The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-11-20
WHoLE No. 273.
GOLD AND SILVER MINES IN CosHoC-
TON COUNTY.
A Description of Them by an Old Califon
nian who has Visited Them.

I
nian who has Visited Them.
From the Newcomerstown Argus. Oct. 2a
Last week. Mr. John Vance, a Cali
fornian of '49, in company with Mr..
Swain and other gentlemen, visited
the Coshocton mines and made exten-
sive observations while there, and they
have no hesitaney in declaring that
gold and silver bearing quartz are
found in large paying quantities. The
grounds bear witness of having been
mined many years ago, and successful
ly too, as shown from the fact that
large furnaces, shafts, SC, are found
still to exist. Five distinct furnaces
as yet have been discovered, with f1ues
i've feet in width and eighty feet in
length. In theseare noWibeing found
quartz containing gold aud silver as,
can be plainly seen by the aid of the
magnifying glass. Black sand is also
found, which, it is said, is' never
known TO exist except5where there is.
gold and silver. Theshafts have been
sunk TO depth of many feet, but have
now all caved in. These shafts have
been worked in recent years to some
extent, but without developing InUch
of yalue,f owing to the fact that after:
reaching certain depth they have
come upon 8 peculiar tough earth that.
is very difficult to penetrate, and the
operators have given up in despair,
being told that quartz rock is geyer
found beneath this clay. But they
mistake the nature of this, evidently,
as this earth is, by closest observation,
foundlto be decomposed Quartz rock.
The work that Il took to develop
these mines and build the furnaces
must have been enormous at the time
it was done, when there was no ma
chinery to aid them, but all done by
hand Even now, by the aid of ma
chinery. it would take many years to-
accomplish what work has been done
there.
There can be no doubt as to the ex-
istence ofthe rich mineFalain this val
ley, and there are some of the early
settlers still living here who are aware
THAT the Indians found gold and silver
in this neighborhood. One old gem
tlenan who raaidaa NEAR fhis Oitss7s,-pa-.
lates an incident that athappened. to him
when quite a small lad. His father
sent him to hunt the horses, one NOR
ming, and not finding them anywhere
near home he followed on for several
miles and atlast. came upon q band of
Indians who were engaged in some
very absorbing work, and he conclud-
to see what it was, and VentuTed so
close to them that they discovered him
aud took him prisoner, when he dis
covered they were mining silver and
melting it into bars. They being
friendly Indians, did not wish to keep
him captive, SO they bIindfolded him
and led him by a circuitous route to
near his fathers house and let him go.
Afterwards he and his father made
several attempts to find the locality
where he had seen the Indians at work,
but failed. III Fa8
s We simply make the statement to
satisfy the incredelous that such min-
erals do exist among US, and ere long
Mr.. Swain and company propose to
furnish us the best of evidence Of the
existence of gold in there mines viz:
by producing the auriferous metal it.
self.
If any of our readers wish to ex-
anime specimens of these recks they
can do SO by calling at the Argus of
fee and we will be pleased to show
them the ones we have in our posses
sion.