Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1872-11-21
THE TREASURES OF EARTH.
The Great Lasssn County Gravel
Mine-Rloh Strike In Northern Call
fornla-The Diamond Mountain Gold.
Raarlnu Gravel Bed.

Wv Nv -
Mine-Rioh Strike In Northern Call.
fornla-The Diamond Mountain Gold.
Bearing Gravel Bed.
From the San Francisco Chronicle. Nov. III
The following Is an extract frorn a
letter written by W. F. Stewart Cor
responding Secretary Of the Diamond
Company. 70 DR.. Case Of this
city. 1t contains an interesting de-
scriptlon Of the great Lassen county.
mine
About twelve miles directly south Of
the town Of Susanville, the county seat
Of Lassen county, California. on the
very apex Of the Sierra Nevada Noun
tains, at an altitude Of over 5000 feet
above the sea level, lies the famous
gravel placer known as the diamond
Mountain Gold. bearing Gravel Bed"
This remarkable deposit, which Is now
attracting so much attention In North
cru California, especially in the sur
rounding valleys Of Sierra, Indian. Su-
san, Honey Lake and Long Valley,
was discovered, prospected and locat.
ed last Summer by A. NJ. Stewart and
w. H.. Naileigh, who found 1t BY trac-
Ing a peculiar streak Of volcanic, gold
bearing gravel, which they found ex-
tending In q narrow belt from Susan
Valley to the summit of the Sierras.
A WONDERFUL GRAVEL BED.
It Is not necessary to mention the
toll and patience required to follow
this curious belt of collaborating gravel
through the thorny chaparral, rocks
and ravlnes, and up the almost per-
pendicular granite sides Of the high
mountain. Suffice 1t to say that the
explorers found the object Of their
search In the very crown Of the Sierra,
above the line Of perpetual snow. l
have, In company with experienced
miners, twice visited this wonderful
gravel bed during the past two months
and can, therefore, give a fair state
ment In regard to the mine, Its sur
roundings, accessibility and prospec-
tive value.
ESQ ANCIENT RIVER BEDS.
During the past decade, nothing has
excited more lively interest among
Western geologists, mlneralogists and
placer miners, than what Is known as
the "anclent rlver-bed system" The
conformation. development and posi-
ton of the new discovery seems TO set
at defiance all the former theories In
reference to these peculiar formations.
Most Of what are called ancient river
beds are usually composed Of water
worn powders and volcanic cement
or ashes. In the Diamond Mountain
mine We find, on the sheer summit Of
the mountains, al Isolated bed Of hard
aquatized. water-worn volcanic gravel,
without cement, and lying In a vast
heap, IN the very position In which It
rested Mt the bed Of the deep when the
waters subsidized. The gravel bed Is
about five miles In length by half a
mile In width, and at the break In the
granite rim OH the west Indicates a
depth Of over 500 vertical feet.
TIE THREE LAKES.
This tremendous mass Of loose gravel
Is held In place by the granite Of the
mountain on one side, aud by q glrdle
Of volcanic tenfd on the other. This
volcanic mass of mud and ashes has,
at some remote period, been elected
FROM below through the bed OF al an
Client river or lake, and so perfectly
did It encircle the present gravel-bed
that ven water cannot escape through
1t. As all evidence Of this, there are
three pretty little lakes lone of which
Is one hundred yards In lengthy. now
resting, full Of water, upon the sum-
init OF the loose gravel.
THE GOLD DEPOSITS.
The most interesting feature OF the
great gravel wash, especially to the
practical miner, Is the fact that at ev-
cry point upon Its surface whore 1t has
been prospected the gravel yields sur
prisingly rich samples Of coarse gold.
At most OF the points where 1t has
been tested 1t Is n rare thing to fail In
getting the color, and the prospects
most from five cents to fifty cents TO
the pan Of dirt and gravel. The gold
obtained Is Identical with that found
In the Upper Feather river and assays
above $l8in fncness. or course the
SHOWS fall to q great depth on the
mine during the Winter, precluding
the possibility of work at that season ;
but by tho beginning Of March the
snow begins to melt, furnishing an
ample and constant supply OF water
for hydraulic mining. Upon the Dia-
mond Mountain claim for about seven
or eight months, owing to the confor-
nation Of the ground and distribution
of water, four or five hydraulics, hav-
Ing five hundred feet of pressure, can
be- run during the entire season.
THE GROUND LOCATED.
Under the law signed by President
Grant on May 10, 1872, the following
named gentlemen bave applied for a
United States patent for one hundred
and sixty acres Of the great gravel
bed S. A. Bishop, w. w. Mccoy, A.
NJ. Stewart, A. W. Blair, w. II. Nall
eigh. w. II. Stone, John II. Moore and
w. F. Stewart.
The United States surveys have been
completed and the lumber sawed and
stacked upon the ground ready for &C.
tive work In early Spring. The ground
located is the most valuable portion OF
the great bed, for the reason that 1t
contains most of the available water
and timber, and has most excellent
facilities for hydraulic working, and Is
easily approached, especially from the
western or California side Of the Sier-
ras, via Indian Valley and Lights
Canyon. AS yet there has been no at
tempt to incorporate, for the reason
that most Of the locators are men OF
ample means aud propose to work the
claim upon their own capital. AL
ready the new discovery has awak-
aped much ~intArest In our northern