New-York tribune., 1879-11-12
THE MINES OF UTAH.
GOLD QUARTZ IN BINGHAM CANON.

sCFNFRY-DIGGTNG FOR SILVER AND flNpA'"
colp-cnANCEs FOR THT FUTURE.
rrnoN STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRtnrNkI
SAT- Luxe CITY, Utah. Oct. l5.-Bngham
Canon is one OF the most interesting mining Dis
tricts of Utah. Tie scene of some of the earliest
nlacer mining operations in the Territory. II has IN
turn come into prominence as an important silver
lead canr. and lately as the most promising goid
quartz region Of the Great Basin The attention oi
foreign and American capitalists has also oeeh ul-
rectcd TO Bingham by the sale to a French company
last Spring for the enormous sum of S3,O0OOOO.
of the Old telegraph the best known Of the silver
lead mines Of that region. salt Lake valley Is
bounded on the east by the WahSatch Mountains
aud on the west by the OQuirrh Range, the distance
across from one 10 the other being in the nelsnooi
hood If twenty miles. Both ranges are pierced oy
wild rocky ca1ons down through whlen co"e
beautifnl mountain streams fed by the Almost
s,ernal SHOWS of the higher peaks. and through
which also are the ouly gateways into the heart OF
the mountains Bingham Canon Is one "t theSe
riffs IN the Oquirrh Range, and the muddy niue
rill that flows out of il and finds ITS way INTO the
Jorian River about twelve miles above South OF
tbis c;+y WAS as clear as crystal until the gold
mills stained its waters with their "taiiines."
About twenty years ago General COnnor arrived
In fah with a force of United States soldiers mos
Of whom bad been miners, and who very naturailS
"prpS pee ted" tne art OF every o'iN"ih ''NS N""
10. To these men is attributed the discovery of the
Bingham Canon placers. which, Tor Their extent
have been remarkably productive. and have not
even Vet been exhausted. " Bed rock IN some
parts of the canon is covered up by deep deposits oi
barren drift and at present the placer workings
are carried ON by means Of shafts ana 'uh"e's
through and under this wash" Next ID chioho
logical order was the discovery Of extensive peuS OF
slver-lcad ore made about ten years ago and ex-
tensivcly developed during the last decade; ana
finally IN 1877. the diSlutcgrated rock when was
thrown aside as waste in working the lead mines
WAS discovered to be a low-eradc gold ore. more
valuable because it could be SO easily reducedthan
The sil,er-lead deposits which the camp pre-
yiously depended for support.
Bingham CIty. which Is in the heart Of the noun
tains and extends along tie canon for mile or
more l. about thirty miles from Salt Lake City,
and is reached by riding south about dozen miles
On the Utah Southern Railroad and thence west
over the Bingham Canon uarluw-Eaugc roal' the
terminus OF which is sixteen miles from the Jordan
River. The view ~ the Wahsatch Mountains from
he rear e the railway train, as 1t climbs the west
,rn slope OF the valley 10 the base of the Oqnlrrh
Range IS one of constantly increasing grandeur and
beauty The grade Of the roadbeG, following the nat
nral SLOPE Is az the rate of about sixty or seventy
.eet to mile. but IL is SO regular ard the noun
.llu~ III nuuIl II slN tN Ht'NF t''t' A''-N' N-N
ric,vcd from the Jordan River, the whole valley
looks like q level PLAN. As We ascend II the noun
,aius ou tine opposite side, grand and massive when
,crn from any point IN the Great Basin, rear their
mead. i cher and higher and stand ont with bOider
outlines until the Wow of them is finally shut out
by an abrupt turn in the canon.
Wien tl. distant mountains are lost TO sight the
nearer views m this Wild gorge of the oquirrh
Mountain. will alone repay a visit 90 it IN Some
respect the scenery resembles that IN Echo and
Weber Canoae on tine Union Pacific Railroad. but 70
S more red, and If anything moro romantic. The
STRANGER in ms Journey through 1t is constantly
meeting with surprises Now the walls of the
canon rise abruptly either side. their tops, hun
droi, of feet above the stream, shutting out the
sun during an but TWO OF three hours in the day.
Then lhe canon opens a little wider. and there Is a
auarrow bench above the brook. two or three rods
wide upon which some enierprislng mOuntaneer
has conducted the wafer and raises a crop Of wheat
or alfalfa.
A. this season OF the year some Of the slopes on
the hillside are very brilliant IN their gay Autumn
garments The Rocky Mountains have generally
guhdu.l and sombre appearance in these October
DAYS when the 4 Aleghauics are clothed IN their
brieuics, colors In tAe almost total absence Of
deciauous trees there is 40 material upon which
thc frost can paint its gorgeous coloIs and until
tie SNOW. throw thciI white mantle over the higher
peaks tac mountains dO not change their general
aspect. ln Bingham Canon tie piuo Trees were
lonc aeo cut from the hll,ides. but there remains
"A shglt growth Of underbrush which does
change color when the first frost touches it, and
whca ]. ..lis mp the duO brcwnish-ye.low OF the
bunch-.rlss which covers the ground. The sun
shine and shadow on some Of tls sAruJ-cOveIcd
hills produced "a most beautiful effect.
The train hardly enters the canon before ,he work
oftuc pro,pector begins 20 De seen on every side.
Tuanl alter tunnel has been driven iuio the
mountains, and great piles of broken rock at their
mouths testify to the industry Of the men who
spend ieir lives in q search for the precious metals
have been told by old miners that, taking "a
whole mining district together S1O5 are spent in
prospecting and the development OF mines Tor every
dollar iliat is taken out. and what ] have myself
seen in the mining camps of the Rocky Moun-
tains during the past few months conynees
me that this is not cxaggoration.
For every successful mine there are hun
dreds of locacatIOns which never return a
penny for the work done upon them. Here in Bine-
ham Canon there are not more than dozen MINES
which are actually paying expenses. and have
heard ii estimated that 5000 locations have been
made If the work on each of these cost only 500,
OF sufficient TO enable its 30 retain his title
for single year, it would amount to half million
dollars "a sum winch Is certainly greater than the
profits Of mining in this district have ever been IN
any one season.
The gold mines of Bingham extend from Cars
Fork of the canon TO the main branch. Leaving the
railroad station and walking short distance up into
the town, obtained a horse and rode up the right
hand branch of the canon to the point where 1t
forks. The Stewart Mine No is on a small tribu-
tary stream called the Muddy. and. as 1t has been
more developed than any other in the district, ought
first to be visited. The history OF the discovery of
Cnf..n is rvnrfh ino