The daily gazette., 1879-03-14
Hydraulic Gold Mines.

N. Y. Tribune.]
John Ii. Thomas, of Lap rte, Cal, one
| of he largest haydraulic miners of that
state, Is now at che Park Avenue hotel on
a visit to the city after an absence Of
ltweny-three years. Mr.. Ihon as came
to New ork from Massachusetts,, lad
of seven, cen, without dollar and found
employment with David Mofiit q Co.,
down in the ''swamp," until he earned
enough for a steerage passage to San
Francisco, and at once went to the mines
in Plunas and Sierra counties, where be
has remained until he has become one OF
the principal owners of the great blue
lead. Mr.. Thomas is now in bis fortieth
year; of his particular work he seems
habitually reticent.
| In answer TO questions about his min
ing experience. Mr.. Thomas said
swell, it is not very large. | have
been at work in the god-gravel of Plumas
and Sierra counties for over tW enty years
but know little of mining outside except
by hearsay. was after gold, and find
ing that the head of the gold-gravel chan
nels was around Pilot Peak and Little
Grizzly, decided to stay, aud every year
since I've had better reason for so do
ing. The really lasting and rich gold
gravel beds of California arc found In
what seem TO be the channels of large
rivers that one time ran nearly north and
south, or at right angles to the present
rivers. These channels appear to have
been first nearly filed with washines from
gold quartz veins, then volcanic action
tulnbled mountains and lava over them
and raised them up. There are three OF
these channels, known as the white, gray
and blue leads. The blue lead is the
largest and richest, and on tn Pve work.
ed, on of this only would rather talk.
"The head of a channel holds the coars-
est gold, and most of it, like the head OF
a sluice, and tue head of the Big Blue is
producing more gold than any territory
Of like size in the world. About ten miles
Isquare has yielded, according to lowest
estimates, over 500, ,000, 900. G. w. Hem
del, mining engineer. who has lived
and worked there twenty-five years, aid
who reported on it for Commissioner
Raymond, says that from the vicinity of
Laporte alone over 500, 900 900 has been
taken out ofthe gravel. The books Of DR..
Bre wster, who was mail and express car
rier from Laporte, show that he carried
out in sixteen years over S60,O00,0O0
Then, too, IN this vicinity are the great
Plumas, Eureka, Sierra, Buttes, Nam
moth, and others, that together have pro-
duced in the neighborhood of 0,000,-
LOCO"
care not the gravel beds about worked
out? ?"
"No gravel mining is N its infancy
with us. There are squara miles of I'M
explored gravel, and Of the gravel beds
actually explored, tunnelled. rSifted and
| n naI dc. nj = MA nj i.fh IA Ia 10 w
been worked. The Union, a drift mine,
averaged over $4,000 per acre. The
Down East, also drift, got over $500, 900
from six acres. This has been about the
average of our drift mines, which, work
ing only three or four feet of the gravel
, nearest the bedrock, got from So to Sl3
PER cubic yard, at an average expense,
including Improvements, of about % per
cent. of the product, when paying S3 to
81 day for miners. Our hydraulic mines
show averages of II cents to 60 cents a
cubic yard, and there are from 10000 to
200, 900 cubic yards per acre .an average
In the main channel of IL, 600 to 100000
cubic yards an acre. An inch of water,
about 1000 cubic feet, with head of 100
to 200 feet, will wash from to 4 cubic
yards day, aud costs from 2 cents TO 10
cents an inch. Now apply your arithme-
tic and see how small an area of this
. channel is nec ssary to produce the
ameuuts | have named, and produce
them as profits"
"lf this Is true, why is there no rush to
these gold fields, As there is to Lead
vile ?"
"There have been many of them and
terrible cnes in times past. Under the
old law man could locate 100 feet wide
| Of this gravel, and thousands of these To-
! | cations were made in early excltements
but the locators soon found that to worn
their property with profit required large
outlays for miles or ditches if for by
Z ldraulic, or thousands of feet of tunnels i
for drift mining. Many abandoned thei
claims, some combined and u few formed
companies and succeeded IN gettinj
money enough for proper equipmen an,
lit Is only within the last five wears tha
hydraulic mining has been really estat
lishsd. Now it is growing more rapid
|. than our quartz mining The director G
the mint estimates that Californla's gol
= product for 1873 was about $40 ,0OU, 600.
think it was FULLY that, and that two
thirds If not three-quarters was fror
gold gravel. One claim of the Ddtc
company got So 13 cubic yard froI
10 q 900 cubic yards, and another got $40
20 per yard from 5000 cubic yards. Craig
Hat and Morristown got over S5,000,0(
j.. acres Of the Comfy & Gowell ground owe
. 81 100000 has been taken. The compan
divided 1894 600 profits In one year froI
~ total expense of S5,50O."
,g "Why are not these gravel minin
% stocks ON the San Francisco boards ?"
81 suppose mainly because brokers
not like them. When the compani,
wanted working capital they usually &c
70 1t by private subscription, in many ii
~ stances from England, and when ono
- working, the returns are SO certain, thel
Is SO little to be said, surmised or prom
ised, because everything is in sight, thi
there is little chance for manipulation
VIRGINIA JUDGES TO BE ARRESTED
' The conflict of authority between Il
y United States and Virginia courts, ari
n ing out of the alleged violation of Il
civil rights bill, will be immediate
, taken before the federal Supreme Cou
- for adjudication. Warrants have bee
" issued for the arrest ofthe accused judge
- who, instead Of giving bail, will appl
it is declared to Chief Justice Waite I,
writs of habeas corpus. The judges
be arrested are j. d. Coles, Of Pitts,
vania, G. II. Bernard, of Franklin, S.
H. Staples, of Patrick, S. J, Mullens,
Henry, and L. L. Bouldin, of Chariot
er. county