The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-05-11
BONANZAs OF THE FUTURE,


Mining Engineer Bell writes to the Chicago
Mining RerieW: In these active times, when
it is said "Carbonate is King may it not be
we'll for our active operators to keep in mind
tbat gravel mining is only in its infancy?
IL has only been few years since hydraulic
mining has been reduced to a science, and
some OF the large hydraulic properties of tile
country are managed by those who know but
precious little about that peculiar kind of
mining industry.
| have written before of my belief Chased
on actual personal examination) Of the exis-
tence of system of what is called on the
| Pacific Coast, "dead rivers" extending
through portions of Montana, Wyoming, west
ern Colorado, passing out through the region
of San Miguel into New Mexico, a region but
little explored in very few places, even by
boring, to find the lower, or main old channel;
so, in this article, will speak of the infancy
OF hydraulic mining in California which, so
far, is the I" boss in hydraulic mining"
There is both the white and blue gravel.
The blue lead, the main body ESQ far as dis
covered and woked), is not over twenty-five
to thirty miles, traced, as it has been detin-
itely, from Grizzly to Forrest Hill. running
through Nevada and Placer counties, having
hye 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 hidden 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 $780,
100000, the annual product being about
$s,OOO,O0O. In one little spot in Nevada
county there has been taken out about $780,
100000. Some of these dead rivers have a
fall of so feet to the mile. affording good op-
portunities for drainage, under currents, and
various modern appliances for saving the fine
gold.
In some of those old rivers the gravel is
whitsh and the gold quite evenly distributed,
so that very exact estimates can be made as to
the probable amount of gold. 1t is easily
washed out, while the blue gravel is mixed
more with tenacious clay, giving much
trouble often in getting out the gold, but it is
always richer than the other. especially near
bed rock. There have been some wonderfully
rich specimens taken out of the blue lead.
noticed one at Dutch Flat, the finest have
ever seen, 1t was an immense boulder studied
with gold nuggets, which were worn smooth
on the surface. l was told afterward that it
was valued at $500. 1t was surely grand
boulder. II is no uncommon thing to pick UP
in blue lead diggings fine specimens of rock
carrying nuggets of gold, which, to the inquir-
ing mind, naturally brings up the thought
from whence came the wondrOus stones
And the same question will, perhaps, bother
the brains of any scientific man, while the
practical miner will be studying hard to find
out how to get the vast known deposits out:
No doubt other "dead rivers" will be found
is various parts of the mountains, and at very
different attitudes, one class of men speculat-
ing as to how it came so-another practical
class getting out the precious metal.