The Placer herald., 1873-08-23
I " IT
COMMUNICATION.
RICH GRAVEL MINE.

MICHIGAN BLUFF, Augrs, IA h, 1873
Editors Hrold:-l wish to say few
words through your paper in regard to you,
gravel mines situated ON the eastern Iound.
AIRY Of your county. After 'rav.li ling all
through the State Of Nevada ard sxamin,nr
he ma, y rn m.n''' "i',s I'm that State, J
tItn cane ,lruth TO California. | had
often read Of the Big Gun Claim at MicLi
gan Bluff, and its great richness and exten4
-ive ly drauc works, 30 thought would
come through that way TO satisfy my curios.
ny. When so, TO Michigan Bluff, 500,
lecame acquainted with tie many good and
lros porous miners OF ilm, district, and must
say that they are all whole sou.d oys, and
ali aIrear To lie h"Iry, for they made it ar-
pear TO me more like lone tlan II strange
place they took ne TO all Of tie promin u,
mines and explained their way OF working
hem, which think is grand style OF
mining. first called upon Mr.. Van Emon
he pr sent owner Of tie Big Gun Claims !;
| told linn that | Came TO take IA lcok at lii
mine, as | had often seen il mtn'ioned as
icing immensely ri. h, &C., and lie took me
I'll through Iis mine and all over il; it took
the vi ole day TO examine it, for it is tne Of
The most extensive mining enterprises That ]
have seen in the hydraulic line of mining il
III of my travels asked Mr.. Van Emol
mary questions in regard TO lie lroper'y-i'
may have been tir,so to Him to a, wei
the many questions that | asked, ne, crLe-
ass it Was interesting TO me, Tor always
IKE 10 fnd out Low ople got rich, and II
post myself On nll that zee in my ,ra,els.
| will give small sketch Of The f"rmer his
tory Of the mie, snd iis present e, ndition M
taken II, IN Mr. V II Em,n, an stine H H.,
ormcr owners, wLo have sold Out 'hd hr
di-ntcrcs'ed at preset, and what l have
seen myself. First. tie claim ia located q.
one Of tie main outlets tr IN Michigan B.uf
divide. IN wiat is called slide from IL"
main ridge, which is tuIroatd 10 ie iy".l
the miners the main feeder to all the mimt
II that District. lie ain han mel is some
thing over 2,tCO feet wide, l,ys drectl,
under t old town Michigan Bluff. wlicl
has Partly hunt down md moved ava,
-ince. tie claim WAS originally located l.,
ome tifne d ftrnt lo.aiors wlo had ,ul
cir tunnels TOO high to weik their back
grounds they worked tie low er Ind Of tlt
channel clear across until they came up 10
The lower Ind of town, to what is known AZ
Miners Row, there they had to stop or tu,
he town OUT they ih'n commenced work
on the south eide Of tie channel and run ~
Where The upper la,, Of the o'd town hat
stood, and they bad taken out somethnt
over a million Of dollars, in v hat ground lley
hid worked tf up 10 that tine. Mr.. Val.
Enon and Others i,n two tunnels in toint
'wo hundred feet lower that tapped tb'
main channel Fly feet below the cl annes
he tunnels have discharge of abtu om.
hundred feet at tn, lower md which drol
into Big Canyon; the tailings then run init
'lc river. One tunnel is run in from The
northeast aide Of The channel, and the otht,
rom the southeast side. One is abou,
1900 feet long, the other about 1GC0 feet il
ength They have large fume in each
unnel with l4inch grade to the tox, which
re IL feet long. The tunnels and Anme'
cosi them not less than two hundred bou-
Sand dollars, but when they got the iunlel
II they had the key to all claims on the
'hanne, for other parties owning the ad)"n-
ng claims could not work without nev
unnel, 70 Mr.. Van Emon ought tlem All
out at a cost of about s38, ,OCO. lie lmr
fought all he buildings on Miners Row,
the lower part of the Old Town, in o,der TO
ork the ground IF. The last five years he
has worked cut direct across the main
channel some two thousand feet in length