San Andreas independent., 1858-04-03
Some Remarks Upon The California
Gold Mines

Gold Mines.
In the lecture delivered by DIR. Veatch, on
Thursday evening last, before the Young Mems
Christian Association, he gave comprehen-
sive review of the mineral resources of the
State, adverting briefly to all the most valua-
BILE minerals found in the State. The follow
ing are some of the remarks which he made
upon the gold mines:
"With regard to gold mining in California,
| it differs from that of other countries only IN
the gigantic energy with which tbs driven for
ward, and the many ingenious devices adopted
to obtaining it, and enable men to operate on
the largest possible quantity OF material with
the greatest dispatch and least labor am
speaking now only of the placers. The I'M
provements in the art of washing have been
of the most striking and important character,
and bid fair to bring within remunerative
bounds, millions of acres OF placer grounds,
now too poor to work. The most striking I'M
provement consists in the introduction OF n.y.
draulic power where, with the force OF Jet
of water, driven by its own pressure, through
leathern or gutta-percha hose, one man is
able to perform the work OF host OF laborers.
Immense accumulations of clay and sand and
and swept away into the long sluice-troughs
prepared for the purpose, where the heteroge-
neous mass is rushed along, the golden parti-
cles separating by their gravity from the invol-
wing matters, and resting on the bottom of the
trough, while all lighter substances are carri-
ed away. The sluce-troughs vary in length
from few hundred feet to several hundred
yards, and some even to a mile. With all the
ingenuity and skill, however, of the most ex-
perienced washer, immense quantities OF gold,
in exceedingly minute particles are still lost,
and will ever be the case, until advantage can
be taken of other properties of gold than that
of its specific gravity alone to save 1t. do
not despair of seeing this much desired i'm
provement successfully operating at no distant
day; and with such an improvement, not only
will an enormous area be added to our work
ing gold fields, but the old placers will pay re-
working, and again yield golden tribute to the
supremacy of labor.
The true and legitimate gold interest, how
ever, lies in the quartz veins, where capital
and business tact, where science and skill can
make a sure investment. 1t were much to be
desired on more grounds than one, that this
branch of the business could be extended
The nature of quartz mining is such that it
creates a stable and fixed population, where
men surround themselves with homes and
home feelings, and does not impose the no.
madic life led by the placer miner.
Quartz mining would have another great
moral influence in the regularity of its yield,
without subjecting men to these freaks of for
tune alternately elating and depressing the
hopes until its mark is made on the charac-
ter-until men become the wild and reckless
beings We unfortunately too often see among
miners.
The enormous productiveness of some of
our quartz leads, has heretofore stimulated
men into the most wild and reckless specula-
tions-which, unbacked by any rational foun-
daton, have, of course, proved failures, and
thus sunk the character of that kind of busi-
ness as much below its real worth, as the san
guine hopes of inexperienced men had lifted
it above the right standard.
The most fruitful source of disappointment
lies in the fact that no means have been disco
vered applicable to working scale where all
the gold can be separated and saved from its
rocky matrx. One cause seems to be the ex-
ceedng minuteness of the precious particles
and another, that other minerals, by their pre-
sence, destroy their affinity for mercury-thus
rendering nugatory the only means now known
and relied upon to save the gold.
The interfering matter seems to be mostly
an ore of iron known as sulphuret of that
metal. | have here a specimen Of the sulphu-
ret, which, by assay in this city, is found to
contain gold in the proportion of 500 to the
ton This has been once operated upon at a
mill, and the rate of $50 per ton extracted,
which is all that can be obtained by the quick
silver process-and thus 500 is thrown away
for every $40 gained. There is now probably
many millions of dollars worth of gold lying
neglected around the various quartz mills, as
no means have yet been found to unlock the
iron prison, and free the yellow grains to
gladden. the heart and fill the purse of the
weary miner.
A crown of golden glory awaits the lucky
discoverer who hits upon the means of work.
ing the sulphurets, and this discovery would
at once place quartz mining upon the footing
of permanency, so much to be desired I
would state that series of experiments are
now being made which bid fair to solve the
refractory problem.
Fears were excited at the early discoveries
in California, that gold would speedily depre-
ciate in value. These fears were by no means
allayed when Australia began to yield her
monthly millions, but, as yet the threatened
calamity has not appeared, and | would like
that time permitted me to show what, to my
mind is conclusive evidence that no material
depreciation can take place, should the present
annual yield continue for ages. A new era is
inaugurated in the East and in American and
European coin is flowing in continually and
rapidly increasing stream, to new commercial
centcrs. Silver goes first, and as one coin be-
comes a commercial necessity, all others will
follow it, and the silver that made room for
gold, will again seek its commercial level, and
flow back to Europe. The relative value of
the metals, will not, probably, soon be dstur-
bed in any material degree.
The price of labor seems to have increased;
but this is more apparent than real, for let us
reflect that the appliances of labor are so much
improved that the value of days work, in its
results, over and above that of former times
even of recent date-has more than kept
pace with the advance of wages.
In connection with gold, might be mention
ed the associated metals that occur generally
with it. Platinum is found almost uniformly
in the same localities with placer gold, and oc-
ours in grains and in Jumps, sometimes weigh
ing several pounds. 1t is, however, not conf
ned to gold placers, but has marked geologi-
cal position in the greensboro diorite, and 9TH
er igneous and eruptive rocks. 1t is found
most abundantly in the Ural chain, in SER