some o.
which large prospects were taken. They
intend running farther into the mountain
before washing to any extent.
j The roads are now becoming passable
two trains arrived this week, and yast
number Of strange faces are visible in ou1
town. Let them come-there is room fol
many more. and all who toll and persevere
will lind golden harvest. Yours,
w. b.
EDITORS IN l'ROuRIE-A hncf;lo moot