Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-15
DEBRIS.
rwgNrY-rRIRD Day OF THE sLIeKENs
CASE IL COURT.
Interesting Testimony OF Hamilton Smith
An Engineers opinion on Many
Important Questions.

9.3OA. NJ, in Department Two of the Superior
Court. Hon. jackson Temple presiding.
Hamilton Smith was called to the witness
stand. On taking the stand he said: You
Honor, would like TO make one or two ex
plantations in regard TO r-y testimony yester
day, if 1 can have your permission.
The Court Anything that requires correc
ton or qualification.
Mr.. Smith-In giving list of the mines
owned by foreign corporations in California
/ neglected to speak of the Isabelle and Other
associate mines in Alpine county, and also the
Original Amadof, in Amador county. also
stated that it was only in California, Russis
and Australia that the existence of grave
channels similar to those in California wert
to be found. There are gravel channels, bd
not very extensive, in Colombia and Peru
but they are of very small extent compared
with those in California. There are alst
placer deposits in Alaska and in British Co
lumbia, but they would not be called by thu
California miners hydraulic deposits or by
draulic gravel mines. And in regard to tbs
Australian deposits, although the material il
drifted, still it is washed, after it is brought
from the mine, by the hydraulic process.
Direct examination resumed Ito Mr.. DID
ble)-I stated yesterday the amount of golc
taken out in California. l said that about
81, 200, 600, 900 in round numbers had beer
taken out and that more than that amount
remained to be taken out.
- ~ dr.
ment, to work these Cold Run mines by any
other method than that now employed.
Apswer-lt is not.
Q-State the reason.
A.-The Gold Run gravel-the bottom
gravsl-is similar TO that in the other mines
situated on the same channel--Eke that al
Bloomfield, Smartsville and very many other
points. I have examined into this
DRIFTING PROCESS
Very carefully indeed At Bloomfield, for
instance, we attempted about ten years age
to work portion of the mine by drifting,
and portion which we considered almost the
richest part. We extracted by drifting q, 6l4
tons of gravel, which yielded $50. 500 in gold,
or 81 30 ton. We found that there was nc
profit at all to be made by drifting, and dis.
continued it. The reason was that the pay
lead in these gravel channels is not always
Immediately on the bottom. 1t is not con-
tinuous. You sometimes find the richest gold
immediately on the bedrock, and in other
places within few feet it jumps up to the
hight of twenty and sometimes thirty feet
from the bedrock, so that il is practically im-
possible 10 drifting to follow the rich streaSs.
At Smartsville the gold is so regularly dis
tributed through the gravel for sixty or sew
enty feet in depth that you would have to
drift out that entire mine sixty or seventy
E. olornY that channal aV-
tending from Gold Run to Smartsville, it ia
impracticable to work the mines by drifting.
That is. there will be no profit attending the
work. And if hydraulic mining were not al
lowed the mines would necessarily be aban-
doned.
Q.-Explain drift mining and the method
of working.
A.-Drift-mining is very similar to coal
mining where tie coal seam is horizontal.
Tunnels are run along on the bed rock, or
lust below the bedrock, following the course
of the ehanael drifts are run off at conve.
nient intervals on each side and the gravel
Immediately on the bedrock is stopped. Drift
ing is only practicable where the gold, or a
very considerable portion of it in the chan
mel, is situated Immediately on the bedrock
That is what is known by mineIs as drift
mining. The gravel is hauled out in cars,
sometimes pulled out by locomotives and
dumped at the mouth of the mine. They
work the mines generally as vigorously 10 thu
summertime, in low water, as In the winter
A large amount of gravel accumulates in th'
dump at the mouth Of the mine. Wher
water comes this gravel which has &C
cupulated is worked and washed il
precisely the same manner as is done in by
draulic mining. Generally Little Giant j
used, through which the water is discharges
under considerable pressure against thes
large piles OF gravel, ard it is washed away
through the fiume in precisely the same man
ner in which hydraulic mine is worked.
Q.-You speak of the use Of TIE Littl
Giant. When was it invented, and where i
it manufactured?
A.-Tbe Little CLINT was first introduced
in 1869 Previous to that the miners useC
what is called goose-peck, which resemble!
it somewhat. It was not nearly as convenien
an implement as the Little Giant. The Littl,
Giants are manufactured at Marysville, all c
them.
Q.-What is seam mining?
"A seam mine is q decomposed quartz
veip, OF quartz having a considerable thick
ness more or less decomposed, and having ;
nearly vertical dip. The quartz is e
decomposed that it can be washed by tht
application of hydraulic pressure. The wate
is brought to these seam mines-tunnels ant
cuts are run TO them-and this decomposeC
quartz is washed out from the veins.
Q.-You stated yesterday that III, coo Per
sons were dependent upon the mining indus
try. State what would be the effect upol
that population il mining should cease?
Objected to by Attorney General Hart, OF
he ground that il is immaterial and not sub
to expert testimony.
The Court sustained the objection.
W, G. Belcher-We except TO the ruling o
the Court. We offer to prove and expee
this witness to testify, if allowed to, that thi
stoppage Of mining operations in the countie
named would have tha effect to disOrganiz
those counties and to drive from them yer.
nearly all OF their population, and would ren
der them vaiueless as integral portions of tn
State government.
The Court ruled out the testimony.
Oft mining is continued in the Gold Run
mines, how much, if any, in your opinion
will be the effect upon the American and Sac
amepto rivers and their bottom lands?
Al have estimated before, that If the
God Run mines continue washing, onl,
about 600 600 cubic yards per annum viii b'
excava.ed OF that in my Judgment, very
considerable portion will remain in the Nortl
Ferk Of the American river above Rice'
bridge. Assuming that even 20 per cent @
the material which is washed from the mine
should come down into these rivers, tina
WCUtu0nlN give tOsdlOl IAOsVVV a. Ne3 anu w
effe It upon the rivers, in filling them. wouli
be very slight indeed-you might say infnit
esimsl. l refer to the mines that have beef
SO frequently spoken of.
Q.-What would be the depth of the de
posit in the American and Sacramento rivers
Suisun aud San Pablo bays, supposing tbs
this 90 per cent of the excavation wa
s1ually distributed over their surface?
A.-The surface area OF these waters i
nearly 200 square miles 40. 900 cubic yard
of this deposited with an even depth owe
that area of 200 square miles would represen
thickness of about one sixteen hundredtl
part Of foot.
MOVEMENTS OF TIE DEBRIs.
O.-Describe the deposits of sand and debri
now in the rivers of the State, especially tn,
American, and state how these material
move, if they do move, in the beds OF tn
streams.
Objected to by the Attorney General.
The Court overruled the objection, e
which ruling the Attcruey-Genersl excepts
Accommodating with the Yuba river OF
the north and extending down to the Ameri
can river on the south, there are very larg'
deposits of gravel and mining debris now 70
maiuing, or now existing in the yariou
streams and tributaries. l estimate thai
the Yrta river, the Bear river aud TIL
American river embracing these thret
streams and their branches-now con
tain probably $50, 900 900 cubic yards of ma
teriai. That material largely consists O
light gravel, an very large portion OF 1t Ii