The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-10-16

SNNN ~ oP hHE
shore is gold mining on the beach.
TIE secret of this strange sort Of tres-
sure trove. is one of those mysterious
ways Of Providence that is pas finding
out. The treasure Of these mines is
something like the mercies Of God new
every morning and fresh every even
ing;"-like the mama in the wilder
ness which came down from Heaven, or
the widows cruise of oil which failed
not day by day. At any rate. the geld
is washed mp By the tide. and periodi.
cally. after heavy southwest blow. a
regular bonanzx is realized by the pos
SCISSORS Of the best bars, provided they
do not get too much Of 90 d thing by
q deposit Of twelve or fourteen feet of
Whit sand upon the ore bearing BID Of
black sand.
There are more or less Of these black
sand strata which alone contain tile dust
all along the Pacific shore. and there's
millions in it," but the mischief is, it
takes about as much capital to get it
out, as it does in the case of quartz min
ing. Miners generally make two or
three dollars day, though in the flush
times ten or fifteen dollars Ia the hand
was q common average. and even as
high as 800 per day has been rell
wed.
The common process of reduction is
by means Of pans 1t immense capacity,
Incl on the bottom with iron. into
which many tons of the black sand are
dumped with quicksilver and chemicals
and this is then vigorously stirred and
macerated by means OF heavy mull-rs
working upon the surface of the mass
and grinding it upon the iron lining Of
the pan. The object of this is to rub
up and brighten the surface of the
grains of gold so as to enable them to
combine with the quicksilver and form
ali amalgsm. When duly secured and
mixed, the mass is reduced by means of
water washing ont the sand and the
amslgum is saved. None of the usual
processes, however, are very thorough
or very satisfactory.
A new method is now being tried
which its advocates are confident will
solve the difficult problem, and make
the everlasting fortune of the whole
Pacific beach. 1t consists of big rub
Der belt several rods long, runnin 9
swiftly by mears of steam power, at
an incline, around a couple OF drums
A stream of water is run over this. The
sand is thrown on at the bottom and is
carried up against the current of the
stream Of water. This in the course of
the ascent washes off the sand. but the
particles of gold adhere to the rubber,
and passing over the upper drum are
scraped off and precipitated into tank
Ct clear water. We heard that those
who are now experimenting with this
system claim that it saves all the gold.
PORT OXFORD.
Sunday morning, and . bright and
lovely morning it was. found US calmly
anchored in the romantic offing of
Port Oxford, in Coos county. Oregon
A lonely looking place it was, with its
half dozen houses or SO, struggled about
the green slopes aud shady rsvines
above the rocks and the white shining
beach. The port. scolloped in from the
main sea. and studded with wave-bcat
rocks. reminds one strongly of that pic
tlresque little wssh-bowl Of bay on
the Mexican coast, of Acapulco. where
the water is so green and deep and the
rocks are 50 plentiful. They seem to
have worse difficulties in the way of
wharf building there ION account of the
surf even than our nsighbors at deep
bOsomed Tacoma. and have none at all,
nor even buoy. Tichenor's mill does
not run now. and the two or three
storekeepers there depend on the beach
miners.
Passing on, close along shore it was
a pleasant RIM Of forty miles on up to
Coos Bay. All along the beach stretch
es one vast white sand. bar. rising in
places to the magnitude of mountains
Of sand. Behind. between it and the
true shore, probably stretch saltwater
lagoons or bayous, which. by the way,
is the true character Of most of the
bays We have mentioned along the
coast
Just above Oxford, in sound of the
melancholy murmurings of the sad,
sad waves" we observed the plain
looking cottage by the sea-" where
Joaquin Miller wooed and won his now
somewhat famous ex-bride, the gifted
Minnie Myrtle Miller etc. If there is
anything in Earl Disraeli's logic, as to
the climatic effects of residence, ION
the shores of a melancholy ocean," the
location of this domicil may furnish a
reasonable explanation of the eccen-
tricities of that notorious pair
Next We saw the still undissolved
skeleton Of the good bark Oregonnn,
now half-buried in the drifting sand,
which, during fog last March, unwit.
tingly drifted too near that treacher-
Gus bank. and was too warmly en-
braced by it.
There Is a never wesrying amusement
afforded to voysger in these waters
on clear day. in watching the
ever shifting panorama of the sea
AID the sprightly disportings of
the varied tribes of the deep.
The meet amusing critters" are the
sea-lions. padding all around you in
schools. which. though. perhaps they do
not emulate Bottoms lion in the play
and roar you gently ss sucking
oove." yet do below very much like .
| yearling calf. You see q swimming
coterie of them ahead Of yon. treading
water for amusement and tsllowing at
each other. only their long, pointed
noe V bobbing up and down above the
water. But IS you come too near. they