The Placer herald., 1873-02-01
Local and County Matters.
,,7y,NoAT AND ARROUND FOREST HILL.

make the lOiloN ibS eANi"'''
=. ;s estimated that within half mile of the
AZ, os much as twelve or fourteen million dol
,o""h ,ohoya been taken out. Commencing in 81
n'a n.,' district during the next ten years saw its
.nost prosperous days, beginning to decline about
.ao .ho time OF the Fraser River excitement Prior
u. W ,b;s many of the rift claims here had yielded
enormous quantities of gold. The Dard;.nelles,
e., example had turned out S2,0O00OO; thu
~, - Lind. over million; the New Jersey,
$50 'n0O; the Deidesheimer, S650000; the In
ynondence $3.50 900; the Fast and Norwood,
.hd Ronch and Ready, the Goer, the Snyder and
tbe Manner, each S25, 900; and many other claims
snom $50, 600, to 5000, 900 each; and yet, owing
10 the careless and even reckless manner Ill
hicb these claims were worked,-causing ey-
.,nsive caves, whereby much of the best ground
'.as covered up,--but few of them We're more
han partially exhausted, while fully one-half of
.he cold containedi in the gravel was lost tharough
tb. imperfect modes adopted i'll washing and
,rorking it, Many exceedingly rich spots were
r,ot with in this channel. The New Jersey
Comnany took out $50, 900 from an area 500 it.
Inng by 400 wide the Gore, $3.50, ,000 from n
snoee 100 by 200 feet the Independence, $4,000
rom an area of 30 feet square, and the Snyder
sto 600 from a basin only $50 feet in dianater,
with many other noteworoy examples of sue
cess.
Rnt all this occurred at time when the min
orc expected to make large wages, when they did
not well understand how this sort of work should
ho done and when the methods for saving the
cold were wasteful and defective, wherefore
having worked out the richer and more accessl-
BILE portions of their claims, they were easily
lafed away by the discoveries that from time to
time elsewhere occurred during the next ten or
Twelve wears. Laterly many of these men have
been returning to their old places of resort, and
we now find them looking about for means to
mt these ones forsaken claims IN working shape,
or for parties to buy them, for it is found that
number of them must be aggregated nd worked
under one ownership, by which p an alone they
can be operated with profit. As this requires
tine and capital not much has yet been accom-
plshed in this neghborhood. Nevertheless, we
have here the properties for many large aud sue
cessful operations, and have already made be-
Ginning. Last Summer number of San Fran
cisco capitalists commenced the business o!
securing titles to some of the best claims here,
with n view to consolidating them and working
them on large scale In few instances this
has already been effected. though in most of
these cases there has occurred such delay, through
the difficulty encountered in securing so many
different titles that it will require some months
vet to consummate the business. 1t being evi-
dent. however, that the old plan of working
these claims will longer do. there is little
question but more OF these proposed enterprises
Will be CARED out the coming Summer, and
s1methin of its former prosperity De Fest tored
TO this long neglected neighborhood. OF the
few already organized and under way, the most
promising is that of the Great Blue Gravel range
or Powell Co operating on this channel few miles
below here at Todd's Valley. To this place the
Old river bed is clearly traced, not oaiy by un-
mstakable surface indications but also by several
rich claims opened up at various intermediate
points along it, the first of these being the once
famous DardanelIe ground, one mile below here,
and another the Spring Garden ranch, ha way
between that and the Powel claim: This latter
covers an area of great extent nearly two miles
OF the Ola channel lying within its boundaries.
The largest of the old companys claims IN this
vicinity, even from which so much gold was
taken. were small compared with this The
Darlanees had frontage Of 1000 feet the
jersey $50 feet and the Jenny Lind 450 feet;
while the Gore claim had barely 100. But the
running of an expensive tunnel to open each of
these small claims when it should have served
for working large extent Of ground was the
great mistake o. the early day, and one that is
now happily being avoided through the system
OF aggregation before mentioned.
The plan of utilizing such Of these old tunnels
as had been run on available levels is also
coming more into vogue Where found too low
for convenient working, or two high for drainage
the practice of raising shaft to the stratum of
pay gravel III the first case, or sinking an incline
in the other. is now very often adopted; recourse
to these, especially where there is not large
amount of lifting to be done, being found more
economical than the construction of new tunnel,
As affording the means for prospecting grounds,
and sometimes also for permanent working pur
poses. this mode of procedure is often advisable.
In the exploration of the Powell claim it has
with good Judgment been adopted A tunnel
was here carried in some years ago for distance
OF 750 feet at which point the old river channel
was reached, but on level too high to afford
drainage. From the inner extremity OF this tnn
mel an incline shaft was sunk on the vein rock to
sdepth of fifty or sixty feet, when the water so
increased that the company being without ma
chlnery for pumping, We're compelled to suspend
work.
Lately operations on this claim have been
sumed, but instead of starting new tunnel on a
lower grade an extensive chamber has been eY-
cayated at the head of this incline, $50 feet in
from the mouth of the tunnel. in which an en-
gne, with boiler and pumping gear, all new and
powerful, have been placed shaft having been
carried over "A hundred feet to the surface to an
swer the purpose of chimney. The incline hav
ing been sunk further distance of 90 feet, Is
now below the heavy river boulders that iInme-
didtely overle the stratum of auriferous gravel
III this old channel, and there can be no doubt
but the company viii soon be taking out rich
pay dirt at this point.
Owing to the unexpected depth Of the channel
here they have been delayed in reaching its bot
tom; but this having now been nearly accom-
pl'shed the owners are likely to reap a rich hac
vest as the reward of their perseverance and pa.
tience.
holders of the St. Patrick mill and mining com