Weekly Trinity journal. [volume] (Weaverville, Calif.) 1857-1972, 1865-01-28
Prosperity follows Enterprise and Labor.

Meeting this county, especialyits remote sections,
where until now little work has been done.
II is claimed that on the lower Trinity there
many bars which have never been worked, while
the little prospecting which was done the past
season proved that gold exists in paying quanti-
ties in the beds and banks of many streams flow-
ing into Trinity river. But even if we succeed
in opening new mining region there,-even
if the country below Big Flat should turn out
large quantities of gold, still it would not bene-
fit this town as much as we. might expect, and
and another section of country would reap the
lions share of the profit Humboldt county and
the merchants of Arcata and Eureka would be
the largest gamers, and although section of
this county can be prosperous without benefit
ting either directly or indirectly the entire COM
munity still we of Weaverville would enjoy
comparatively small portion of their trade or
gold. We must look nearer home for mines, and
thereby increase our business.
There are several places which ought TO be
prospected, but will in this letter call your at
ton to only one of them.
West Weaver mountain is universally known
to be covered with minute quantities of quartz
quartz of every hue and color is to be found
there in profusion. Immense powders of it are
found in the different claims on West Weaver
creek, and although no well defined ledge has
ever been discovered still there is hardly doubt
that one if not moro must exist there somewhere.
The formation of ground where the gold is
usually found, higher up the mountain, is entire
ly different from any other in this basin. In
most claims the gold is deposited in a layer of
sand and gravel, every particle of which large
or small, is we'll rounded, perfectly smooth, and
shows plain evidences of having been subject to
the action of water. 1t is different on West
Weaver mountain. There the gravel Il will call
it SO for convenience sake, for it is not gravel
is composed nearly entirely of quartz and
heavy clay-like substance. These pieces OF
quartz do Lot resemble the isolated quartz found
in other claims in this basin they are all sharp
cornered and angular, and look exactly like
quartz found in the dump pile of quartz mines.
They do not to have been u washed " at
all. but look like pieces broken from q ledge and
covered by slides or other agencies of nature
Four five years ago some Germans worked
claim that mountain where the bed rock
or what was considered the bed rock, was moth
ing else but an immense mass of decayed quartz,
The geld found in the claim was coarse, rough
and porous, entirely different from the gold
usually found in West Weaver creek. There
was no gravel in that claim nothing but broken
pieces Of quartz. Mr. Gui!ford's present claim
shows nearly the formation, only that the
evidence that the gold obtained there is quartz
gold, is still stronger. In both these claims one
fact i; very remarkable, and to my mind conclu-
siye proof that the gold obtained there originally
came from quartz ledge, and that is the follow.
ing Gold from West Weaver is usually bright
solid well rounded. and shows inencss vary
from 500 to 920. have seen some even laer
than the last named figure, hut this is rarely the
case. In the claims above mentioned the gold
appears in smaller part;cles, is irregular il shape
very porous, and instead Of the rich bright color
has a much lighter shade, and under a glass,
nearly every particle, no matter how SMALL will
show some quartz. It's Encness is to aston
ishing degree lower than any found. in this BASIN
The gold found in the German claim was only
So fine. Experience has taught me one lesson
and that is that nearly all quartz gold is much
lower in fneness than the gold found in placer
diggings in the immediate vicinity of the ledge
win not assert that this is invariably the ease
consider the fact that the gold in those claims
being so much lower in fneness than any found
in its vicinity as an additional and in fact
strong proof that it came from a quartz ledge.
Just above Mr.. Guilford's claim are immense
masses of quartz, some broken, some in solid
masses, extending for several yards in length,
and all pointing North and South. An excellent
indication, should judge. Higher up the cree
and nearly on the same level as Mr. Guilford's
and the German claim, Mr.. John s. Kennev found
g piece OF quartz, do not remember how much
il weighed, but it literally filed with fine
gold. That piece Of quartz noticed it par
ticularly--was not smooth, rounded BOWLER.
but rather square piece with well defined edges,
sharp of outline, and had not the least resem
blance to powders usually found il other claims
The color Of the quart was brown. That piece
of quartz evidently came from larger mass,
if not from Il ledge, and il would be worth
considerable outlay Of money and labor 10 trace
it up
In Washoe, Humboldt or Esmeralda. if such
indications Were found claims would be im,ne-
diately staked off, tunnels run, shafts sunk. and
men In this county would buy an interest at high
figures and willingly pay assessments while no
one seems to have thought of prospecting
mountain which offers as many Inducements to
do SO. Not mountain skirting this Basin has
ever been pierced by tunnel, not single pros /
pectng shaft has been sunk here for wears but
We go on year after year scratching the surface
in the same old style, working our claims in the
same lazy manner, and in consequence get poorsr
every year. Let us try then and see ii we can |
not discover the hidden wealth buried in West
Weaver mountain let spend some money.
time and labor to penetrate its bowels, and il |
would be more than strange if orr labor should
not be rewarded. We may discover quartz
lodges. That kind of mining is more lasting.
and therefore more profitable than placer mining.
Or we may find new bed of gravel "a channel
paving richer and longer than any at present
worked In Australia, only lately, they struck
immensely rich gold fields at a depth of over
coo feet. The discovery was made accidentally,
tits true. but nevertheless oyerhrcws all theories
and doctrines which flow so glbly from miner
lips about bed rocks, channels. etc. What proof