The Georgetown news., 1855-11-08
QunItH Mining.

Considerable excitement prevails at pre-
sent in different portions Of our State ana
particularly in Ell Dorado County IN re-
gard to auriferous quartz veins, and large
amount of capital is now being invested IN
this branch of mining. Almost every day
we hear of new and substantial companies
being formed for the purpose OF prospecting
or erecting mills in this or that section Of
our comfy. How can We account for this
diversion? Why, in this way: quartz mills
in our midst that have been in successful
operation for a few months past, are paying
from 10 to so per cent. per month on the
capital stock invested. We are, like all
other civilized nations Of the earth, an ava
ricious people, and it is not all singular then
that we should become absorbed and direct
our whole attention in the same way and af-
ter the same manner that others do in our
midst, who are lining their pockets with the
shining lucre, through a source wherein the
accumulation Of wealth, is comparatively
easy of access.
After the quartz mania abated in 1852,
1t was the almost universal opinion that
there were but very few veins, if any, in this
section, that would ever pay for working,
and consequently those in quest Of the pre-
cious metal, turned their attention to other
and safer modes Of acquiring it. Tunnel
ing then became the alI-absorbng topic,
and the thousands who have been engaged
in this branch Of mining for the past four
years, have to a certain extent, exhausted
these kind Of diggings. The placer dig
gings too in a great degree, have become
scarce, and consequently labor has become
much cheaper, and the facilities for separa-
ting and extracting gold from quartz are
such, that almost every particle can be sa-
we'd. Taking this view Of the subject then,
it is not at all surprising, that auriferous
quartz veins pay 50 well for working at the
present day. With continual influx of
population into our country, labor will be-
come still cheaper and this branch Of min
ing much better.
We are surprised to see that the people
of Georgetown and the immediate vicinity
are not more active in opening auriferous
quartz veins and erecting mills thereon
There is no doubt but there are as rich veins
here as can be found anywhere in Califor-
MIA. We have every facility for working
machinery. Water-power can be obtained
at several points, and that too, where our
richest hill and placer diggings are at pre-
sent and have been heretofore. To be sure,
we often hear this subject discussed, but
know of no Developments being made, for
the very reason that our mining population
are dormant in this respect.
When gold was first discovered in this
country it was thought by many that ere
this time the mines would be worked out.
What mistaken idea this was; the resour-
ces Of the country are just beginning to be
developed. The mines never will be ex-
hausted, they are as permanent as the "ey-
erlasting hills" In early times it was sup
posed that the rivers, canons, &C., contain
ed all the gold, and the country was run
over hastily by those who wanted to make
their piles" in few months, and the CON
sequence is, we find many old "residenters"
in our midst who are poorer than when they
came. How vastly different it is with those
coming into the country at the present
time. They are content to settle down per-
manently in some mining locality, and there
remain and make what they can, and event
ually they viii secure handsome compe-
tency.