The weekly Butte record., 1867-02-23
The Variety and Abundance of Mineral,
OF the Pacific Coast.

The variety as well IS the richness of the miner.
Al resources of the United States on the Pacific
Ceast appears to be without example No other
district OF equal extent can boast the possession o!
sach an abundance and multitude of valuable met.
ais The Colony of Victoria, in Australia for a
short time surpassed California in the production
OF gold, but our State has regained its supremacy
As gold mining country We are in advance o.
any other State of either the past or the present
Brazil and Spain may have have had places Of
equal richness and extent, but the labo rers were
not so skIliful, the production so large: and
their digsings are apparently exhausted while on,
are s5l pouring out millions of dollars every month
In silver, Nevada is not the equal Of Mexico, but
it is superior TO any State of Mexico and the Vr-
einia District produces annually more silver than
I any other district now. ever did produce.
Neither Guanajuato, Zaeatecas Cerio Pasco. Po-
tosi nor Chansrcillo can show yield of twelve
millions of dollars year; and in THAR best davs
that figure never reached by any of them. All
of these districts had wealth equal to the Com
stock lode, perhaps greater, but they had not the
. steam power to hoist, and crush. aud amalgamate
the ore, and TO pump ont the water
Many of our silver districts yet unopened.
kearsarge, Owen River Valley, Coso Cortez, Toy
aha. White Mountain, Montgomery, and dozens of
other argentiferous regions have only been seen
near the surface. The expense OF cutting roads.
fighting Indians proving the extent of the veins
and erecting mills, is too much for the prcspeetors,
and years may pass before the necessary capital Is
obtained. The silver exists in the rocks, and i'll
in time II must come out.
T In quicksilver, California is richer than Spain.
and our production now considerably exceeds that
of any other country. The New Almaden is now
yielding, according to published reports at the
rate of 100000 pounds annually surprising Old
Almaden considerably. Discoveries of ore have
been made lately at various points, promising a
large addition to the usual production.
1t Is the opinion OF many miners that in five or
six years California will be at the head of the cop
per-producing States. Our copper mines are rich,
extensive and numerous Large lodes, containing
varying from ten IN twenty per cent are found
in not less than dozen counties from Del Norte
to San Diego-lodes that in England would be
worth millions, bnt now lying idle and almost
worthless, simply because OF the high cost of
freight the dearness of fuel, the lack of skilled
labor. The Union, which ships about hundred
tons per day, is one Of the best copper mines in
the world.
If our ores could now be sent from mines to
Swansea for SO per ton, could ship 500 tons
cry day. Railroads must be built through the cop
per regions, and they will have vast influence to
stimulate the production.
Gold silver, quicksilver and copper are the only
metals which the coast now yields in any consider
able quantity. \ little platina is oh tanned, and
there are rich veins of iron, lead. antimony and
tin in the State, but they are not worked. Of the
nOn-metaic minerals coal is the most important.
and of that the annual production is about eighty
thousand tons, all of it from Monte Diablo. The
boraX lakes in Lake county the richest sources
OF that mineral known, and the production OF re-
fined boraX is becoming important.
Rumor says that marble white as that of Car
rara Is found in Tuoumne and Shasta counties, and
tue varlegated gray marble of Indian Diggings is
unsurpassed in beauty of color and susceptibility of
polish. Beautiful alabaster is found in Placer, FL
Dorado, Los Angeles and .;olano counties.
asst beds OF sulphur are found in various parts
OF the State, and the business of refining it has been
vstabiished in Lake county. Our deposits of as
phaitum are extensive, and large quantities of it
are sent 10 market. Petroleum exists in the rocks
from Humboldt To San Diego, and the production
Is slowly but steadily increasing. An opal mine
near Mokelumne Hill is regularly worked; and dia-
monds, emeralds aud rubes have sometimes been
obtained in the placers.
There Is alumn in Santa Clara county suiphate
OF maSnesia in Lake county, and crude soda in
vast'quantlIes in the Colorado and MOhave des-
ertS- Common salt is made from the water in
considerable quantities in Alameda and Santa Bar
bara counties
Yellow ochre, sienna and umber, and an iron ore
that can readily be made into Venetian red, are
among the resources of California. Numerous 9th
er minerals might be added, but they are either
tound IN very small quantities, or little mporta nee
Is attached To them. The list, however We have
given 1t. is surely remarkable for its variety, and
mneraogists will seek in vain for its like in any
other State or country of equal area.