Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-09-28

bois Nremonps OaNtofuih WI" i"a"'''
Frequent notices hes been made Of Col Fre
moots California MINIS, and yet the public have
but little idea Of their true value and condition.
Mr.. Greeley spent most Of day in the exam
nation under Col Frcmonts guidance, Of the
mines he is working in Bear Valley, and Of the
mills in which he reduces the rock to separate
the cod and in his letter Of August 18th to
the Tribune, MIR gives the following interest
ing account Of them.
The public are generally aware that Col f.
purchased from a Mexican at an early day a
large tract OF grant OF wild mountain land lJ-
ing among the foot hills Of the Sierra Nevada,
called by the Mexcans Los MaripOsas Qhe
Butterfly, after n wild flower known to abound
here. IL is known also that this tract was
some ycars after discovered or presumed to Be
rich n gold-tle fret piece OF rich Vein.stone
having been takou ont by the propriotors own
haud. II is further known that all manner Of
difficulties and obstructions were interposed TO
defeat the confirmation Of the grant under
which Col L. holds his title, and that pro
tracted and most expensive litigation was thus
forced upon him. Meantime the property was
wholly uDproductivo-that is, TO its owner
and the most inviting portions oft were clutch
ed by squatters, who claimed, as they still claim,
a right to dig its soil into utterly worthless
chasms and heaps in quest of Gold, to cut down
its timber and feed off its grass at their own
discretion, leaving to tho fortunate owner only
the privilege oil paying the taXsp, which under
the management of public affairs by officers
politically and personally hostile TO him, have
been sweed to no less than $4,000 per an
num--his taxes, remember, on an estate which
every body used OF wasted as they ga fit, and
which was yielding him no income whatever
For the feeble efforts at quartz mining made in
his behalf in his years Of absence in the ab
sence too, of all successful experience in such
mining-only served to involve hiIa still more
deeply in debt, which was further swelled by
unfortunate ageucies and business connections,
until the aggregate of his liabilities on account
Of this property can hardly have fallen short Of
half million dollars.
Such were the circumstances under which
ho determined, in 1857. to return TO his Califor-
mia estate, and here, surrounded by his family,
devote all his time and energies to its improve
mont and renovation. In the spirit of that dc
termination he was since lived and labored, ris.
ing with the lark, and striving to obtain a com
plcte knowledge and mastery Of the entire bus
mess taxing more and more labor and respOn-
sibity on his own shoulders as he felt himself
able to bear it, until he is now Manager, Chief
Engineer, Cashier, Accountant, and at the head
of every other department but that Of Law, for
which he fluids it necessary still to rely on pro-
| fessional aid. And his mines are at length be-
coming productive and profitable His first
(seam) mill, nesr his dwelling, runs eight
stamps night and day; his second (watef) mill,
three miles distant, on the MerceJ, at the north
end of his estate, runs twelve stamps, also con-
stantly and the two are producing gold at the
rate of at least S250,O00 per aRnum, at an at
solute cost, am confident, of not more than
$3.50 900. or course he needsl all the profits,
ii not more, to extend and perfect his works,
having already much larger water-mill nearly
ready to 90 into operation beside that on the
Aerced, in which he expects, | believe, to run
fifty.six stamps, and he hopes 20 have one hun
dred in all running before the clsse of 1860
With that number, believe he would be able
! by giving his constant personal attention to
the business, aided by faithful and capable as-
sistants, to realize profit Of at leasts $4,000
per week. which would very soon clear him of
debt aud leave him unincumbsred in the owner
| ship of perhaps the finest Mining property in
the world
Sill, the Spanish proyerb, at takes mine 10
"work a mine, is exemplied in his case IS in
others. A large additional inv, stment is noed-
ed to render his property as productive as it
might be. For instance he has just contracted
for the transpOrtion of 80 600 tuns of vein stone
from his grea. mine to his mill on the Merced
(barey mile and half down hill) for $50, 600.
One.haif of this sum would construct a railroad
from the heart of the miRo down to the floor of
the MILL and take down this amount of rock,
leaving the railroad and $4,000 clear gain
But he must have the rock at once, while TIL
railroad would require time, and a heavy quite
lay of ready cash. A Rothschild would build
the road forthwith, and save $40 600; but Col
F., not being yet Rothschild, whatever he
he may in time become, must bide his time.
His great mine, tie Ugh not the richest, is prob
ably the most clpaclous of any in California
Its thickness varies from eight to thirty. eight
feet-l believe it is in one place sixty feet wide
1t is in fact a cliff or pyramid of gold bearing
quartz inclosed in mountain of Ofslate-amoua-
tain deeply gashed and scanned in various di-
rections by the watercourses which run down il
TO the Mereed These ravines, this river, aided
by proper engineering, obyiate all the usnaly
heavy, often TuinOus expense Of pumping; the |
mine, properly opened, will not only clear it.
self Of water, but the veinstone may be easily |
run out on inclined tramrOads instead of being |
hoisted to the surface through shafts by an |
enormous outlay of power Then the width of |
the vein obviates all necessity for dead work |
save in sinking shafts and running up adits;
the principal work is rather quarrying than |
mining; and there can be no apprehension that !
the vein will give out or grow poor, because it |
has already been tested at its various outcrops
to depth of fifteen hundred feet, and is richer
at the bottom than near the top, where it has |
mainly been worked to this time | have no |
doubt that there are $4,000, 600 in this mine |
above water level-that is the level of the |
Merced-and that, though the yield of
gold thus far has fallen rather below |
$40 per tun, it may even at that rate be
mined at a net profit of at least one-iourth
of the gross product Col f. is confident that
his present works do not separate half the gold |
contained in the rock, and that by the use of
the new amalgamators he is about to apply, |
he will double his weekly product
without an increase of cost. This conviction
IL founded ON chemical experiments and tests
which seem to leave no doubt of the fact that
the additional gold is in the rock, but whether
the means of extracting it have yet been dis.
covered remains to be seen AT all events, |
feel sure that the productiveness of these works
will increase much faster than their expenses, so
long as Col. +. shall devote himself to their
so entirely as he is now doing
In the hands of agents and attorneys, they |
would probably become again what they once |
were, and what all quartz mining works man
aged at second hand have been.
-
Louis Napoleon II Farmer.
The French Emperor has done much of late
4. ~ 4 A Il