Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1863-11-07
I Slate Range Mining District.

TTOIu OUe VI Iuc OAu pIOLlSClo "a W ~SAANNt
who has Just returned ION the Slate Range,
In which country he has spent the greater
part of the summer, we learn the following
particulars of this much talked of mining
district. These mines are located i'll San
Bernardino county, California, about forty
five miles east of Walkers Pass in the Sierra
Nevada mountains, and about one hundred
and eighty miles nearly due north from Los
Angeles. The mines lie in chain of noun
tains about twenty miles long, by eight
broad-which are situated in the center of
a level, sandy desert. Death Valley,
where so many have lost their lives from the
heat and thirst, lies abaut forty miles to the
eastward, and can be plainly seen from the
mountains of the Slate Range. This Valley
is four hundred and nineteen feet below the
level of the sea. 1t was here that Mr.. VIM.
Dewey, a veteran prospector, met his death
from thirst. Many will recollect him as their
eye falls upon this paragraph for his kind
ness of heart, and shudder at his terrible
death.
The mountains of the slate range are some
1000 feet higher than the desert surrounding
them, and their altitude is $500 feet, being
some 400 or 500 feet greater than that of
Walkers Pass. The thermometer averages
lis degrees in the shade throughout the
greater part of the summer, and sometimes
reaches $50 degrees, giving person, accord
ing to our informant, wholesome fear of the
reputed warm place in the internal regions.
The country is very much broken up with
ravines and deep gorges, with precipitous
sides in some instances 300 or 400 feet deep.
Various theories ATTAIN as to the formation
of these fearful assures in the sides of the
mountains, the most probable of which is as
follows:
The storms which occur there two or three
times during the summer, are Of the most
irregular character. A black cloud is seen
coming up rapidly from the southwest, and
so soon as it has reached and rests upon the
tops of these mountains it bursts. The wind
seems to blow from all points of the COM
pass at once, and the whirling cloud, to be
determined to vindicate the theory (?) Of the
aquatic cuss of the Bulletin, viz: that the wa
ter goes from the tops of the hills downward.
The water falls in perfect torrents, not drops,
or sheets, but as it were in perfect mass;
and has been known to cause rivers in these,
at OIhCA tAhSo1 SoASSot " IVA
depth of fifteen feet and an average width of
one hundred feet, thus gouging out the sides
of the mountains, and forcing their own pas
sage. These storms are supposed to be
caused by water-spouts at sea, taking up the
water which they retain until coming in con-
tact with the peaks of mountains, the cur
rents which sustain them being broken they
are forced to disgorge-which they do with
vengeance. At the base of the eastern slope
of the Slate Range Mountains there is dry
lake or basin, about twelve miles long by six
in width, whose inner surface is covered with
an incrustation of alkai several inches in
thickness; and one of these storms has been
known to fill that basin half full of water in
the short space of two hours; from which fact
some idea may be had of their violence.
The lodges of this district are mostly very
narrow and very limited in extent, the MAORI
ty of them pitching down to mere seams so
soon as any depth upon them is attained.
There are two or three, however, that can be
depended upon, one of which can be traced
for miles. In very many of the lodges the
ore contains $500 or $500 to the ton within
three feet of the surface.
An eight stamp mill with Knox's pans
and Paufs mullars) has been erected there
this summer, by Messrs. Cox & Co., and as
wood, which has to be hauled fifty-fve miles,
costs $40 per cord, they make steam with
sage-brush-four men and four-mule team
supplying the mill, which only runs twelve
or fifteen hours day on account of the scar
city of water. 1t is under contract to crush
1000 or 5000 tons of ore for one Of the
mining companies at $S5 per ton. The
country is as yet unexplored. There are
mountains to the southwest, known to con-
tain large lodges, but no white man has ever
prospeeted them, on account of the hostility
Of the Indians several parties more bold
than the rest who attempted it having been
killed. We shah give description Of this
country at a future time.