Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-19
DEBRIS.
TwEHTY.slxrH DAY OF TEE ss1cKENs
CASE IN COURT.
Testimony for the Defense-The Mines
near Iowa Hill-Debris the Re-
suit of Natural Wash.

The slickens case-The People OF the State OF Cal
ifornia VS.. the Gold Run Ditch and Mining Com
pany- was r. sumed at $50 A. N. Saturday. in De-
paitment Two of the Superior Court, Judge Jackson
Temple presiding
John B. Hobson resumed the witness stand. Go
Mr. Byrnel-There has been mined into the
North Fork, above Rice's bridge, 3,5s5, 800 cubic
yards OF material from the Iowa Hill mines-about
thirty-one acres. At the mine on Independence
Hill during the three seasons we worked 27S days,
and used 800 inches of water. We took out s66 400
The expenses of the mine were s35,45O, and
the net proceeds were ss0,977. The following
amounts have bcen taken out in that vicinity
North Star and wesler claim at Iowa Hill proper,
s., 100000 Wolverine mine at Roach HILL $500, 600;
Shelby, s1O5,oeo; Columbus, 100000; Dayton,
sl56Ooo Phillips, $50, 900; Morning Star mine, at
Morning Star Hill, s25O,O0O; Birds Flat mines,
100000; Strawberry Flat, 100000; Wisconsin
Hill, s550oo0 Grizzly Flat mines, $3.50 oOo Sucker
Flat, $3.50, 900 total from independence Hill mines,
100000; Mountain Gate at Damascus 81 500, 0U0 |;
total, So 541, COO. The production of the Mountain
Gate mine at present varies from IS to So per load
about
$4,000 PER ACRE.
There are about forty other mines that l have no
statistics of. l have farmed some on my place,
about three miles east of Auburn. The water 1
used to irrgate with from the Bear river ditch
The water conveyed in that canal is very muddy
and carries large quantities of sediment and silt
The water in that canal is muddier than / ever saw
water in the American river This water is consid-
cred by farmers good to irrgate with, as the sed
ment 1t carries is considered good fertilizer. You
cannot farm in the foothills without rrigating. All
the farms in the neighborhood of Newcastle, Rock
lin, Penryn, Pine, Auburn and other points in Pla-
Ger county are irrigated with water from the Bear
river ditch. The natural washings of the hillsdes
between Iowa Hill and Damascus has largely in
creased. This is caused by the grazing of large
bands of sheep, cutting off the timber making
roads, etc. The Iowa Hill ditch has its source in
TADPoLE CANYON.
In some places the roads have washed out until they
look like bitches. On Bowen's Hill there is a road
that has down to the depth of three feet.
There are nuumerabe roads and trails all over this
divide. The logging teams of Towle Bros, at Alta,
have cut up the ridges badly. There is no granite
between Rattlesnake Bar and the mouth of Canyon
creek. The bedrock in the Gold Run mine is hard
slate. The bottom material of that mine is blue
gravel carrying about Is per cent. of reck. The
blue dirt is about so feet depth have seen
harder material in he mine than this sample Gould
No. u. The gravel in the Iowa Hill mines is gen.
orally softer than that in the Gold Run mine. Twice
same amount OF water. There some land slides
in Humbug CANYON, near Damascus and at several
other points. The river, during freshets and i'm
mediately after, is just as muddy above below
where mining is done. don't think there is any of
the tailiugs from the Gold Run reaches Riee's
bridge, except that which is held in suspension.
Cross ex animation IT. Mr.. Hart)-I have studied
surveying to some extent. Here witness described
the manner in which surveyors measured mining
PITS There has been mined from the Iowa Hill
mines since 1878. ~ 600 cubic yards. | measured
the pit in 1876 and measured it again in November
of this year. had read statements in The RECORD
UNION and made this measurement to test their
curacy. Witness made rough sketch of the pit at
the Iowa Hill mine Above the blue gravel there
is about per cent. of small cobble in the bank at
Iowa Hill. Indian canyon near its mouth, is quite.
steep. The last two miles have grade of about 500
feet to the mile. Above that the grade is very
slight There has been put into Indian canyon from
the Iowa Hill mines 140 acres, twenty yards Deep
Is, $50, 900 cubic yards. The blue gravel at the
Morning Star is about eighty feet Deep / have
measured the pits of all the mines at Iowa Hill.
Some of them | measured last month. A large
amount of the IL, 552, 600 cubic yards of material
dumped into Canyon creek remains in the canyon.
There is mile Of the canyon where the filling
Will average a depth of sixty feet. The Morning
Star suspension bridge is now buried with sand.
Witness gave the figures again of the amount of
ground washed in the various mines at Independence
and Iowa Hills, and dumping into the North Fork,
the same as in his direct-examinationl The entire
cubic contents Of the washiDgs OF those mines since
1878 estimate at 1855 500. There is drift mining
at Damascus, about ten miles from Iowa Hill. 1t
is considered in the Iowa Hill district. All the
mines in that district, directly or Indirectly, tail
into the North Fork or into canyons tributary
thereto. There has been some canyon mining done
there by Cinnamon, but not great deal OF it,
About sixty carloads per day of dirt taken out
OF the Mountain Gate drift mine at Damascus. In
comparison with the Gold Run mine the amount of
dirt taken out is small There has been a large
amount of dirt worked out of Hayden Hill, Green
Valley, Humbug Canyon in the vicinity of Alta,
and the Harkr mine, also at Blue Bluffs. There
has been considerable mining on the south branch
of the North Fork at Italian Bar and numerous
other bars. Also at Tadpole Canyon, New York
Canyon, Sailor Canyon and Long Canyon. They all
tail indirectly into the North Fork The grade of
the North Fork of the American river is greater
above than below CANYON creek This TGould No
II contains about eighty per cent. of stone. This
lGould No. q is found in the mines at Independence
Hill. | have noticed particularly that great
quantity of
NATURAL WASH
Comes down every year. The red soil washes easily
The large reservoir eight miles above Iowa Hill has
elevation of 1000 feet, and covers thirty OF
land. That reservoir was constructed about 1872.
1t is above all mining yet the entire of that
servoir is covered very deep with sediment from
natural wash. You cannot tell whether muddy
waters carry sand or not except by experiment. My
farm near Auburn had a light red soil, which was
improved by blowing into it the deposits made by
the waters from the Bear, river canal The deposits
of sediment land T. ink in most cases has fer.
tilizing effect.
elf you should mine all the roads in that
country to depth of sixteen feet would you get as
much material is contained in the sand bar in the
river opposite the city OF Sacramento?
Al do not know the extent of deposits in the
Sacramento river. The natural washings bring
down material in every stream. The country is not
thickly tmbered The underbrush is principally
ealle thorn. hus