The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-11-03


creek or dry gulcb. But Chinese bands
of six to twelve wers often hard at work
in these water-courses-Bear River, the
south fork Of the Yuba, &c-diggins aud
washing, with rocker. suice, and a sort Of
wheel and fuae arrangement, which l
did not get the hang Of.
The Chinese are hardly used here. To
the first place, they are taxed four dol
lars each per month for the naked privi-
lege Of mining at all. Next, they are not
allowed to mine anywhere but in diggings
which white men have worked out and
abandoned, or which no white uan con-
siders worth working. Thirdly, if these
rejected diggings happen, in Chinese
bands. to prove better than their reputa-
ton. and to begin yielding liberally a II OBJ
of white sovereigns soon drives the Chi
nese ou: of them, neck and heels john"
does not seem to be very bad fellow,
but he is treated wore than though be
were. He is not malignant nor saDguin-
airy, and seldom harms any but his own
tribe. But he is thoroughly sensual, in
tent on the fullest qualification of his car
nal appetites, and on nothing else. He
eats and drinks the best he can get, aud
as much as be can hold; hut be is never
so devoid of self-respect as to be seen
drunk in public place; even for an opium
debauch. he secludcs himself where noue
but friendly eye can reach him. His
particular vanity" in the eating line is
Rice. whereof be will have the best only
if the best is to be had; be likes fat
chicken also, and will pay his last dollar
for one rather than 60 without. Lacking
the dollar, it is charged that he will rob
hen-roosts; at all events, henroo>ts are
sometimes robbed, and John" has to
bear the blame. He is popularity held to
spend nothing, but carry all bis gains out
of the country and home to his native
land--a charge dlsproved by the fact that
be is an inveterate gambler. an opium
smoker, a habitual rum drinker, and a
deVotee of every sensual vice. But be is
weak in body and not allowed to vote, so
it is safe to trample on him; be does not
write English. and SO cannot tell the sto-
ry Of his wrong; he has no family here
(the few Chinese women brought to this
country being utterly shameless and a.
bandoned). so that he forms no dom estic
ties and enjoys no social standing Even
the wretebed Indians of California repel
with scorn the suggestion that there is
any kinsbip between their race and the
Chinese. John" has traits which can
neither praise nor justify; yet l suspect
that, If other mems faults we're punished
as severely as his, good many Califor-
mans would be less CO u Portable than they
are.
AS to Quarz- Mining-or the reduc-
ton to powder of the vein-ston wherein
gold is contained, and the extraction of
the gold from the powder, by means Of
water, quicksilver, &c.-I judge that the
time has not even yet arrived for its prof
liable prosecution. There are conspicu-
Gus instances of its success, that of the
concern as "Allison's Rancho" in Grass
Valley. for example-but l am confident
that fully three out of every four quartz
mining enterprises have proved failures,
or have at best achieved no positive sue
cess. The current estimates of the yield
of gold By quartz rock are grossly exag-
gersted. | judge that the average yield
of gold by quartz vein-stone is less than
twenty dollars per tun-barely one cent
per pound-and that this yield will not
pay the average cost of sinking shafts,
running drifts or adits, pumping out wa
ter, raising ore (and an immense aggre.
gate of dead rock with it). crushing it,
and extracting the gold, in country
where common labor costs S2z to So per
day. At $40 per tun of vein stone. quartz
mining might pay; but where one vein
yields $40 per ton, there are many which
yield less than $50. There are some in
stances of profitable quarts-mining by
men on the spot who thoroughly under
stand their business; but have not heard
of an instance in which money has been
invested in quartz. mining, by persons out
of California, who have not lost every far
thing of it.
/ think the most popular form of Mi
ming at present is that of sinking or draf-
ting into hills which have stratum of
gravel at or near their base, directly o.
verifying the bedrock. Mauy of these
hills would seem to have been piled, in
some far-off, antedluvian period, upon
bed or basin of solid granite, which often
holows or dips toward its center like
saucer. Ii, then, a tunnel can be run in
through the "rim rock" or side of this
saucer so happily as to strike the level OF
the bottom. thereby drsing off the water,
and affordDg the utmost facility for ex-
tracing the gold bearing gravel, the for
tune of the operator may be made by one
lucky. or better than lncky, operation
In few instances, these sutterranean
gravel basins would seem to have formed
parts of the beds of a0cient rivers. and so
to be extraordinarily rich in the precious
dust. In some cases, the ''pay dirt is
hauled by steam up an inclined plano,
or even raised perpendicalarly by wind
lass. but it is easier to extract it by
horizontal drift or tunnel. wherever pos
sibe. Many mines of this order are