San Andreas independent., 1856-11-01
San Andreas Fluming Company

is no doubt the Company will meet with sue
cess the feasibility of the plan is self-evident.
In fact we know of no other mining, by the
fiuming process, where appearances are 50 Ia
vorable as in the operations OF this Company
The San Andreas creek has been one OF the
richest in this county, and has as much mining
ground yet in its channel, and on its borders as
any other Gulch of the same length in Califor-
mia The Creek, commencing at jerks Ranch,
and winding round, down stream, to below the
lclaim of Mr. John Jones, forms crescent, San
Andreas being located within the radius. This
section of the creek, in places, is almost level
fiat, of only about four inches fall to the lineal
rod. Mining in the stream heretofore, has been
with few exceptions above the lara; and under
the present arrangements of grade, &C., the
Fluming Company's Ditch, by draining off the
surplus water will enable all the claims to be
worked down to the bed-rock-at the same
time rc-wash and remove the scoria and sedi-
ment above the lava, which has been success
fully worked over every winter since lS49
Along San Andreas creek courses two chan
nels the one now worked, which carries the
water and drift of winter-AoOds, is above the
lava the other q blind channel, is below the
lava. The upper channel has been very rich
and still continues to yield well, when there is
sufficient water to work it. The lower, or blind
channel, is equally rich, wherever the ledge has
been struck and has proved as good if not better
than the surface channel. The lower channel
is undoubtedly a formation made anterior to
the deposit now known as lava, and has an in
dependent course ut variance with any of the
landscape appearances Of the present surface.
This lava so far as we know, land it is found
in all the shafts yet sunk from Forman's to
Gold HILL has about an average level, and is
seen in every place only where the ledge rises
higher than its level, varying from one to thirty
feet in thickness. In San Andreas Gulch from
jerks ranch to Gold Hill, the lava averages
from 10 to l3O feet in thickness underneath
tthe lava are beds of old streams filled up with
lred, iron-ruSted sand, gravel and large boulders,
of granite, quartz, and slate rock. Some pla-
,ces the lava and bedrock join, so that the shaft
frequently ends where the two extremes of
poverty, lava and LEDGE meet. But in nearly
every instance where IL sufficency of sediment
.ary matter is found in the space between
ithe lava and the ledge, rich-paying dirt reward
ed the miner. 1t is Il fact, that more than one
half of the holes yet sunk, has failed to pay re-
lmunerativcly on account of water coming in so
to prevent the shaft reaching the bedrock ;
and the deeper the ledge-rock the richer is
the pay-dirt when once it is struck. A shaft
near the Gold Hill House, abandoned on ac-
count of water and quick-sand was sunk l30
feet without finding bottom, and no signs were
discovered to indicate how much further below
was the ledge. Some of the shafts on the hill
side opposite Jones claim, were sunk from
sixty to ninety feet, without finding the ledge
when too much water suspended operations
All these deep holes are supposed to be in the
bed of the lower or blind channel. Wherever
rich diggings have been struck, in the channel
underneath the lava, the golden deposit was on
the rm-rock, above the water level; this is the
case in King Il Aliens claim, and all the rich
claims adjacent At McFals and the old Dun
ming claim, Haskells and several others down
the gulch, where pay-dirt has been struck, the
of the ledge-the centre of the gulch, could
not be prospected on account of water This
blind guleh runs parallel with the present
surface gulch, on the north side, and crosses
this side of the Gold Hill House to the south,
coursing through Gold Hill to the Calaveras
The history of these natural features will
explain, in part, the objects of the San Andreas
Fluming Company, which are us numerous rs
the advantages they possess; the two most
important are to drain the under-channel and
thoroughly work the surface gulch.
In November, of last year, a company of five
persons, each man holding one share was
organised, and commenced operations on the
rocky abutments that form the rim of the basin.
about three-fourths of mile below town
through which the fiume will extend and made
progress by laying down 500 feet of fuming.
with rifle boxes, &c. attached; but NOTHING
more was done at that time, for want of water.
This being the oldest fiume, of course, the Com
pany claim priority of tluming rights, to the
gulch. and to the water which their entrprise
may drain from the springs in the BASIN
This fall. the Company, consisting of J. T
Treat Knight 4 Cooper, Daniel Pilsby, Wood
Knight and Alexander Wyllie renewed Their
undertaking, and have already laid over loC
feet of new fume, the bed of which has fall
of. fourth of an inch to the foot, and will
entirely drain the surface gulch, as where the
tipme crosses Main street, it will be twenty
feet below the surface. They are now work
ing six feet below the lava surface
1t is the intention of the Company, as soon as
sufficient water is in the gulch to work their
sluices, to wash the surface dirt down through
the sluioipg fume also, the 1ume will receive