Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-03-13
"DEAD RITERS,o


Mining Engineer Bell writes to the Chicago
Mining Rfrtetr: In these active tunes, when IL
T. said is King may it. not be well
gravel mining is only in its tnfancy7 1t has only
been few years since hydraulic mining has
been reduced to science, and some OF the large
hydraulic properties of the country are man
aged by those who know but precious little
about that peculiar kind Of mining industry:
have written before of my belief (baSed on
actual personal eXamination) of the existence
Of system OF what is called on the Pacific
dead rivers" extending through portions Of
Montana Wyoming, western Colorado, passing
Mexico, region but little explored in very few
places, even by boring, to find the lower, or
main old channel; SO, In this article, VIII
ifornia, which, so far, is the "boss in hydraulic
mining
There is both the white and blue gravel The
and worked, is not over twenty-five to thirty
miles, traced, as 1t has been detiaitely, from
Little Grizzly to Forest HILL running through
Nevada and Placer Counties having five or six
branches, larger or smaller. making sixty to
seventy miles of branches OF this wonderful
dead river" In many places the old channel
Is covered with lava, so that there may be hid
den deposits yet in the OLD blue lead that will
surprise The most Sanguine.
1t Is already estimated that among those dead
rivers lying up 1000 to 5000 feet above the sea,
there lies treasure OF more than $500 O00, 900,
the annual product being uniformly about
IS 600 900. In one little spot in Nevada county
there has been taken out about 800. 900 O00 Some
OF these dead rivers have fall of so feet TO
mile, a1ording good opportunities for drainage
undercurrentS, and various modern appliances
or sowing fine gold.
sh and the gold quite evenly distributed, 50
that very exact estimates can be made as to
the probable amount OF gold. 1t is easily washed
tenacious clay, giving much trouble often in
getting out the gold, but it is always richer
than the other, especially near the bed rock.
mems taken out of the blue lead. / noticed one
at Dutch Flat, the finest have ever seen, was
an immense boulder studded with gold nuggets,
which were worn smooth on the surface. 1 was
told afterwards 1t was valued at $780, 1t was
surely grand boulder.
IL Is no uncommon thing to pick up in blue
lead diggings fine specimens OF rock-carrying
nuggets OF gold, which, to the inquiring mind,
naturally brings up the thought from whence
came these wondrouS stones, and the same
question will, perhaps bother the brains of any
scientific men, While the practical miner will be
studying equally hard to find out how to get the
vast known deposits out. No doubt other
dead rivers will be found in various parts OF
the mountains, and at different attitudes, one
class of men specializing as to how 1t came SO,
another practical class getting out the precious
metals.
With 100000, 900 from Nevada, s9o, 900, 900
from the little county of Placer, what may be
expected when the whole Pacific slope has been
put In thorough working order? In the matter
of hydraulic mining surely this class OF mining
opening up, even '.carbonates' not excepted.
No class of mining requires more economy
and sound Judgment than does hydraulic min
ing, and there is no better field for the practced
engineer than some OF those deep gravel mines
afford.
While the exposed western portion of this
aurferOuS gold field has been washed and erod-
ed away, the upper, or Sierra portion is practi-
cally uneXplOred, and we need not be surprised
to hear Of great wealth being uncovered yet In
the SierraS that portion lying adjacent TO the
al
In the dead river system of California.
When have stood by the exposed margins OF
those ancient rivers and examined those rich
auriferouS boulderS and rich pieces OF quartz
filed with gold In various forms the thought
would arise from whence came they, and i'm
agination would climb up the Sierra to huge
out Of which some future day may pour rich
treasures OF the precious metal that has trans
formed California into one OF the grandeSt of
states, while yet comparatively an infant among
the states.