The Placer herald. [volume] (Auburn, Placer County, Calif.) 1855-1991, 1868-06-13
LETTERS TO THE HERALD...No. 2.

Ms. EDlroR-Having published the view.
Of Uncle Nap upon the Pebble mines Of
Placer, propose 10 the following, to intro
duce to your readers the peculiar opinions
ofmy other fellow traveller, = bluff sensible
nan-known 10 moun,aineers 40 "OId
Mum"-who, from the beginning Of Uncle
Maps discussion. had been incr edulously
whistIing the "Rocky Road to Dublin" He
remarked THAT it WAS impossible TO under.
stand how one Of Uncle Maps sense could
become eothusiastiO over a theory mos. svir
destly erroueous." HE own belief WA
altogethsr in favor Of the volcanic origin Of
the Pebble minss-that BY no other process
could the material OF these mines have been
smoothed and csmeutsd - ws find it. Fis'
sures filed With Pebble or Quartz must BE-
attributed to volcanic agency since that pow
or was alone sufficient for all the conditions
OF both, and unlike the river notion, needed
no auxiliary assistance to tasten the pebble.
He believed quartz stuffiug went on situuI
tansously with the esrlhs crus', while peb
bIed assures, or cbannels remained the open
boiling chasms in which large boulders and
small stone were fashioned and fastened. II
we examius the theory Of local mineraliza
tion in volcanic chimneys, or the theory that
naturalization be due to electrical currents
through SOW metamorphic processes, still
the agency enrching the quartz, must have
fertilized the pebble. There were not Qn
bis opioou) t,oo sources Of liberalization.
But before entering upon this subject, he
teIt it duty on behalf Of a great man, and
10 the real interest of Science, to emphalicsl.
ly deny Professor Wbitneys fundamentally
in forcing the DsbIonegs stream through
Placer. The Professor oever bad to his
knowIedge) advocated such q theory, nor
had the Professor attributed the filling Of
those profound assures or channels, to lost
rivers, the subsidencs Of retiring seas, or to
other than the radical and legitimate cause.
How contem IDLY mean then, thus to scan
dazs the principal scientific help Of the
poor miner That it originates with those
incapable OF oomprehsuding the Professors
compromises with nature, is doubtless the
case. That they don't appreciate having a
seething. rustIlog, churni"g. volcano, as the
foundation Of both quartz and pebble mines
is cert ain. They can. understand how each of
their old river channels" however subss
Quently used as water course. WAS caused
earth waves or volcanoes. In fact they
won't try 10 understand the Professor, or
that his Lake Superior reputation will svsr
save him from endorsing The Dahlonego
Phantast, or other whi,ns. Why then
should these soamps persist 10 urging the
Professor to sacrifice that reputation. and to
broadly venture out upon those con j"ctural
faculties which have developed, the mines Of
California! Have they reflected upon the
vast distinction between the hazzards Of
science and Of Iaborl What gambIs away
character aud scisnti6c acumen Never
Better far be estimated by remote genera
tions than become gambling spscuIator up
on geological facts, to CRAFTY present i'm.
por,unity What If the pious Pascal did
write upon the doctrine Of chaucesi What
il Pascal's Wsgsrs Of the Gambler" did en-
able La Place With bic "Cslculus Of Probabil'
tiles" to rise beyond the sImos. incaIcuIable
involmsnts Of playing cards to discern the
origin Of time and an spprsciabls creation !
II must be remembered that certain Essential
principles" had Isd astronomers to believe in
remarkable epoch 10 tho solar systsm;"
that seiziug these "esssntias." La Place
through the aid Of Pascals Wagers and bis
that wonderful epoch to date from the "co
incidence Of the greater axis Of the earths
orbit with tho great conservative line Of
equinoxss, when the true, and the mean.
we're the same" or previous to time when
loss OF confidence, forced Q movement Of the
eqninoctiaI points. 1t should be remember.
cd that having calculated the falling a,oay.
or rate Of motion in the equinoctial points
hsviog those Essential principles" % a
bass) La Place found i. less difficult to die
cover the beginning Of time, and birth date
Of creation, than does Professor Whitney 10
determine the principle and origin Of min.
ersliza.ion alone. Whitney knows that no
confidence 10 the " Calculus of Pro6a6ilities."
nor faith 10 the Wagers" of Pascal, would
enable him to solve The least mysterious OF
the problems involved in mining He knows
there are no degrees 10 the impossible, aud
that-unlike tue great FreDcbman-he in.
herits 10 data v hsreupon to venture. How
absurd then, 10 expect him to risk that Lake
Superior acquirsmsnt TO crafty the conjsc'
turaI notions Of those. wholly disposed to be-
fog bis mind with fabulous storiss about
ancient river channels, lost lodss, quartz
rsef., and pebble fields Whitney is en-
ploysd by the State and in the interest Of
mental developmeMt- the future, without
regard for The caprice Of present time; and
yet Professor Whitney had never excluded
the fairly estimated value Of the ideal He
knew too we'll the beginnings Of science and
was never indisposed to surmont the imper'
scrutablsness OF certain tdets, with that
imaginary mounting, ss indispensable TO a
comprehensive study Of bis geological con-
tributious, as to the mining and other ~hms
Of the age This dig'sssion was perhaps un-
called for, but the silence. and somstime',
the obscuritee Of the Professor bad led to
miscopstruction, and au explanation by way
of defence, was due to the public. II he
(Old Mum) had succeeded 10 dispensing the
clouds and justifyiug the worthisst geological
scientist ever sent to this coast, twas all be