Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1868-04-11
Letter From Casual"

MoKELuMNE HILL, March 29th, 1868.
EDITOR CHRONICLE My failure to come
to time last week was owing to Old Soils
kicking up terrible muss while crossing
the line. thereby making the weather horri-
BILE, and the roads unpleasant to travel. So
you may lay it to "stress of weather."
rather than 'tangle foot" that I did not
reach Whisky Slide before the above date.
AS to the Camp, was agreeably surpris-
ed to find quite o number of prosperous
placer mines scattered throughout the diff
fcrcnt fats and ravines of the district. But
when I come to inspect the quartz, it was no
longer a matter of astonishment that the
shallow placer diggings should still be val
liable. Among the leading quartz claims
are the Wet Gulch, Chapperral, Whisky
Slide, School House and French claims.
These are all noted claims, locally, but some
of them will yet have as world a rep
utation as the famous Amador mine. In my
description shall take the claims in the
order they are written down. The first one,
the Wet Gulch, and Chapperral claims, ad-
joining, on the same lead and belonging to
the same company. This ground is valua-
bic, so much SO that it looks to me as if thou
sands, perhaps Millions of capital are locked
up that might be employed in lessening the
burdens of suffering humanity. and of needy
quartz miners in particular. The money is
in these claims. and all that keeps it there
is the impecuniosity of the owners l use
this word for fear they may think that l
want to acquaint your readers with their
poverty. The claims are peculiar Ito me, at
least; the country rock on one side being
limestone, and on the other. sienite. The
pay shute or chimney extends over thirty
four hundred feet of the vein, prospecting
alike throughout this immense distance.
They have shaft on the part of the claim
called the Chapperral. that is one hundred
and thirty feet in depth, and as one of the
owners remarked, 'ls as dry in the bottom
as a powder house." At this depth the vein
Is seven feet thick, and what is better than
size, is that it is all pay rock. A few tons
of the average rock was taken, at a heavy
expense. to Harris mill at Sandy Gulch,
distance of twenty miles. part of the way on
the backs of mules, which yielded twenty
two dollars per ton. On the south or Wet
Gulch portion of the mine, there are two
shafts of thirty feet depth, respectively. and
the ledge eight feet thick, and as 1 remarked
before, prospecting equally over the whole
extent of the ground covered by this claim.
In addition to the mines, this company owns
a water privilege that is of immense value,
as they can bring the water directly over
their mine, obtaining perpendicular fall of
three hundred feet, and they assure me that
at all seasons of the year there is sufficient
water to drive twenty stamps, with all other
necessary machinery. Should not this mine
be made one Of the producing ones the COM
ing season. As the cost Ito any one inter-
ested in the prospecting of our quartz mines)
to verify the above facts by personal inspec-
ton. is trihing. 1 hope soon to hear of the
successful working of these mines.
The other claims of the district are good
enough to keep until my next. and will
therefore close, remaining yours,
CASUAL