Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-04-05
Letter From NSEn,n

Correspondence OF tho Alexandria Cs,,o
DEADwooD. March 27.-Amorg the s,s..
terprises of the Black Hills. ho1ey-comtei '''
they ere with TUNES and tcsrred With H.,
and fumes miles in length, msy DO clsss.5 :,
great RockcrVillo plscer scheme. Tho c,,r,. -
has under ts control COO acres of placer r.nm"
and rs soon rs spring opens will BEGIN w.,
The water used in working this clsir IS b,on.s
in from distance By means Of ditch, s,s 49,
fall of many feet sufficient to givei, ,or,s
power when compressed in the hose from ut;,'
It is discharged. SO powerful are som, Of ,t..
streame of water when comprl saed thst ,t;''
iron bar when struck across tie js: becon,, NV,
like twig; turned upon humsn bsiDy ,s ,a'
would in tHinkliDg tear him iato irssna.,!
Mountain sides arc litersliy torn 10 pisr,. .'r
immense boulders hurled thunds>inc +, ' ~
plains below. This is the hydraulic pro,o'-s
mining The dirt, gravel ard stone sra $500 600
away down 10 "bed-rock," whera one frts -.
gold nesting snrgly in tho creviccs. M,., 'le
the gold is deposited just on the bed r1cS,i "
nature, an the tendency of the p.r,iclas l.!
tanned in the dict and gravel is to sink ana =.
caught in the angles and eCg:c of the soIi5 ~.
tom. Some idos can row b. formed Of ,ba 49, ~
pany to which have rtfarred. at esst y I fas.
OF earth over an area of coo acres must 10 We
cd over before the gold can be real nd. br,
Rantic as the work may appear, lhcrs is i,s'.,
doubt hut that that area will b, wssbsJ " ""
Capitalists from New York srs at The bc,s -. ~
the enterprise ard preparatory work isr'i",,...
| upon q grand scale. u"
Placer miaing is necessarily risky f.. -,
| never knows what will be found 1T the hr.,,,,
of the claim; bus il this Instance ou,n,i,,a.
dirt have already been hauled miles - ,nnn.. =,
water, and even under such dissdvsptsot,
| found TO pay, consequently the COMPANY t.
| safe, and are pushing things ahead. Ths nls,,
| business seems TO be reviving with i,c.es,oi.
cilities Tor working the claims nearer a, L.,;
than formerly. though qusrlz milling il, aDiT,.
years 10 come will be, the great source Of wss,s
| in the Hills. Several millions of dollars L..,
bsen taken from the gu!ches in and s,o Mn.t
Dead wood. The ground upon which DesiwNoi
was built is a series OF placer claims, rpo. ~
which have been worked with great nr,f, :.
their owners. The very dirt in the stress =,
this day shows color and it is surm.ed BY Tins,
who ought to know that many of the hcu,rs !,
Deadwood are built upon beds of gold dus.
year or 30 sgo the msin street of the c:y. o.
more than $1,000.
| The site Of Dosdwood on account cf is ys,,s
ss mineral land is now in litigation. The loc
tors of the clhims upon which houses Esve ta,,
| built have asserted their claim TO the surf,,a
and already the Land Com missioner has decjla
that lets taken up for building purposes wtrs l..
legSlly appropriated. The feet Of this daci;ior
will be lha! all persons who hsvo built hoas,.
upon mineral ianas will ba obliged to purcs.e
the 'bed-rock' title from the miners; and ,v.r
| in cases who're miners do no! claim the suris,a
or allowed buildings to be erected thu decI.ioe
| oil the Comm sslcner would establish the prime.
pie that the location OF building sites was vol I!
| because IN ldo upon mineral land. The law =.
latng TO tho question at issue seems 10 cor. IN.
! plate the development OF the mineral lsnds I,
| the ixclusion of town sites and agricultural in
te,ests, and until the miners have exhsus,,l Tia
mineral. or unless they give title to occurarl, q
the surface building AID town sitos NO vo /
and illegal. OF course, an appeal has b zen tax.
| en- from The decision Of the Gem misaione, to N
| secretary of the Interior, bat the above opinion
seems to be sound in law. and, in all proh,tii
ty. will bo sustained BY tha Secretary of lne II.
terror. Unless something is douo very soon u
remedy iha evil it begins to look ss if thoss vto
| have built hou,U3 hear the stream .th.t rus
through the city would lose their l5ts in srv
event, or have 10 keep constant slev itir :selr
buildings. The cause Of the trouble ia lue in
meEse Quactilies OF debri3 that is constantly NC.
cumulaiing all along tho gllch cats ii by TIA
cots eless activity OF The large quartz mills stu
sted Two or three miles above. Day and nics
these mills ara grinding away. throwing q
| hundreds and thousands % tors Of powin-c
quartz and dirt hill sides have b3en dug Away
| and mountains tunnelod. Engineers hAva prs2
pied with the problem but 60 far, M solution
has been proposed, and still that portion of Ucst
| WOOD Bordering the creek is becoming highe
and higher. Seven or light fee. have been ta
posted since the mills commenced work, sbja
IL months SGD; and yet there are mountains o.
] ore to be GrCuad away. DAKOTA.