Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1867-07-20
Correspondence of the Chronicle.
FAIRyIEw. July Sth, 1856

EDITOR CHRtNICLE AS nothing can
possibly interest your readers. or tend to
increase the material interest and ultimate
prosperity of the whole community more
than the successful development of the quartz
mines scattered throughout the whole region,
SO nothing has stirred our sluggish pulses so
much, of late, as the discovery of large and
valuable lode of gold bearing rock in the old
Crispin claim near Murphys' on the 9th ult.
This is the oldest and believe one of the
best claims in Calaveras county, and was To-
Gated in 1850 by twenty-four residents of
Murphy's Camp, prominent among whom
were Messrs. Newcomb & Capron, who
worked the claim at intervals and with varied
success until May, 1854. They sunk a shaft
so feet upon the vein and crushed the rock
in an arastra, the motive power a sixteen
feet horizontal wheel driven by water from
San Domingo creek, and packing the ore on
two mules distance of half mile from the
claim. 1t was then purchased by H. C.
Crispin of Murphys who sunk the shaft ten
feet deeper in 1855, and 1856 and 1857 ran
two tunnels at a cost of over $4,000. One
of those tunnels, striking the shaft at depth
of seventy feet from the surface, is two hun
dred and thirty feet in length and is used, at
present. as an audit level for the drainage OF
the mine. Work was resumed on the shaft
in 1859, but she disastrous fire which de-
stroyed Mnrphy's Camp in that year compell-
ed him 20 suspend work again. Labor was
performed on other portions of the claim
during succeeding years but nothing of
permanent character or value until 1852. In
March of that year Messrs. D. H. & E.
Dickenson, of Douglass Flat. made an ar
rangement by which they became owners of
one half of the mine. The work was pros
ecuted with great energy, roads built, the
shaft sunk 80 feet below the audit, galleries
run each way on that level, and 223 tons of
rock. averaging 500, per ton, hauled three
miles and crushed at the Woodwork mill in
Murphys. This ore be it remembered, was
principally the product of a spur or leader to
the main vein, some strange blunder causing
the foreman to turn aside from the lode and
cast all rock from it, as refuse upon the
dump pile, but not an uncommon occurrence
in those days. Misconceptions and misun-
derstandlngs, financial difficulties and dis
asters, in September 1862. produced another
suspension of operations for the next four
years and half. These were all happily
overcome and work commenced with re-
doubled energy and under more favorable
auspices in April, 1867. The old shaft was
curbed its whole depth-loo feet-then sunk
and curbed 80 feet deeper, and new galleries
run from that level, water wheel erected,
% feet in diameter, for hoisting and pump
ing; bitches dug, fumes built pipe laid, and
galleries timbered; everything being done in
the most substantial manner. The pump is
l35 feet In length and as the water is dis
charged at the audit it will enable them to
sink the shaft 60 or 70 feet deeper than it is
now, or a total depth of 200 feet from the
surface, running short galleries every 80 feet
for the purpose of prospecting it thoroughly
before putting up any expensive machinery.
Timber and water are abundant, the latter
being furnished from the Union Water Co.'S
ditch 200 feet above the top of the shaft
They contemplate attaching small battery
to the present water wheel, the power being
ample. and test the rock frt m each level as
the work progresses, and not plunge reckless
ly into expensive or ruinous improvements.
Awaiting myself of an invitation extended
by Mr.. Crispin, visited the mine in COM
pany with that gentleman, for the purpose of
thoroughly examining everything connected
with the claim. We reached there about
noon, and found all hands waiting for the
water to be pumped out of the shaft. When
they struck the lode, the day before, they
tapped large vein of water which compelled
them to abandon labor for time and seek
safety in flight. After delay of two or
three hours we descended the shaft to the
first level below the audit, where work was
suspended in 1862, and were shown the main
ledge which is here 2 feet wide but so girdled
and guarded with timbers and refuse as to
defy close inspection. The divergence of
the gallery from the vein itself was too pal
pable for mistake, and securing few speci-
mems for future examination, we made an
other descent of 80 feet to the bottom of the
shaft and wading to our knees in water.
(under the protection of rubbers) a short
turn in low tunnel brought us in front of
the last discovery, and the Mecca of our
pilgrimage. The sudden outburst of water
from hole in the ledge, had barely left the
workmen time to knock off some points of
the rock, and enlarge the opening little.
The hour and the circumstances counseling
despatch bro off two or three specimens
and send them along for your inspection. The
lode is certainly three, perhaps four feet
wide full of sulphurets, and with considera-
BILE free gold. visible to the naked eye: it is
easily worked. without blasting, crushes well
and prospects better than any rock here
abouts. The shaft and galleries will be
finished, as far as prospecting goes, by the
1st of September. when hope to be able to
convince the most skeptical we have some
thing better here than BEDROCK.
The GREEK SLAVE. A Story. By Ianthe.
San Francisco: A. Roman & Co.