Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-05-12
OUR MINING INTERESTS.

ing compared with what it would have
been had the past season been different
leads US TO look around US and see the op-
portunities which may offer for entering
into other kinds Of mining than tha. who'll
ly dependant upon the seasons. The last
Winter was a peculiarly unfortunate one
for the county in more respects than one.
1t not only produced less gold than the
customary amount, but it checked the
prosecution of important enterprises
which had they been carried out as orig
inally projected, would have opened a
large field fo- the employment of labor
and thus paved the way for another era
of prosperity. But it may be that the
failure Of placer mining will be the
means of turning the attention of work.
ing men to other channels of employment,
and be. in the long run more ofa blessing
than present appearances would warrant.
The Cinnsbar mining interest, which
commanded great attention two or three
years ago, is not, at the present time,
prosecuted with that vlgor which the i'm
portance of the interest would seem to
demand. This does not follow as re-
suit of the failure Of the lodes heretofore
worked, but rather that there is not tie
demand for quicksilver, nor does that ne
cessary article of commerce command
the price in the market at which it was
held two years ago. The high price then
asked for quicksilver was not in conse-
quence Of any scarcity Of the article, nor
for the reason that, by probable failure
of the mines from which the chief sup
plies OF quicksilver had been drawn, there
would be a scarcity in the near future.
Quicksilver, like any other article of ne
cessity was subject TO the ma nipulation
of spectators, and in this way the sup
ply in the market WAS monopolizcd and
controlled by ring, which placed such
price upon the article that it could not be
used with profit in many places where it
had heretofore been employed. The fc-
titious value thus given to quicksilver
stimulated prospecting, and thus caused
the discovery of many new mines, some
of them of value. Foremost among these
were the Cinnabar mines Of this county.
While the demand for quicksilver COR
tinued, and the price was held at the high
figures of two and three years ago, the
work OF prospecting was prosecuted with
energy and resulted in finding indications
of the metal in number of localities
nea- the site of the main discovery. These
mines possess value which the future
only can determine-whe the present
lull in mining in Nevada and elsewhere
gives place to renewed activity, it will be
followed by an increased demand and
consequent higher price for quicksilver,
which will justify the holders of claims
in developing them to greater extent.
But it is not to placer, nor yet to Gin
nabar mining that we are to look for the
great source of employment in the fu-
ture. Each is good in its way, but there
is another mining interest which has not,
as yet, been fairly started, but which will
at some time in the near future, be n
prolific source of wealth. We refer to
quartz mining. Where there have been
such rich and extensive deposits of pla-
Ger gold as those which built up Weaver
vile, Junction City, Douglas City, Lew
iston, and in fact all our chief mining
camps, it stands to reason that there
must be veins of paying quartz, from
which all this wealth has come. Other
counties, such rs Amador, Calaveras,
Nevada and Tuolumne years ago became
noted for the quartz mining which grew
up near the site of rich pacers. Such,
we think, will also be the case in Trinity.
Already we hear of developments which
we're in great measure unexpected. The
existence OF quartz ledge which would
hold out such good promise as does the
"Bullychoop" was a thing hardly to be
dreamed of three or four years ago.
Shares in this ledge now command fair
price which year ago were, to say the
least, of doubtful value. The success of
the holders of Bullychoop should inspire
others 10 search for the veins from
which the placers Of other places have
been enriched.
In one respect the quartz hunter in this
county. will have greater difficulty to
contend with than has been the case In
the placers of the Sierra Nevada Range.
The bedrock lies at greater depth
from the surface than in the low noun
tains in which the gold deposits of south
ern counties were formed. We presume
the fact that there have been in past
years greater rainfall and consequently a
greater growth Of vegetation in meas
ure accounts for this fact. Quartz in
granite bedrock is easier traced or found
for the reason that the bedrock is nearer
the surface than slate is usually found.
Recent discoveries in Dcadwood Creek
show the existence Of paying quartz. in
that locality; the indications of which
were noticed and some prospecting done
years ago. Deadwood heads up in the
mountains opposite French Gulch, where
rich quartz was worked in former years.
There is no good reason why the search
for quartz should not be successfully
prosecuted in other localities as indeed, is
being done to some extent. The exist
ence of quartz veins has been noted in al
most every mining camp, but thus far
little has been done toward testing and
developing them. There are few of our
old resident miners but can recall where
they noticed quartz lodges in former days,
! but thought little or nothing of the matter