The Shasta courier., 1866-05-12
Struck it at Last.

For years we have been eontending tha
: the mineral wealth of Shasta county excelet
. that Of any other west Of the Rocky Noun
: tains. 1t is history that our placer digging
. were not excelled in California or elsewhere
d and we have asserted, and proven to som'
!. extent. that we bad quartz veins OF un
r equaIled richness in gold. silver and copper
!: We have made these assertions in earnest ano
!. in COED faith, hoping thereby to encourage
prospecting. 70 ONE extent we nave oeen
. successful, for when our efforts began there
' was but one quartz mill in the county; to
day we have seSen or eight. all OF which are
! paving or working with the most encourag
ing prospects Still, with these facts exist
ing. and lodges cropping ont all over the
county. we have been unable to stay the e1.
odus Of our mining population. they prefer
ring to follow the lead of 8 blowers aiar of
to staying at home and working a reality.-
At last our faith is made certainty in the
discovery of richer belt Of gold and silver
bearing rock than has ever been discovered
elsewhere
Ga the ith..of April Noah S. Batcheller,
with his invalid brother, J. B. Batcheller,
arrived at San Francisco, and proceeded
thence to Ellsworths saw mill, on the south
fork of Clear Creek, distant from this town
about eight or nine miles in direct line
Here they took cabin, and the invalid
brother having sufficiently recovered to keep
house, the elder one, Noah, started into the
mountains tn prospect for mineral bearing
quartz that would pay. lie had been there
at an early day: had since spent year in
the silver mines of Virginia, Gold Hill and
Austin, and now, with the experience gained
there, he had returned to the place where be
thought he saw something in 40, 80 and 81.
He struck it. He has located series of
three lodges which he calls the Chicago
Series, up in the mountain about half a
mile from the mill, and is now engaged
opening one of them.
The news of the discovery spread like the
wind, and while the report was yet young we
concluded 70 see for ourself what there was
for a base. Ga Monday last we visited the
ground and had the ledges pointed out to as.
From the surface of one ledge we picked upa
piece of quartz rock, and asked Batcheller if
that was fair specimen. lie barely glanced
at it and said, Yes, it is all alike" The
piece would weigh probably five or six
pounds. We broke it in two, so as to carry
piece in each hand, for convenience sake.
We also picked up some half dozen little
pieces that ctiipped off as we broke the large
one. These we pocketed. Now we don't
know much about rock. and willingly confess
that when we started home with these specl.
mems of the wealth of the county, we felt
very much as man is supposed to feel who
has been soil. However, we. brought it home,
handed the little crumbs to DR.. Welendorff,
and requested him to see if there was any,
thing in it. The Doctor carefully weighed
from these fragments two separate parcels |
of an ounce each. and by some different pro-
cesses, with acids. arrived at results as
follows: from one there was precipitate of
eight grains of pure silver; from the other
a precipitate in chlorides, of about the same
value. This result, figured into tuns, makes
the value of one tun of rock about S525
and this without the gold for which the rock |
has not yet been tested, though all who have
seen it, who know anything of such matters,
say it is rich in gold.
We have already sent to the Mining Bu-
reau specimens of the groupings, and the
ledge is developed we shall forward Others.
Mr.. NJ. Ii. Peck, young man of con
siderable experience in quartz, has located
another series Of ledges in the same district, |
which he calls the . Eclectic" that promises |
equally as well as the :. Chicago"
On Tuesday the parties interested met at
Ellsworth's mill. and adopted laws for the
government of the district. similar to those
governing the mining district of Copper
City, very few immateral alterations be
ing made, and elected j b. Batchcler as
Recorder. The meeting was harmonious
and business like, all feeling that they were |
acting on matters so important as to over
WuciHl every tnlHS VI strictly personal |
nature.
Mr.. n S. Batchelor informs us that the |
amount of mineral wealth there, though |
proven in but one pace, shows in an equally |
flattering manner in belt some three miles
wide and a length almost without limit.
We believe we are writing this article
without excitement, and we know that our
statements are as zero to boiling heat when
with the feeling here. We can
only account for it from the fact that with
us the discovery is simply the realization of
a conviction long entertained, while others
are taken by surprise.
The name of the new district is " South
Fork" We suggest that the name be chang.
ed to 8 Eclectic" F" which would at least have
The merit of originality.
REJoIcrsc.-1he Norfolk Va Post, full
1looled rebel organ, is wild with joy over the
position taken by the President in his veto
message. Read:
Since the uurninr of July 22d 1861 whom |