The Nevada Democrat., 1859-08-24
LETTER FROM s1sKIYoU COUNTY.


Quarts Mining IN Siskiyoa-Pohitical Speeches
Election Prospects, sc.
FRENCH GULcH, Aug 18th 1889.
EDITOR DEMocRAT.-At length have progress
ed far enough through the cares and perplexites at
tendant upon getting settled in a new country, to
find the first opportunity of writing. The Demo-
Graf finds its way weekly to mountain home;
in fact regular have been its visits of Late that
we have began to regard it as fixed institution,
and look with as much pleasure and eagerness as
certainty to its coming.
You will observe by the heading Of this, that
have changed my location, and am now holding
Creek. This place, which have chosen for a home
is within few hours ride of Yreka, and about the
center of the richest mining district in the country
and although but mere village at present, is pos
sessed of advantages that must soon rear large
town. There is scarce a ravine gulch in the Vi
cinity but is paying, will pay, good wages, while
recent prospecting has developed the fact that the
hills are traversed by quartz VEINS which in richness
and extent, equal to those of any other section
of the State. We have a good supply of water, a
daily increasing population, and for vegetable sup
plies are convenient to the beautiful and fertile Scott
Valley as well as the broad fields of Oregon.
Until the past spring but little attention was paid
in this neighborhood to quartz mining. Miners
we're content to follow the water-courses, and from
their beds and banks gather such pay they might
contain leaving hills and fats to the undistnrbed
possession of Diggers and "varmints." At that
time, the quartz excitement which had been raging
in the southern and middle portions of the State
reached here, and about every other man in the
county experienced an ambition to become proprie-
tor of quartz interest. In no part Of Siskiyou,
however, did the excitement attain such pitch as
in this immediate vicinity. Here naerly every body
turned out to prospecting The surface Of the sur
rounding hills was thoroughly picked over, to the
discontinue of their animal and reptile inhabitants,
and wherever appeared an indication upon which
could be based the least suspicion OF the existence
of ledge, notices posted stakes set, and work
began in good earnest Some hauled their rock to
the nearest mill, distant twelve miles, others
structed rude arastras and worked by mule power !;
from these, such prospects were obtained as war
ranted the investment Of capital in working the
ledges, and now within three-fourths of mile of
where l am writing, two mills are being erected, and
a number more are contemplated.
The paying lodes that have seen differ in some
respects from those about Nevada. They lie nearly
due north and south, and are almost perpendicular.
In size, thickness, they average greater, and is
more uniform. The rock is coarser grain and are
less impregnated with iron or suphurets, and much
Of that which pays the best, looks poor that one
from mere sight would pronounce it worthless.
Some that have appears to have been at one
time subjected to very severe heat, and on being
put into water it slacks down like lime. The gold
taken from these lodges is very ine both in grain
and quality, it having assayed as high as eighteen
dollars ounce.
In the vicinity of Mugginsville, few miles from
here there several leads opened which paying
finely. One of these, (the Shores ledgc) has been
worked for sometime, and gained quite reputation
for wealth. saw specimen taken from this vein
some two weeks since, that weighed seven pounds,
about five and half of which was pure gold. The
IUoA taken nVm within rour feet of where this spec
imcn was found, yielded four Thousand dollars
This however, is better considerably than the aver
age pay of even that lead.
do not think that we have here veins of such
fabulous wealth we hear of in other parts of the
State, but l am induced to believe that there are
plenty of them, which under the supervision of ex-
perience, and with proper machinery, will pay from
twenty to forty dollars ton. But enough of quartz
for the present.
As election day approaches, political excitement
increases with us. The strife in this county has
been left entirely to the leadership of the two wings
of the Democratic party, members of other political
denominations being content to range themselves in
the lines, for or against the Administration. The
''big guns" of the campaign have been fred at all
the principal points, and occasional squib goes
of, just to keep up the smell of powder. was so
situated that got to hear but one or two of the
speeches that have been made, but have had a
good opportunity of ascertaining the impressions
created by the speakers. Although not possessed
Of the oratory, or so fowery speaker as some of
his opponents, yet Mr. Broderck in his visit to Sis
kiyou, made many political friends, and succeeded
in destroying much of the prejudice created against
him by lying Journals. His plain, unvarnished
statements and manly avowal Of principle told with
a force that all of Gwins and Latham's sophistry
and annecdote failed to counteract. McKibbin's is
said to have been the best political speech ever de-
livered in Yreka. You may look for a majority in
favor of the anti-Leeompton State ticket in this
county. The county ticket however, may from local
causes, be partially defeated. c. G.