The Placer herald., 1866-04-21
[From the Mining and Scientific Press.]
THE QUARTZ MINES ofGRASS VALLEY

oet VI CaiIIOThIa II just DeglnninR 10 Dc ap'
proximatsy realized by capitalists abroad.
The unfortunate results Of the early at.
tempts at that description Of mining in this
State particularly those in Mariposs county,
where the advantages Of ample capital, The
highest scientific requirements aud the most
experienced skill attsinabls was freely
brought to bear, produced such discourag,
ing effect upon the business, as for time to
quite deter any further investment of foreign
capital in that direction. Even our own
capitalists could not for long time there,
after be induced to look with any consider
able degree Of favor upon quartz mining;
and, up to the Washoe discovery, the fact
that San Francisco merchant was known
to investing in quartz, was quite sufficient to
ruin his credit throughout the entire mer'
camille community.
In the meantime. however few men Of
means in Nevada and Amador counties, quiz
ety but perseveringly continued their oper.
atons, with varied success and under most
discouraging circumstances, until by the
gradual depreciation of labor and materials,
the cost of raising and crushing rock was re-
duced to a paying basis. About the time
this period in the history Of the business bad
arrived, the world was suddenly startled by
the wonderful discoveries on the Comstock
lode in Washoe.
The extraordinary yield Of the surface
ores at the points first opened upon that
lode, produced compile revolution among
the hitherto doubling money changers Of
San Francisco. The consequence was a gen.
eral rush for the new mines-large fortunes
for few, and utter ruin for the many. Sew.
eral years passed by and stocks which had gone
up, under the excitement, to thousands OF
dollars per foot, suddenly fell to as many
hundreds; while the great majority of
them became utterly valueless-not worth
even the paper upon which they were
printed.
In the meantime, most OF the old pioneer
quartz men Of Grass Valley, continued on
in the quiet, even tenor of their way, working
cautiously and economically, and going
down gradually with their nclipes, 60 fast
only as the mines themselves would pay the
way; carefully eschewing assessments, and
avoiding costly structures, for mill houses or
superintendent dwellings,, and employing
no managers in either mill or mines, but
men Of experience and skill. The result of
such policy was that when the crash came
upon Washoe, the mines Of Grass Valley
shone forth in their true colors, growing
richer as the work progressed in depth, and
exhibiting TO the world record of steady,
onward progress, and q development of per-
manenoe nowhere exceeded in the whole
history Of mining All this was accomplish.
cd, almost without dollar Of foreign capital;
that which has since gone there has been at.
tracted thither by actual developments, and
has been expended with the view OF perma.
nent and productive investment.
In taking general survey Of the field of
quartz operations throughout the State, the
mines appear to be grouped together at in,
tsryals along a belt of country, extending
about 400 miles in length and occupying the
entire western flank Of the Sierra Nevada
mountains, from their very summit quite
down to the foot bills. These groups, so far
as present explorations have gone, are widely
separated; though it is far from certain that
even the intervening country may not con.
tain almost innumerabe groups Of greater
or less degree of value.
The most valuable and thoroughly pros
pected of these groups is that at Grass Va>
ley. The altitude of those mines is about
$500 feet. The geological association is
greensboro and sysnite, with heavy belt Of
serpentine on the north, separating it from
the mines of Nevada, still further north, and
which are mostly located in granite. So far
as explorations have been made, no other
district in California, or elsewhere, has ever
been found to equal this group in either the
number or richness of its mines. As gem
eral thing these veins have a northerly and
southerly direction; but the rule is far from
universal. In fact some of the most vau' I
able, as the Eureka, for instance, is almos.
east and west; the Lucky, Cambridge, North
Star and Others Of equal value, are nearly so.
They are all isolated, and not continuous.-
work which is now being done with great
care and at much expense, they present ev'
cry variety of direction, inclination, dip and
angle. One, in particular and perhaps tbs
richest of the group, presents walls and dip
almost like the walls Of bowl from which |
about one third of its circumference has
been removed.
We are led to infer from these facts, and
contrary to the generally received opinion,
that the peculiarities mentioned are of no
value whatever in determining the paying
qualities of lode. The formation of the
lcdes, and the aggregation Of the mineral
is undoubtedly due to the character of the
country rock. How they have been aggre'
gated is mere matter of speculation. The
most essential point is to ind a group SO
aggregated and we'll filled with mineral
The explorations already made are such as
to set at rest all doubts as to their perma-
nence; and to warrant the most liberal out.
lay Of capital 10 providing machinery to
follow them down to an indefinite Depth
The lowest point yet reached in Grass Val.
ley is little over 800 feet; but the Eureka
mine, in Amador county, has been followed
down more than 1000 feet in depth. at
which point this, as we'll as all the deep
mines in Grass Valley, is found to pay equal
| 10 wall as NJ anv noint ahova wLilo the ron.