The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-04-21

JfuN1 - BoCxy A0uutasn NSwss
oREeoRY-MoUNRAaN CITY-TlIE sBA-
nOUNplN0 aINRk AND PROSPECTS.

JfuU1 - HoCxy A0uutusn NSwss
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. CITY-rHE sUa-
AOUNDlN0 MINES, AND fR0sPEcTs.
Since our last issuewe have spent couple
of days IN locking around through the
| mountain minas. There are four or I'VE
thousand men at work in the vicinity, either
mining, or preparing to begin as soon as the
weather is more favorable.
! For two or three weeks past, the weather
| has been squally and cool, SO that but little
| could be done in the way Of washing, but
| the time is being improved in digging
bitches, building. dams, and preparing
sluices. Mining in leads goes on without
much impeachment from inclement weather,
except that no washing is done. The rock
and dirt is taken out and piled up in readi-
n. 90 for warm weather.
Three quartz mills nre running, and doing
good service. Two of them have recently
changed hands; one of them lntely set up,
and just started running, by Messrs. Clark,
/ Vandeventer 4 Co., was sold on Saturday
last, for Sis 900, very respectable advance
on first cost, 81 1900; at the foundry in
Chicago. The mill is u seven horse power
engine, with six stamps. IL is n beautiful
piece of workmanship and works to perfec-
ton. The Purchasers were Alexander Il Co.,
who have claims on the Gnnnell Lead. from
which they have already taken out and piled
| on the surface several hundred cords of pay
dirt and rock, that will yield from six to
eight hundred dollars per cord. They will
no doubt, realize more than the extra cost
of their mill before they could transport
one from the States.
The Prosser mill which has for some time
been out of repair and working badly, was
last week taken in hand by Mr.. Frazier
the Chicago machinist, Of whom we have
before spDken-who has again made it rs
good or better than new.
! Preparations are making for the erection
of number of mills that are now on the
way, or soon to leave the Missouri river
In several places we noticed the timber on
the ground and framed, and foundations
prepared for the speedy erection Of the
mill buildings. Most of the new mills will
be very large; ranging from thirty to eighty
h re power.
The 'Guunell Lead is opened in a number
| of places, to depth of sixty to ninety feet,
Shafts have been sunk along it for some
! thousands of feet, and are progressing
steadily downward.
When it was first opened early in the
winter-the miners, fearing severe cold and
1 deep snow, erected cabins over the shafts.
so that its course Is marked by line Of log
huts, in each of which is a windlass, and on
one side ridge of refuse rock and dirt, and
on the other similar, Or larger pile or ridge
| of pay dirt.
We descended one shaft on this lead to q
depth of sixty. five feet. The opening is
from FIVE to eight feet wide, and nearly per-
pepdicular. iHciining n litt.et to the S. Il. The
crevice at THAT depth is about fourteen inches
wide; the pay-dirt, quartz and partially de-
composed iron pyrites. resembling somewhat
refuse coal and cinders, and of blush
black color.
The Gunncl is, no doubt, the richest lead
yet opened to any considerable depth. Its
outside appearance is not better than that
of HUNDREDS of others. In some places shafts
have been sunk twenty-five and thirty feet
before finding the color. In the deepest
shafts the crevice frequently closes up and
| IS found again after blasting through some
FEET of solid rock. After passing such
schockes" it is invariably fe und richer than
above.
| The Seereto Lead, about which there was
30 much excitement few days since, is
being opened along it's entire known length.
No dirt has yet been washed, or quartz
crushed from it, except by way of prospect
ing. The quartz prospects rich near the
surface. No shafts have yet been sunk to
a greater depth than fifteen feet. The
handsomest specimens we have ever seen
were taken from the s'discoycry hole'' on
this lead. They are "quartz and eold,o
s'wire gold" and sssheet gold,n the latter
ike dentists plate. One specimen of the
latter, of the size of small peach, very
incaliy resembles a rose; being formed Of
leaves, fast to stem and folding over each
other. Hidden in the folds of the leaves
are little quartz crystals, similar in size anu
shape, to grains of rice. What the real
value of this Sccreto lead may be has yet
to be proven. 1t was found-so we learn.
ed--by Il .'Goldometer'' or .:magic haii.''
Whether the 'smagic hall2 man will there
by make capital, or confidence in necro-
nancy be infused into the minds of miners,
or not, we arc unable to say bat are of
the opinion that the trick, or chance, and
the humbug ometer will be valued as they
deserve.
Many other leads of great value are being
opened, and immense quantities of quartz
and pay dirt taken out. We havenp space
10 particularize, but will name the Clay Co.,
Mammoth, Fisk, Aux, Foot s. Simmons,
Bubtail, German, New Casio. Leavenworth,
Bates, Miller, Gregory, Maryland and Kan.
sas leads, all of which, and many Others
that we visited, are turning out well.
We also visited number of tunnels that
are being driven into the mountains to
search for leads that haze no external midi
cation. In one belonging to |. S. Morton
s. Co., two leads have been found in "A short
distance, both of which prospect rich. In
another tunnel, in the same mountain, one
lead was passed and it was thought the
Kansas lead would be soon reached, at a
depth of fifty feet from the surface, and
over hundred feet from the mouth If the
tunnel. We found the miners at work by
the light of candIes-picking, drilling and
blasting--in an atmosphere thick and heavy
with the smoke and fume of gunpowder.
Gulch mining is being generally resumed,
though in many places, the ice and frost is
great impediment. On Spring such, and
RrsselPs, the most work is being done. The
result is from two to five dollars per day to
the man, though some claims in Russell's
are yielding as high as eight dollars per
day. In the Georgia company's claims
they have always yielded the best--the ave-
rage to the man is between eight and ten
dollars, and on few DAYS that have been
unusually mild and fay orable, an ounce has
been obtained.
1t must be remembered that, generally
speaking, the present days work in the
gulch mines is in reality only a few hours,
say from ten A. N. to four P. VI. or from four
to six hours, when the sun is highest, and
ice melt-.
New bitches are being dug to turn the
water in the gulches. dams built, and gen.
eral preparations made for vigorous action;
SO that few weeks must see large yield
Of gold, unless the weather should become
very severe.
We incline to the belief that spring is
very forward. There is but little more leo
and snow now, on the LIST of Aprh, than
there was last year on the Goth of May. On
the hugh hills this side there has been at no
time this winter, half the depth Of snow
that covered them in the middle of May last.
With lead mining, and quartz crushing With
steam mills, the winter can never interfere.
In the deep mines cold weather is even pre-
ferable for work.
/ One cannot pass through any part Of the