San Andreas independent., 1857-01-31
LETTER FROM MoKELUMNn HUI.
MokELuMNE HILL. Jan. 90. 1857.

MoKELUMNE HILL, JAM 20, 1857.
Mr.. EDITOR Believing that subject
pertaining to the mining interests, would
be acceptable to your readers. I wish to
contribute few ideas for the purpose of
engaging the attention, and enlisting the
action of those, who, through your columns,
by their education and experience. are
competent to enlighten our Woodworking,
persevering miners, SO that their labory
may be rightly directed. The cause of
nearly, if not all of the failures of the in
dustrious miner, to realize remuneration
for his labor, is owing to the want of a
proper knowledge of the places where cold
would be most likely to be deposited.
| 1t is true, that in searching for gold in
drift, the miner generally directs his at
tention to quartz boulder formations. Thus
far, he is right; but quartz boulders are
formed from quartz rocks, which, in con-
sequence of decomposition, or wearing
away of the material inclosing the veins,
have been broken off, and by some natural
cause, worn so as to form boulders. That
these boulders have been broken. and
drIfted from auriferous, or non-auriferous
quartz veins, is undeniable; and upon the
former richness of the veins from which
they have broken, depends the richness of
the deposit in which they are found. We
would therefore suppose that the nearer
we approached the auriferous quartz vein
from which the boulders were broken; or
where the greatest crushing of the rocks
had taken place, we should find the richest
deposit of drift. To this however, we are
aware there are exceptions, especially where
the vein is cut crosswise by a deep gulch
or ravine; if the gulch or ravine descends
from the vein down steep declivity, the
gold will naturally be carried to the bottom,
or be deposited in crevices For proof of
the assertion that the richer deposits of
gold are found near the auriferous veins from
which the boulders were broken we would
refer to Poison Gulch near the head of
Rich Gulch, northeast of Mokelumne Hill:
or the claims of Mr.. Capps; also other
claims West of Mokelumne Hill. IF proof
is wanted of rich deposits where the great
est crushing of the rock has occurred, we
refer to Stockton Hill and in relation to
gulches and ravines, instances are SO nu-
merous as to render it unnecessary to re-
fer to any particular locality.
In some sections of the country the
aurlferous quartz range is much wider
than IN others. The drift deposits eener-
ally cross the quartz veins diagonally, and
sometimes are several miles in extent
The labors of the miner have shown us
that the wide ranges of drift are more
dlthcult to prospect than the narrow ones,
the gold being dispersed through the drift
extending over larger superficial area
or, if the gold is confined to narrow limits
within the wide range it is more difficult
to ind Narrow deposits are easier pros
pected, though it frequently happens that
the wide range is as easily prospected and
as profitaby worked as the narrow one,
there being outlets from the main leads
running through those deposits and break
ing out into the gulches and ravines along
the hlll-sides. Prospecting for deep dig
glngs IN drift below where an adit level
can De obtained for draining them is gen.
eraily an unsuccessful operation. Insink
ing shafts for this purpose, the miner gen
orally encounters various difficulties. such
as the caylng IN of the sides of the shaft;
an lnconvenient amount of water; bad air:
rendering 1t almost impossible to reach
the bedrock, and if successful in reacbino
It, he seldom finds gold enough to paw for
the labor and money expended.
H. T. w.