The hydraulic press., 1860-01-07
TIMBUCToo AND ITS MINES.

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name, as we are told, to the humor of some
early rhiners who so christened the diggings
because they were first worked by negro.
The town is situated in Yuba county, mid
way between Marysville and North SanJuam,
about eighteen miles froth each place, on the
side of a long ravine which empties into the
Yuba river short distance below Roses
Bar. The hills surrounding it command a
fife view IF the Sacramento Valley with the
dreamy, purple-haed Buttes rising is land
like in the midst of the plain, while further
in the distance stretches the long waving
line Of the Coast Range, at this season gilt
tering in a mantle of snow. The climate
here, unlike that of many other foot-hill
towns, is quite healthy, though the summer
heat is excessive. The population of the
place is hot far from six hundred, of Whom
upwards of three hundred are voters-the
majority Republican-ahd large prop6r-
tion natives ofMaine;and other New England
States The Wothen are intelligent aid la
dy-lfke; the men honest, econothical and
industrious, Willing to perform ahy honora-
Die labor and given to careful Investments
of their earnings There are gamblers, idlers,
and stffl thorc vicious drones, here as eve
rywhere else in California, bit they are less
numerous than ih any other mining town of
equal size With which We are acquainted
| ~, of
white, cIean1y houses nestled down among
the green foothills, and spreading its pretty
cottages and gardens out upon their slopes,
is very bright and pleasing. The only no.
ticeabe buildings are two fre-proof bricks,
belonging to McAllis & Gordon and Mr..
Stewart, pretty theater capable of seating
about four hundred owned by Mr.. Van
Vackter, and a meeting house, which was
built by public subscription of 81 ,000, Mrs.
Boyd raising the money in one day. Closely
adjoining Timhuctoo are the smaller villa
ges of Sucker Flat Smartsville, Temperance
Hill and MONEYS Flat On Temperance
Hill are several handsome cottage residen-
ces, surrounded by gardens, the brick Office
of the Tri-Union Canal Company, and
Masonic Hall. At Smartsville there is
Catholic Church, for the Accommodation of
the large Irish population which pfedomi-
mates in ali the localities named, except
Timbuctoo.
The aiggings of Timbuctoo mostly consist
of gently-rounded gravel hill, about one
mile long and perhaps not over fifteen hum
tlred feet wide, with an altitude above its
base of about three hundred feet. This hill
lies in northeast by southwest direction,
between the large ravine whore the town is
on one side, and the Yuba river on the other.
1t is partly bisected by small gulch. The
gravel which is very coarse and easily
washed, but for intermediate strata Of "pipe
clay" and indurated sands not less than
towards the river, and rests upoii trap rock,
which is highest next the stream. The first
deposition upon the rock is a stratum of
cemented blue gravel, deriving its color and
hardness from iron sulphurets, and veryrich
in gold worth SIS 80 per ounce. Overlying
this is a thick stratum of indurated clay or
sand-for it Varies in character-containing
some gold but indissoluble except after being
cut up and long exposed t5 air aid water.
The blue gravel Beneath has to be drifted
out and is washed several times in success
sion, through sluices, the tailings being saved
by means of dams and allowed to ''slack."
Above the clay stratum the gravel is yellow
! and grey, very coarse, crumblng down
readily beneath the action of one hundred
inches of water forced against it from hose
and pipe. This top-gravel, as it is called, is
from one hundred to one hundred and forty
feet thick, and is washed off entirely by the
hydraulic process The auriferous particles
are not distributed through it uniformly but
are found most plentifully in 'sstreaks," or
thin strata following the plane of the bank.
Some of these strata, lying fifty and one
drifted and paid from FIVE to ten dollars
day per nian. The gold in the top gravel is
remarkably fine in quality, commanding from
sic 20 to Sl9 80 per ounce from buyers;
and assaying as high as 9s7-lOOO:
The aigginss We're discovered about eight
yeats ago BY parties following Up ravines
from the river. One of these ravines Con-
tanned great deal of earth that yielded one
dollar to the bucket. The blue gravel in the
hill was much better. As an instance of
this we were told that tel dollars had Beeri
obtained from single prospect; and three
claims; worked 10y Antune; Burgoyhe and
| Boyd, yielded in something over two 5eafs,
about 100000; sevefal parties buying in
sutcessively at round prices and going home
With $1,000 or $4,000 not long AFTERWARDS.
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