The Placer herald., 1874-01-17
CORRESPONDENCE.
ALTA, Jan. 10, 1874.


Ed. HERALD:-
My promise to Jos. Walkup to write to him
was delayed long time, and as he has passed
| from earth cover the beautiful river" he can
| never witness its fulfillment
| Much might be said in honor of his memory;
but the progress of passing incidents allow us
time only to pay parting tribute to our dearest
| friends, and hasten on in the grand march of
following events.
The people of Placer county are pleased to
| see that the principles formerly proclaimed
| through the columns of the HERALD still have
an able advocate in the person of its present ed
itor, and it is with intense pride and satisfac-
ton that note the political tide setting heav-
| lily against monopolists and the enemies Of the
public good.
Times are dull here as usual this season of
the year. Business here is suspended, with few
| exceptions, until the coming spring.
| There is but little here by way of excitement,
unless we previously take in q liberal supply of
Banvard's Nervous Cordial, which, in the mag
nanimity of his heart, he dispenses freely alike
to the rich and the poor.
| About four O'clock p. NJ, on the 9Th inst, a
| fire originated in the saloon of J. E. Wright,
caused by defective stove pipe, but being dis
covered in due season, q hole was punched
| through the roof from the inside sufficient to
admit person on the roof, when a liberal sup
ply of water from bucket and dipper soon ex-
| tinguished the flames.
An incorporated company, having its Office in
San Francisco, and styled the Green Valley
Blue Gravel Mining Company, own large
tract of mining ground at Green Valley on the
North Fork of the American River, which has
been worked unsuccessfully by them during the
last three years. bedrock tunnel was run by
them with a view Of drifting the mine; but the
sandy nature Of the ground, together with q
considerable amount Of water made the under
taking impracticable. This is the same mine
and tunnel in which Louis Shearrer lost his
| life and two other men were injured, mention of
which was made in the HERALD The company
have now decided to bring in ditch and wash
| the whole bank, which is fine bed of washed
gravel, and accordingly procured the services of
G. X. Peterson, to survey the line of the ditch,
having its starting point about one and half
| miles above the junction OF the South Fork Of
the Ncrth Fork of the American River. The
work was commenced on the 10th day of Sep
tember, 1873, and good progress was made up to
the time the winter storms set in, which caused
suspension of some of the work. The ditch
will be three miles long when completed, and,
owing to the rocky nature of the locality two
and three-fourth miles of the distance will re-
quire fuming The ditch will run on the south
side of the river to point one-fourth of mile
below Fofds Bar where the water will be con-
veyed through iron pipe on bridge across the
North Fork and thence down the river to Green
Valley. 1t was considered an act of economy
on the part of the company to build mill and
| saw the necessary amount of lumber, which
will approximate 100000 feet The work of
building the dam, mill and bridge, were all
| commenced at the same time, under the in
struction of A. d. Carpenter, President of the
company Capt. Hainey was assigned to the
| position OF constructing the dam. which he com
pleted about the 25th of Nov, the length of
which is 10 feet, and hight % feet Cinnamon
were chiefly employed in this work, and the
force engaged about thirty. Large timbers were
required to insure the permanency OF the dam,
and of such it was built, being from two to five
feet in diamater. These were cut on the noun
tain thousand feet or more above the river,
and when cut on the steep mountain side would
rush with tremendous violence in their descent
to thelivers bed. BY the aid Of the derrick
| they were placed in position, and securely bolt
ed together. This dam is presumed to be i'm
pregnable to the powerful currents Of the river,