The Placer herald., 1857-10-17
Quartz Mining in the 0phir District.


visit TO the scene of these operations in the
early part of the week, for the purpose of
obtaining facts and ascertaining with wha.
success the business was being carried on.
The Empire Mill, at Ophir, owned By
Messrs. Choate, Huston & Co., from its size
and capacity naturally attracted our atten-
ton. This mill was erected in 1856, and
commenced operations in September of that
year. Two batteries, with four square stamps
each, were put up at that time, and were
run until last spring, when, from the fatter-
ing prospects, the propretors were induced
to add more steam and crushing power
These Improvements have caused the mill
to remain idle until within the past few
weeks. A new flue, boiler, and ten revolv-
ing stamps have been added, which now
makes this a first class mill. The engine is
Of forty horse power, and the stamps, eigh-
teen in number, are capable of crushing fifty
tons Of rock in twenty-four hours. The re-
Holving stamps give great satistaction-so
much So that when the stamps with wooden
stems are worn out, they will be replaced
by the former The revolvers are found to
crush faster and wear truer The ten in
use there have crushed forty tons in the
same time the square stamps crushed but
sixteen. The revolving stamps weigh $50
pounds each, and the others 600 pounds
When the mill is run at its usual working
speed, with all the stamps going, 100000
pounds weight are dropped per minute.
The mill is run night and day, and re-
quiIes ten hands--tive on watch The full
complement Of men required to run it to its
full capacity, includi 6 quawymen, team
sters, etc, is sixty. The mill with all the
Improvements upon it cost $4,000.
The company have lodes Of their own,
which they are working, but they also do
custom work, crushing for other companies,
who are now prospecting. None of the
odes have as yet been worked TO any great
depth, the rock being taken from near the
surface, and is easy Of access, as it crops out
Of the high hills near the town
Some of the rock crushed although yield
ing but eight dollars per ton, pays a hand
some profit. This rock is qualried and put
down at the mill, at present, at cost not to
exceed 1925 per ton, and two dollars will
cover the actual cost Of crushing Tie poor
est rock now being crushed pays eight dol
lars, and it certainly looked as if it did net
contain particle Of gold. The company
are working several lodes which pay from
eight to sixteen dollars per ton; and other
claims now being opened are ascertaned to
pay thirty dollars to the ton.
In the saving of gold the Empire Company
follow the very general custom of catching
the sulphurets upon blankets, which are after
wards ground in arrastres, Of which they
have two, and design erecting others The
tailings that escape from the blankets are
caught below the mill in a damn-thcse
are disposed Of to a chemist in Sacramento,
and are a source Of considerable profit. The
amount extracted from them is sufficient
evidence Of the necessity Of some amalga-
mating process by which all the gold can lie
saved in the mills. 1t has been fully demon
strated at this, as wei! as at other mills
throughout the State, that large per CEN
tage Of the gold escapes from the imperfect
modes of amalgamaton. This fact causes
most companies to preserve the tailinss with
view to future working
We were pleased to learn, that the Empire
Company, although but fairly started since
their recent heavy outlay, are making hand
some profits and have no doubt Of success
Their books show the balances on the right
side.
Our attention was next directed to the
Pioneer Mill, at Ophir, driven by water-power.
1t is owned by Naylor & Livingston, and
was erected about eighteen months ago, and
intended as a prospecting mill 1T has one
battery of six square stamps. The driving
wheel is twenty four feet in diameter, turned
by fifty inches of water from the Bear River
Ditch. This mill has been chiefly engaged
in doing custom work for prospecting com
panies, and has crushed rock paying from
five to two hundred dollars per ton. At
present the company are opening lodes that
promise to pay richly the prospects being
remarkably favorable. The crushing capaci-
ty Of the mill is eighty tons in twenty y-four
hours. The mill has been going constantly
since it was built, when water was to be OBJ
tanned, and has paid its proprietors good
profit