The hydraulic press. (North San Juan, Nev. Co., Cal.) 1858-18??, 1859-02-19

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S'THE FIRST DITCH IN MINEs"-We notice an ar
Gle going the rounds of newspaperdom, bearing the
above caption. The article CONVEYS the intelIieence
that the first ditch for the conveyance of water 10 the
dry diggings was cut in 1859, at Yankee Jims' and
the people down south learning the news that ssome
id fools at Yankee Jim's trying to make the
water, run up HILL rushed there by hundreds. This
may a be true, but you can't prove it by u.s. for we
happened to live there in 1851, and if there had
been any ditch constructed prior to ISL il certainly
must have dried up and blown away before our debut
in that pace.-Ioaca Hu Patriot
We believe the credit of constructing
the first ditch belongs to Nevada county
which has also originated the prin cipar
mining improvements known to the
State. From valuable and interesting
historical sketch of Nevada county,
written by A. A. Sargent, Esq, and
published with the Nevada Directoryi1i
1856, we learn that the first ditch enter
prise in the county was undertaken in
March, 1850. Itwas upon small scale,
and brought water from Mosquito Creek,
distance of mile and half, to old
Cayote Hill. Another ditch, in May of
the same year, took water from Little
Deer Greek to Phelps Hill, short dist
ance. The writer of this article was
mining near CaldwelFs upper store, near
where Nevada was subsequently built,
from January till April 1850, and dis
tinctly remembers using water from the
aforementioned ditch, and having to leave
his claim when the water failed to reach
him. There were quite number of
very small bitches, supplying two Or
three companies each, as early as the
first of March; but most of the miners
were working right in the middle of ra-
vines, and dipped, or led, the water
which ran along the channel, until the
rains ceased, when most of the original
claimants went elsewhere, little dream
ing of the wealth they were leaving.
Now, the number of bitches in Neva-
da county is about eighty-six, with an
aggregate length of nearly seven hun
dred miles, and the cost of their con:
struction is given at s1,700,O0O.
"THE MINERS News This is the
title of new manuscript paper publish
ed at North Bloomfield by Jas. Marriott,
and of which we have received the first
number 1t presents quite neat ap-
pearance, the head being ornamented
by drawing of an honest miner with
his pick and shovel on his way to work.
We extract the following clever hit
at chronic grumblers. The Editor, after
abiding to the ABUNDANCE of water, and
revival of mining activity, remarks:
Cuisines of all kinds is improving,
and we think the hard times are over.
There are many here, however, as well
as elsewhere in the State, who will COM
plain though times be ever so good.
This species of the genus homo is, we
believe, indigenous to every country,
and it is not wonderful that many of
the species should seek an Ell Dorado.
They are generally idlers, or wild, schem-
ing SPECTATORS, who have holy horror
of Ben Franklin's maxims; and when
the tickle goddess fails to shower her
blessings upon them, or the silly goose
ceases to lay the golden egg, their dolor-
Gus lamentations can be heard, like the
hootings of ain owl in some old, deserted
castle"
AS our cotem. intends to devote his
paper to the mining interest, we wish
him success, and will gladly exchange"