Amador weekly ledger., 1858-02-20
LANcHA PLANA, Feb. II, 1858.

and interesting as any other portion, either
for beauty of scenery, richness Of the mines,
or reliable nhabitants--those who will do. to
bet on in any emergency. A more perse.
yerng set of miners are not gathered togeth.
cr in any other camp in the State and in
proof of this last assertion, the doubter need
only be pointed to the large openings made
in the banks, the deep claims worked out,
the sluices set deep in the bed rock, and the
tunnel claims worked under every disadvan-
tage.
A stroll around town would show you the
claim Of Mr. Cochran, which produces, ac-
cording to rumor, at least 5000 week. The
owner of this claim is one of the right kind
of miners--is not to be banked by any COM
mon impedment. He is now running tun-
mel in solid rock for the purpose Of tailrace;
it is now one hundred and eighty-fve feet
long, and is to be four hundred and ten in
length, when completed. In the same vicini-
ty are claims Of 10y & Co., paying $40 a
day. of Larry, paying $s; of Magraw & Co.,
paying $13; of Weaver 4 Elliott, Wagner,
Hall & Co., and Comfy & Co., yielding an
average of at least S4 per day to the hand;
of Bennett; Keith & Wilson, and Waddell
& Co., in regard to which l did not get any
definite information The Smith (negro)
claim pays from $5 to Sc day. All these
claims are worked with hydraulics; the wa
ter being obtained from the ditch Of Messrs.
Proctor, Walker & Co, furnished at two bits
an inch. This ditch gets its supply from
Jackson Creek, about four miles below Jack
son. 1t has furnished more water this season
than at any previous one. The energetic
proprietors have not confined themselves to
their ditch operations alone, but have laid
down fume eleven hundred feet long that
passes off the tailngs from several good
claims This is as good an investment or
better than any ditch stock.
West of the town is sandy hill or bluff
in which are several tunnels large enough to
admit horse to draw out the cars Of dirt;
the pay being below the mouths OF the tun-
nels, the tracks are on an inclined planes so
much so that man power would hardly be
Sufficient to bring the earth to the surface
The following companies own claims in this
hill, DIR. Beck a. Co., May & Co., Cook,
Shoemaker & Co., Herrick & Co., aud Bibb
& Co. These claims are valued at 81 800
each. A third interest in the first named
could be sold at any timr for more than one
third Of that amount
On the fat below town, a number Of
Frenchmen are at work, making large wages
They have quite camp, graced by the pres
ence Of several French ladies. Nearer town
is the claim of Thomas Love, the constabu-
larry force of this city. Thomas is the same in
mining as in legal matters; he makes no "aon
comeatibus IN sioampO' returns ;he catches his
men, and his gold also; the latter to the tune
of sS a day.
Directly in town are some tunnel claims,
the tunnels of which have been bored to $2 so
a day dirt; but fifty feet further in the pros
poets obtained by sinking shafts, show at
least So day diggings One Of these claims
is owned by Mr.. Isaac Pierce & Co., keeper
of the United. States Hotel; which, by the
way, is first rate house, well kept and rem
dered more pleasant by the kind attentions
of Mrs. Pierce Mr.. Pierce is an enterpri-
sing man, and is engaged in mining operations
in different parts Of Amador county
This place was in early days the resort Of
large numbers of Mexicans; from them it
received its name of "Lancha Plana," which
signifies "boat landing or something of the
kind owing to the fact that the ferry, for
crossing the Mokelumne river, was here. My
authority for this is certain deep read
Judge" whose word is law in these parts.
Very many have recently gone from here
to the new diggngs around Camanche, Or
Limerick, as many insist on calling it), so
that just at present the place does not wear
its usual lively appearance, but the boys will
come back to their old home. There have
been many rich scenes at Camanche, lately,
in the belligerent line. Fights for claims
have been of hourly occurrence for week
past. The new ditch brought water into
camp last Saturday. and every body wanted