Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-06
BULLYOHOOP.
Some Account Of Mining District and a
Criticism of Mine Management.

Some Account of Mining District and a
Criticism of Mine Management.
j. P. w. Davis, of Igo, Shasta county,
writes to the RECORD UNION concerning
the Bnllychoop mining district, prefacing
his notes with the statement that too often
parties interested in private enterprises.
and others having personal ends to SUBJ
serve, seek to be benefited through the
columns of the public press, when, in re-
atty, the public has no interest whatever
in the matter. Knowing this, he says he
has been careful not to trespass upon the
feelings and rights of individuals, any fur
Their than public interest requires, believing
that in all matters wherein countyis more
or less affected by the management of any
local enterprise the public have right
to know the reason why such and
such a thing is a success or failure.
In mineral section like this the impor-
lance of well-developed mining district is
considerable toward the growth and pros
perity of the counties Immediately adjacent
thereto. He continues as follows
1.-The Bullychoopminingdist asa dis
trict was discovered on November l, 1873,
and the first location made in the districs
was made by the Davis brothers, on what
is known as the Mammoth mine. The fol-
lowing spring a party of prospectors from
Trinity county discovered and located
what proved to be the flower of the dis
trict, the Bullychoop and Occidental lodes,
and Immediately upon the heels of this the
Underholt, Davis, North Pole and Rattle
snake lodges were discovered. And dur
ing that year, 1874, about forty different
quartz Veins or deposits were found and
considerably prospected. These were the
steps that characterized the discovery and
location of the Mount Bullychoop mining
district. There never was, perhaps, in
California better showing for an exciting
mining field than the surface showing in
this district in lS74-5-6. But few mis-
takes were made in the beginning and
many since, the effect of which did and has
continued to keep capitalists out of the
district, and in consequence of which the
district has received backset that viii
take long time for the best management
to remedy. In a geographical point of
view it is as admirably located for success
fully prospecting and working as any min
eral field l have seen, unless | except
Treasure Hill, White Pine-having great
altitude, with precipitous mountains and
abundance of wood and water. Its Local
ton is near the dividing line between
Shasta and Trinity counties, with the
watershed emptying into Trinity river.
The veins are found in tale and horn
blendic formation, bordering pretty closely
to the granite, with northerly and south
erly course and southeasterly dip. The
veins, which are generally large and regu-
lar, carry gold as predominating metal,
with very little refractory ingredients, so
far as developments have been made. Be-
tween sixty and seventy-five thousand dol
lars have been extracted by the most tire
some and primitive methods. And in this
connection it is great drawback to both
Shasta and Trinity counties that an enter
prising mining capitalist is not now oper-
ating in Bullychoop mining district.
Unfortunately for the district the Bully
choop and Occidental mines had too many
men located in them. And, unfortunately
for them and others, they manifested in the
early years of its prosperity very selfish
disposition, and did all they could to retard
prospecting in other mines when there was
disposition on the part of moneyed men
to take hold and develop the district. The
injury they tried to infict upon other
parties they have, and are now, reaping
themselves. This was their second blum
der; the first was the asking and refusing
to give capitalists chance unless they
could realize more than five times the
amount of what their surface showing was
worth. The third great blunder was going
too fast, going in debt, incorporating with
out the consent or sanction of minority
interest, and finally litigation, in order to
freeze out certain shareholders The re-
suit of all which has been to retard work
in said district, disgusting capitalists and
eugendering turmoil and dislike among one
another. The two mines named are re-
ferred to because they were the keys to
the district upon their development
hinged the general welfare of the district.
Had they been properly managed, forty or
sixty stamps, running by steam power, would
have been in motion now in that district,
and as a consequence many hundred men
would now be employed who are now out
of employment, and Shasta and Trinity
counties would be reaping mutual benefit.
The people here think that it would have
been better not to have incorporated the
mines, but to have gone ahead, in a fair
and friendly manner, on a safe and econom-
ical base, extracting the ore and working
it as best could be done in close proximity
to the mine, instead of packing the ore be-
tween six aud seven miles on mules, to be
worked by machinery that cannot consume
four hundred pounds of rock in twelve
hours. Our people feel an interest in the
district, as we do in all similar enterprises,
and we sincerely hope the managers will
profit by experience and go to work in an
equitable manner and work and prospect
the mine to greater depths in some tam ible
and rational way