Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-11-30


eighteen heads of water on Union Hill. The
heads OF water averaged about six inches.
/ Later years the heads of water use were very
large IN comparison TO those used In early
days. Four or Eve hundred acres were
mined off az Negro Hill. At one time it was
very fiourishing camp of perhaps LOCO IN
habisants. The mines averaged all the way
from six to twenty-six feet in depth. Mas.
sachusetts Flat was about a mile above Ne
/ gro Hill. The Frazier & Jennings canal fur
nished water for the mines at Negro Hill and
Massachusetts, Bar. The Frazier & Jennings
canal took its water from the South Fork,
near Salmon Falls. The mining at Negro
Hill was mostly done between 1850 ard 1856.
There has been
CONSIDERABLE MINING
Done on Massachusetts Flat by Portuguese.
They used on an average about $50 inches of
water, and dumped into the North Fork.
There are piles of tailings there now fifteen
| feet in hight. The freshets level down
those tailings every winter. The food of
1862 l think brought down more debris
than any winter since. Sluics mining COM
menced in 1858. The water of the Natoma
Ditch was first brought in during the year
1853, and the North Fork in 1855. My n.y.
draulic mining was done at James, Point,
Just above Rattlesnake Bar, in 1872. The low
bars along the river were all composed of
heavy material, such as sand and cobble !;
the high bars, of lighter material and red
earth. | noticed sand on Long Bar in 1858.
think dams can be put in the North Fork
that will resist the current. The Natoma
dam in the South Fork has stood the high
waters for twenty years. Have seen the
South Fork so low where it joins the North
Fork that it contained only about $50 inches.
The Natoma ditch carried about l, 700 inches
Where l measured the water in the North
Fork and found but z, 400 inches was at a
point opposite Horseshoe Bar. At that time
the North Fork canal was carrying about
1000 inches.
Redirect examination ito Mr.. Cadwala.
der)-There are not more than thirty people
living at Negro Hill at present. The country
has been nearly all washed away. Some
Chinese are engaged in mining there at pres
emit. The few white people living there are
engaged In Embarrassing. There are very
few people living at
RATTLEsNAKE BAR.
1 I was there five or six years ago. There
were living there then five or six whites and
a few Chinese. The mining at Rattlesnake
Bar continued to be extensive until 1862 or
1868. The mines on this bar all dumped
their tailings into the North Fork. Sold
water to two or three China companies on
Manhattan Bar in 1872 or 1873 The bulk of
the miners left Horseshoe about 1865 There
are some nice orchards and vineyards there
at present. One man has very valuable
cherry orchard at that point on a sand bar.
Condemn and Carleton Bars have been
abandoned. At least one-half of The work
was done on these bars prier to 1860. The
mines on Slate Hill are still working. Nine
| tenths of the work on that Hill was done
prior to 1873. Main Bar is below the
Folsom bridge, and very high. The
| tailings from Chris. Lawson's mine
dumps into the river just above the
Folsom bridge. The tailings are composed of
sand, cobble and red soil. The high waters
take these tailings down stream. There has
been great deal of sluice mining done on
Main and Mississippi Bars since 1860. In
siuice mining all the large cobbles were
thrown out on the banks, and not sluicsd
into the river.
c. L. ECKLoN SWORN.
Ito Mr.. Hart)-I live in Mississippi town
ship, near Folsom. Have lived there since
1870. l came to Folsom August 2, 1856. I
worked on the river near Folsom that year.
| 1 worked there until the middle of December,
when the high waters drove us out. Have
lived in Folsom and Mississippi township
since 1856. 1 am acquainted with the river
up to the junction of the North and Middle
Forks. have been at the head waters OF the
Il
steep and composed of slate rock. The
banks were bluff and from 60 to 100 feet high
The bills become more elevated as you follow
up the river above this point. The current
of the river near Folsom has quite
a velocity. There is quite perceptible fall
in the river at this point. It is about two
miles from Folsom to the point where the
| two rivers come together. In 1856 we made
a wing dam aud turned the river on one side,
| v,yhs Ia Nt,ko
half of the channel. We found in the bottom
a kind of blue gravelly formation, that looked
as though it had been there for ages This
was what we called pay dirt. 1t was entirely
different in color, weight and nature from
anything to be found in the bars or in the
banks. We stripped off few feet of sand
on the top before we reached this pay dirt
The water at that time was not clear, neither
was it 80 muddy IS now. The miners at that
time were beginning to ground sluice, and
made the water somewhat colored. The sand
and gravel has filed up the channel where
mined in 1850,
| AT LEAST TWENTY FEET.
The breadth of the river is about the same
now as it was then. am well acquainted
with the river as far down as Sailor Bar.
The filling to that point is about ten or If
teen feet deep. That is, the river bottom.is
that much higher than it was when first
| SHW III 1COO. NC CuFfSut III Liz river WAS
much greater in early times than at present.
The current of the water between the juno
ton Of the South and North Forks and the
bridge, during high stages, has a velocity of
about ten miles an hour. | think the first
freshet brings down the most debris. It is
| very dark colored and thick with slickens.
| Here witness was shown a sample marked
slickens or slumguliion. He said the debris
that comes down during the first rush of high
| H. i L. - I IL l. 1t
! is constantly coming down with the current.
The water that came down this summer has
not been SO highly oolored as usual.
The South Fork water Is yellowish in color,
and the North Fork of blush cast. We
can use the water for domestic purposes after
settling it. My observation is that high
waters leave no deposit. l have seen the
yellow slickens along the sides of the channel
so sticky that dog could not get through
them to the river to drink. the filling up of
the channel has been gradually going on
every year. During the foods of 1880 and
| 1881 the filling in was very great. The river
is usually secured out during the first freshet
and the slickens and this material you desig.
nate slumgullion is carried off down the
stream. The tailings are constantly being
carried down by the current. TaiEngs is the
coarse sand and gravel that is washed through
| the sluices in mining.
| OIOS5'CAaLniDasiOh ttO I'LL OceiiuJ-luS I6
are some Lodges of quartz along the banks OF
the river I never have eeen any quartz
| powders in the river. There are pieces of
quartz as large as my fist throughout the
gravel. mined only about two years since
| that time. have been engaged in the
butchering business. worked on Main Bar
in 1857. l furnish meat TO the branch prison
! and have occasion to go along the river bank
very often. and have noted its various
changes In 1856 there was bridge across
the river about forty feet above the present
one. The river channel is about the
same at the bridge as il was il 1856
Where / said the river channel had filed in
| twenty feet is opposite Negro Bar, consid-
cradle distance below the bridge There is
no bar between the bridge and the junction
of the North and Middle Forks. Chris.
/ LaWson's mine empties into the river Just
above the bridge. Slickens are deposited all
along the river where the current is not swift
The wing-dam helped construct in 1856 was
/ on the north side of the river, opposite Negro
\ Bar. The part of the channel we worked
was about 100 feet wide and 200 feet long.
Redirect examination Ito MIR. Hart)-The
tailings that have been dumped into the
river in this neiehborhood have been all
swept down the stream by high water.
Adjourned till $50 a. NJ. to day.
MARRIED.
Sacramento, November 29-By Rev. Carroll NJ