San Andreas independent., 1857-04-25
Mines. Mining and Ranching.

l
seen, and spend day in pleasant recreation
among the hills and fats, creeks and gulches,
which are literally the ups and downs of the
mines and mining life The air was warm and
breeze cool-the trees green, birds singing, aud
flowers blooming-all the beauties of spring
combined in one grand panorama seemed painted
on hillside and dale, more elegant than any OF
the landscape pictures of painter or poet. On
the stage was an orchestra of singing birds,
humming insects and gaudy butteraies-ea
as they acted well their part, vieing with the
other in deserving applause-again singing new
songs and exhibiting richer beauties, as if en-
cored to the effort.
The hill-tops are already visibly effected by
the drouth, and are putting on the sombre
brown of autumn garb. At Jenk's ranch we
naticed that the crops are also suffering, for the
want of rain; the wheat and barley has a deli
cate appearance, and stands, thnly clad and
trembling like an old q bruiser," waiting for a
drop of something to drink. At Norman's
ranch the crops looked something better, espe-
cially that on the north side of the road ap-
peared firm, and strong, as if lately rejuvenated
by the water-cure process.
On all the different gulches leading into
Vague Camp, miners were busy at work-some
working the surface, by sluicing down to the
bed rock, others diggin, deep cuts into adioin-
ing banks, preparing for ground sluicing, or to
use the hydraulic. On the south side of Yaque
Gulch, several extensive hydraulic claims are
now successfully worked. The Table Mountain
Ditch furnishes water for most of the mining
now done in this vicinity. All along the Old
Gulch road, more or less mining operations are
visible. On French Gulch, the most extensive
operations are to be found. Every foot in
length and width of the gulch is claimed, and
dustrious miners. This section of the mines,
on account of no water has been but little pros
pected heretofore. want which is now reme-
died by the Table Mountain Ditch Several
hundred miners are now proftably employed
on French Gulch, most of them making from
five to ten dollars per day. and few from TWEEN
ty to fifty dollars per day to the hand. Cabins,
at intervals, line the gulch on either side, and
several new houses were being erected Pass
ing the guch where the road is entirely cut up
by mining operations, and bank dggings, we
crossed the ridge which divides French Gulch
from Old Gulch, and soon came on the bright,
new houses of the now fourishing Old Gulch
(Orendale) camp, the present headquarters of
| fbo Tah tI,o
rillform county seat After sampling some of
Peter Thompson's best ale and cigars, at the bill
lizard saloon, and passing the compliments of the
day with Mr.. Osborn, of the Old G,.lch store
we called at the 50 Water Office, where our old
friend from the TuleS, Mr.. John McNish, pre-
sides; who at our request, very kindly pointed
out the new survey, Courthouse square, and
new jail-plot with the different lots very liber-
ally and properly reserved for school and
church purposes AT the intersection of Main
street and Broadway (not far from Centre ST. J,
we located place for a printing Office, but af-
terwards learned that it was the property of
stockholders in the Orendale Bank, which bank
is supposed to have on deposit large amount
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and crowbar, in few days by miners, for mi
ming purposes.
Mr.. Seth Blanchard is genius who solitarily
thrives away up at the sources of the ditch,
which are quite as unexplored to us and the
g balance of mankind" as the sources of the
Nile. Seth is death on gophers they dig holes
in the banks and let off the aquaeous fluid
kind of small fry gamblers, which, without any
capital of their own, are always tapping other
folks banks. Seth wishes to contract for forty
thousand Thos Malice cats, to catch hundred
thousand gophers, payable in Adams & Cos
paper; we, refusing the " tangible" declined
the adU., but give this notice gratis. Seth hav-
ing some near neighbors (about four miles from
his cabin) of the Asatic persuasion and uatic
type,-for six months the Foreign Miners Tax
Collector never disturbed the fraternal feel
ings of these hermit sages,-until finally our
worthy waterman found himself an unwilling
party to the following proposition in Euclid =
minus one sack of -four, ptus two hens; the hens
are now laying eggs which he uses as loga-
rithms to work out the problem. After testing
some of as good old rye as ever crossed the
Monongahela, fresh from the family jug, and
getting under our great load of astonishment
because the author of the hen story and the cat
advertisement refused to "splice the main
brace" We left for Beattys ranch on the Calave-
ritas.
| Keeping on the south side of the ridge be-
tween Old Gulch and French Gulch, through
rich mining section, we soon left the main road
and pitched precipitously down Rum Gulcb, to
the Calaveritas, near Beatty's ranch. This is
one of the 6nestranches in the county, and the
proprietor appears to be exercising very liberal
views and good taste in its cultivation The
Improvements are of permanent nature, and
the gardens carefully planted and properly irri-
I I'D NJ. D.. e. = L L 1