New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-09-29
CALIFORNIA GOLD MINES.
HYDRAULIC MINING.

NESS OF SELLING WATER.
trRon CORRESPONDENT oY TriH TRiBUSs.l
PIAcERvIIIH, Cal Aug. 31.-Twensy-fve years
ago there was nowhere in the whole Western coun-
try town half so lively half wicked, half so
reckless or half promising rs Placerville. 1t was
eight miles from Cooma, where the first gold was
discovered by Marshall in the millrace of Gen. SUIT
ter's mill in January, 1913, and year
afterward it was in the center Of the
richest mines in the State. few wears
later its population was greater than that OF
any town in California, and its name was as IA
milar to the people Of the country as the name OF
San Francisco Its promise for the future was
brighter than that of any inland town west Of the
Missouri river. II was the and center OF the
mining excitement. and nuggets flowed into 1t lit
orally by fhe peck. Everybody had his pOcketSiul OK
dust and the hills swarmed with thousands OF
miners who made their headquarters within the
limits Of this famous place. Tents sheds, shantics
brush houses and board cabins filled the valley Tor
miles around while many of the miners had no roofs
10 cover them and slept their claims. The whisky
shop followed quickly, and then as a sequence came
gambling attended by its nseparabie companions
thc pistol and the knife.
"Thcnr rs an old miner said to me yesterday,
there was lively times here. Not night passed
that there was Mt somebody pcppercd OK sliced.
have known half a dozen men to be shot or STABBED
in night and Il was considered very dull If some
body didn'tde with his boots every two or three
times in a day. Them was times for you, ST.' he
continued. when Teller got broke, all he had to
do was to borrow. II was 10 trick for fellow to
get $50. $50, or 800, and nobody thought of ask
inc for a note. II you had conscientious scrrpies
about borrowing, as always had Won cond take
your pick, shovel and par and get from $50 10 $50
and S1OGa day By washing"
"Washingi why, supposed miners did M have
any washing 10 DO or that they did Their own wash
ing supposed they did not change their clothes
very often"
The grizzly old fellow, greasy and ragged end half
full of whisky, turned his bleary eyes on me in
scornf,l pity, ard hobblel away without word
lie could not endure The suggestion that anybody
could mistake tie washing of gold for the washing
Of clothes and he did not oven wait to inquire what
supposed shovel and pick had to do with theattcr
process Another superanIuated character Who
had lived more than twenty years in PaccrvilIe'
said that in Us good days, dozen sX-holse stages,
with from ten 10 thirty passengers in each, came
dashinc M 10 the hotel from each direction, about
half the miners going from Sacramento TO the
Placeryille mines. or on to Wash0e-noW
virginia City-and tho other half returning from
the latter region. 1t was at tkis place that the
first hanging was done under the lynch law that
prevailed so long in the Mining districts u the con-
duet Of any certain individual was not satisfactory
20 the multitude. why, the multitude hung The cer-
tain individual to Tree, Che stump OF which Is
pow in the ccner of the town. This eccentric habit
Of the multitude was exercised to such degree that
tho place was known far and near as HangtOwn. IN
1852 the name changed to Placervllie ard may
we not hore that the spirit will one day super
sedc the whole lot of incousideratc names, snch
You Bet Red Dog Yuba Dam. Murder Gulch. and
uany 9th. rs in daily which are not lit 10 print
1uE PLACER MINES.
The mining at ibis point in the early days was
what il known az placer mining. The gravel is
placed in pan holding half as much as an ordinary
water-brclct and shaped somewhat like mix pan.
This il taken by the miner to running water II pos
siblc; if this is not at hand he washes the gravel
in pool lie first sinks the pan and vets the earth
thoroughly. then he rubs 1t with his hands to
separate the gold and shakes the pan in the water,
which causes the gold being heavier than the
Gravel 10 sink to the bottom. BY dcXrous twstings
aud tTnngs of the pan, the top gravel and DIRT IL
gradually washed Off, and at last black sand which
il YER heavy is found at the BOTTOM IN quantity
about two or three spoonsful, and in this is the
cold IN little bits of nuggets and dust. Some
times large nuggets found, oven to the
N. sent day. but they are Before the mines
declined they were very common. Another system
Of p!acer-mning was by rocker, which is Il vessel
much larger than pan. This is filled with dirt and
placed under a tream Of water, and is balanced on
= frame or pivots that il NAV I've rocked backward
and forward like SIEVE in q tanning mill The gold
is cleaned up as with the pan. Still another, and CT
course the most profitable process of obtaining the
gold from placer-digving, was by the Long Tom.
This sy,e1n required more capital, and, while II WAS
mach easier and more profitable the majority could
not indulge in il on account Of the capital necessary
lurnc is built and in it quantity Of water
The bottom is fat and the sides perpendicular The
miners shovel the gravel which contains gold into
this Gume The cart is washed away, and the gold
being heavier. settles 70 the bottom.
After few years the Placer mines about this place
we're worked out The gravel That available for
the kind of mining then practiced was exhausted.
The whole valley had been dug over, and nothing
VA left but cobble-stones. All abOut this country
therc are apparently enough stones Of this dcscrip
ton in size apple TO cocoaGut 10 dam the
ocean When the mines declined miners sought
gold else where and the great region OF the Nashoe
was opened. The important overland road con-
meeting sacramento. Placcrville, Carson City, and
Virginia City at this period in the full flush OF
its glory. The distance between Sacramento and
Virginia CITY | do not know but it cannot
I've far from 10 miles. To show the Importance of
this road and the extent of the travel il, it is
only necessary 10 record what is fact namely,
that the whole distance was daily sprinlslcd with
water with much regularity and attention as any
street in city, During the past week have been
counting both Ways more than ahundred milcs
Of this road in an open wagon, and had cause to
gret that the travel had d. elined to such degree
that sprinkling Yves no longer practiced There is
no cxaggeration when / say there was half an inch
OF dust all over me. was so thoroughly disguised
that even my creditors would not have known me.
The Plaoerville of to-day is of little account. The
a+r WILL htilt brt has tn