Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1866-06-30
Quartz Miniug.

The Bulletin of the 22nd inst, gave ex-
tracts from the report of 8Ir. Hopkins. a dis
tinguished English Mining Engineer. from
which 1t appears thar quartz mining in Aus
tralia has reached point of system and
perfection not yet reached in California
The Black Hill Company, a quartz mining
Z company in Australia, whose works are sit
uated on the banks of the Gandrie river, at
the foot of hill from which the company
derives its name, have succeeded in obtain
ing profitable returns. equal to thirty per
capital stock invested, from quartz rock
which yielded but two dwt.. or about 50 10
per ton. The amount of paid up capital of
the company is $ll7,l20, and they crush
their rock in mill containing 100 horse
power engine which runs six batteries of ten
stamps each. the stamps weighing seven hun
dred pounds apiece; and their rock is ex-
tracted from quartz lead ninety feet in
width. situated near the mill. The amount
of rock crushed is enormous, being from 1000
to 100 tons per week, according to its hard
Less of quality. the average being about 1900
tons. The cost of mining the quartz is
ninety-e;ght cents per ton, and Of reducing
it and extracting the gold, sixty-one cents,
leaving tse company profit of forty-eight
cents. from which small amount per ton they
realize the handsome sum of $1,000 dollars
year.. The reason for this astonishing re-
suit from SO poor quality of rock is, that
the company have SO systemic d every part
of their operations, that every thing is. or
seems to be. done at its lowest possible cost.
Their works are all SO arranged as to neces-
state the least possible handling of the ore,
as from their former experience in working
the rock from the same mine in different
mill, they had found that eighteen cents per
ton was added to the expense every time it
I had to be turned over in its progress to the
MILL and that by their previous method of
working it cost them 81 SO per ton when
delivered at the mill.
The mine of the Black Hill Company is SO
favoraDly situated, being lead of ninety
feet in width, in a hill so bold in its contour
as to admit of tunnels on level with the
mill to be driven into it on the vein, two
hundred and fifty feet beneath its surface,
that its facilities for working are perhaps
superior to any vein of quartz in Calaveras
county, with the exception of the famous
Carson Hill mlne, where the vein is equally
kas wide, and can be worked through level
tunnels to a much greater depth. The Car
son Hill mine is much richer in gold than
the Black Hill mine, and if worked with
the same system and economy, would pro-
duce results in treasure which would aston
ish the world, and realize the most sanguine
expectations of its discoverers, when they
thought that their mine would make million
aires of all its owners.
Mr.. Hopkins in his report instances other
Mines not favorably located as the Black
Hill mine, having to raise their quartz to the
surface through inclines and shafts, thereby
requiring more handling and incurring addi-
tional expense-where very poor rock, not
yielding more than So 10 per ton, is worked
with greater profit. Indeed, he cites the re-
suits of the working of sixteen other compa-
MES in the Ballaret mining district, the aver
age of whose rock is but about SO 90 per
ton, that declare an annual dividend of thir-
ty per cent on their cash capital.
L. l..
kin's report is, that with all our boasted in
genuity. skill and energy, We have allowed
John Bull in Australia, to get ahead of us
in quartz mining. Quartz mining requires
capital to be successfully prosecuted in
working poor classes of rock, and the capi-
talists of California have been SO intent upon
specializing upon the necessities of the peo-
pie, and have been making so good a thing
out of such speculations that they have not
had time, or have not thought it worth their
while to invest their surplus cash in mining
operations which would yield them but thir-
ty per cent per annum. Forestalling the
market of San Francisco, and forcing all the
AeCCSSaiieS Vi llie VI " StdtfNdllOH pIlcts has
been too tempting bait to our monied
whales to permit them to see the greater
wealth within their reach, to be had by a
judicious and liberal use of their capital in
working the quartz veins of the mining coun-
ties. The poor man, in discovering and
working mine of quartz, labors under so
many disadvantages on account of his pow
erty, that he can only afford to work such
veins as are very rich in gold; but should
/ he succeed in surmounting the obstacles
which lie in his way. then his road to for
tune is certain and speedy; of such are now
some of the wealthiest men we have in the
/ State. But what are now known as ..rich
leads" are scarce; yet there is not vein of
| quartz in this county-nor do we believe in
the State-but what will yield greater
amount of gold per ton than the average of
the quartz mines of the Ballarat District
and it only remains for US to develop and
work them with the same care, to make our
now dead and deserted mining districts the
most prosperous in the world.
Coon YIELD FROM THE New MINES AT
RAILROAD FLAT.-The first lot of rock crush
ed from the new quartz mines at Railroad
| 1of Il r