The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-12-02
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Letter from California:


hase been 10 look 1T hydraulic mining, near
Piactfyille, Coon lill, originally n mound
Of many acres, bearing il settlement OF 500 Ous-
~, Ii almost washed away by the miners. "A lit
tie, ragged section OF earth, 40 feet Nights
brown diri-Walls broken BY stratum of yellow
ish marl-is All that remains Of the hill, rock
ribbed aud ancient rs the sun. One workman
stands at the top, directing tiny rll which comes
pouring over the edge, cutting the earth into per-
pendicular slices The rest are at the bottom. -
Water il brought down to them through cast
iron pipe from neghboring summit AT the top
the stream is Two feet square 1T the bottom II
all passes through two pipes of three-inch hose.
The condensation and the fall of more than 100
ieetg ii tremendous force. These threc-nch
streams, directed against the upright bank 100
feet away, send vast clouds of earth and, bowld-
ers flying ia all directions, bore into the compact
gravel like huge augurs, and even penetrate nar-
roweet crevices Of therock, soon loosen;ngit and
bringing it down in fragments twice US large rs
-four barrels.
Atsthe bottom two siaborers in India rubber
coats and eggings stand in water up to the thighs
clearing away the debris, The stream carries off
the dirt and stones with great rapidly, but theg
toll with picks and crowhars TO assist the heay Est
rocks into the huIpe. This is a wooden trough
three feet in diameter, with sharp descent, where
all the waters gather in boiling, rushing torrent
which washes away the earth and powders, while
the sinking gold is caught by stats on the bottom.
Once in the fuule, rock which almost fills it is
borne along like N cork. With almost every stroke
of the pick the work men glance up uneasy at
the quivering earth-wall, which sometimes tum-
bles unexpectedly, causing fatal accidents When
it is about TO fall unobserved the pipe-men whose
position isfurther away. shout, Look out ~ and
they spring back, while great masses of earth and
rock come crashing down. They work in the
water twelve hours daily for So, boarding them
selves. BY day their clothing is never dry; yet
they are said to remain healthy though growing
prematurely old. $3.50. -...a.. e,
The force of the water is wonderful One of
these three-inch streams would extinguish cou-
tlagration, dwelling and ALL in the briefest Pc
| Rod, knocking down a brick building like a
child's courthouse. AT ten feet from the nozzle
it would cut through man as il be were tissue
paper at forty rect it would crush him to y je-
ly. Tho proprietor assures me that with these
three little streams he can cut down and crush
| away section Of bill 20 feet long, 20 wide and
| 200 high-80, 900 cubic feet-in twelve hours
| The water costs him $50 per day. No gold is
found for the frs, hundred feet below The surface,
but between that depth and the bedrock the dirt
often proves very rich. Nearly S.. 900 900 have
been taken out in The vicinity Of this hill since
| 1919. n
/ ltwasa novel scene-the dirt y Cascade porgcc
down over the top slcing the hill as with aohne.
| the two streams OF water darling from Y Oa,,-
men to the earth-wall, and while their1, at the
| ~ spray glttered in the sunlight, rytbe smoke
| point of collision cloud Of dirt ljge bowlders
from fied-piece, and knockin6u ike foot
out OF the solid bank, to fall ait directing the
halls; the serene superinteEater with brown
whole; the workmen in hes, glancing up ncr-
ed faces long boards ANAL, and The great hill |
vo1sly at the Damoclf5 passing away through !,
melting to liquid 9w It illustrates waters pow
wooden trough Iearth's surface, and prepares
Ct 10 onh h';e marvellous tales of the geolo-