Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-10-03
GQortester Daily Spp.
COL. FREMoNTs MINING PROSPECTS,

WA a y HIN .,
Horace Greeley gives the following interest
ing account of Col. Fremonts mining opera.
tons at the foot of the Sierra Nevada
L have already stated that l spent most of
wednesday in an examination under Colonel
tremont's guidance, of the mines he is work
ing IN Bear Valley, and of the mills in which
ne reduces the rock and separates the gold.
l usually observe carefully the rule which en-
joins reserve when addressing the public re-
spectng matters of purely personal and pri-
vate concerns F; but there are circumstances in
the case OF Col. +. which seem to Justify de-
parture from the general usage. Chosen three
or four years since the standard bearer of a new
political organization in an exciting contest.
and exposed, because of that choice, to a tor
rent OF personal defamation which not merely
lmpeached his integrity as a man and his fidel-
lty as public servant but sought to divest
HIM at once Of his name, his religious faith.
and even Of his native land, believe there are
many thousands of Republicans who cherish
for Col. Fremont personal regard and affec
ton which render them profoundly solicitous
with respect to his good or evil fortune 1t is
Tor this class only that | write the following;
The public are generally aware that Col f.
purchased from Mexican at an early day a
large tt ct or grant of wild mountain land w.
ing among the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada
called by the Mexicans Los Mariposas (the
Butterfly after a wild flower known to abound
here. Its known also that the tract was some
years after discovered or presumed to be rich
In god-the first piece of rich vein-stone hay-
ing been taken out by the proprietors own
hand. 1t Is further known that all manner of
difficulties and distractions were interpos-
ed to defeat the confirmation of the grant
under which Colonel Fremont held his IL
tie, and that a protracted and most ex-
pensive litigation was thus forced upon him.
Meantime the property was wholly unproduc-
tye-that Is, to its owner-and the most invi-
ting portions of it were clutched by squatters,
who claimed, as they still claim, right to dig
It's 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, leay-
ing to the fortunate owner only the privilege of
paying the taxes, which under the management
OF public affairs by officers politically and per-
sonally hostile to him, have been swelled to no
less than $4,000 per annum-his taxes, re-
member, on an estate which everybod used or
wasted as they saw fit, and which was yielding
him no income whatever. For the feeble eff
forts at quartz mining made in his behalf in
his years of absence-in the absence, too, of
all successful experience in such mining-only
served to involve him still more deeply in debt.
which was further swelled by unfortunate
agencies 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
he determined, in 1857, to return to his Cali
tornia estate, and here, surrounded by his fam
lily, devote all his time and energies to its i'm
provement and renovation In the spirit of
that determination he has since lived and la
bored, rising with the lark, and striving to OBJ
tain complete knowledge and mastery Of the
entire business, taking more and more labor
and responsibility on his own shoulders as he
felt himself able to bear it, until he is now man
ager, chief engineer, cashier, accountant, and
at the head OF every other department but that
of law, for which he finds it necessary still to
rely on professional aid. And his mines are at
length becoming productive and profitable.
His first (steam) mill, near his dwelling runs
eight stamps night and day; his second (water)
mills, three miles distant, on the MERGED, at the
north end of his estate, runs twelve stamps
also constantly and the two are producing
gold at the rate Of at least S250,000 per annum,
at an absolute cost, am confident, of not more
than $l50,000.
OF course he needs all the profits, if not
more, to extend and perfect his works, having.
already much larger water-mill nearly ready
to go into operation beside that on the MERGED,
in which he expects, | believe, to run ffty-siX
stamps and he hopes to have one hundred i'll
all running before the close of 1860. With that
number l believe he would be able, by giving
his constant personal attention to the business,
aided by faithful and capable assistants, to re-
alize net profit OF at least $4,000 per week,
which would very soon clear him of debt and
leave him unincumbered in the ownership of
perhaps the finest mining property in the
world.
Still, the Spanish proyerb, sit takes mine
to work mine, is eXemplified in his case as
Others. A large additional Investments need
ed to render his property as productive as it
might be. For instance he has ust contract
ed for the transportation of 10000 tons OF vein
stone from his great mine to his mill on the
MERGED (barely mile and half down hill) tor
$4,000. One-haf of this sum would construct
railroad from the heart of the mine down to
the floor of the mill, and take down this
amount of rock, leaving the railroad and S30,.
900 clear gain. But he must have the rock at
once, while the railroad would require time,
and heavy outlay of ready cash. Roths-
child would build the road forthwith and save
$4,000; but Col. +. not being yet Roths-
child, whatever he may in time become, must
blde his time.
His great mine, though not the richest, is
probably the most capaclouS of any in Cali
tOrna. Its thickness varies from eight to thir-
ty-eight feet-I believe it is in one place sixty
feet wide. 1t is in fact cliff or pyramid of
gold bearing quartz enclosed in mountain of
slate-a mountain deeply gashed and scanned
in various directions by the watercourses
which run down it to the MERGED
These ravines, this river aided by proper en-
obviate all the usually heavy, often
ruinous, expense of pumping; the mine,
DnpupI will mn onIV flnar itself pt
water, but the vein-stone may be easily run
out on inclined team roads instead Of being
hoisted to the surface through shafts by an
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 apprehen--
sion 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.
j have no doubt that there are $l0,000 Ill 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 SO per
tun, it may even at that rate be mined at net
profit Of at least one.fourth of the gross pro
duct. 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 ANAL
gamators he is about to apply, he will double
his weekly product without an increase of cost.
The conviction is founded ON chemical expert
ments 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 discovered remains to be seen.
AT all events, l feel sure that the productive
ness OF these works will increase much faster