Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-02-12
Hard OH Trade Returns,
FROM LAssEN COUNTY.
The storm-water Fall-Products of the
Country-Mining News-Etc.

me S[0Tm-Waler fau-frOuuctS OF the
Country-Mining News-Etc.
SUsANvILLE, February 5, 1881.
Being now in the midst of storm, which
bids fair to continue as long as the tradi-
tional one, at the beginning of which
Jonah went into the business of shipping
all kinds of live stock, perhaps few items
IRON here may be of interest to some of
your readers. The storm OF the season
commenced here last Friday and continued
until Sunday evening. During that time
an immense amount OF snow fell. Snow ON
the mountains and rain in the valleys
Monday was partially clear and quite
warm, the snow melting fast on the sides
of the mountains. Tuesday warm rain
commenced again, which has continued
almost uninterruptedly since, taking the
accumulated SHOWS OF the winter from the
mountains, and which, if continued much
longer, will leave them entirely bare. The
result of this storm is that our valley is
flooded, and the streams are as high as ever
known before.
There is popularity about the confor-
nation of this county, which probably no
other IN the State possesses. Lassen coun-
ty has an area of about 4, 700 square miles.
Five.sixths OF the water that falls on this
large surface is absorbed within its limits,
the drainage OF
THE OTHER SIXTH
Goes to swell the waters of Pit and Feather
rivers. Eagle, Horse, Grasshopper and
Honey lakes act as reservoirs for all sur
plus water, and neither of those lakes have
a stream running out of them. Since last
Friday there has fallen about eight inches
of water, so that any one versed in figures
can easily ascertain the pounds of water
Lassen county has received and retains
during the present storm. The destruc-
washing of roads will amount to quite an
item in this county. Telegraphic CON-
munication with the outside world has
been cut off the entire winter, the wires
being down from here to Taylorville.
The lovers and absorbers of iced punches
and cobblers begin to look with dismay at
the prospects for their favorite summer
beverages, as not pound OF ice has been
stored here as yet, as at no time during
the winter has there been continuation
of cold sufficient to produce an article of
the required thickness for storing.
Compared with former winters but few
cattle have been fed in this county during
this, the low price of beef in the markets
deterring former dealers from investing;
the consequence is there will be quite a
surplus of hay.
l saw statement that Lassen county
raised the past season $1,000 boxes of apples
THE TRUTH Is,
Susanville alone raised that many, while
the crop of the whole county amounted to
over 10000 boxes of 80 pounds each
Out of this large amount, comparatively
but few boxes remain in the hands of
growers for spring demand.
The coming season bids fair to be one of
interest to the mining interests of this
county, as | hear that extensive prospect
ing will be done, which no doubt will
develop much of the hidden mineral
wealth of the county. hear that COM
pany has been formed in Plumas to pros
pect Diamond mountain, which lies to the
south of this town. This company pro-
poses to run tunnel into the mountain to
prospect an old river channel, supposed to
be running through it, and which has
never been prospected. The mines of
Hayden Hill are an established fact, based
ON handsome yield of gold each month,
the shareholders of which receive their
dividends in the precious metal taken from
their own claims, and not from the sale of
worthless stocks.
NEWS NOTES.
| hear but little said now about the mar
row gauge railroad that was talked of be-
ing built through this county. The fact is
people are losing confidence in the con-
structon road that scatters so much-one
day running through Sierra and Plumas
counties, and the next through Lassen,
with no objective point only the Oregon
line, which is about as definite as the
small boys usual answer to the question of
where he is going 80, somewhere"
The Odd Fellows have nearly completed
their new hall in town. This hall, when
finished and furnished, will compare favor
ably with any in the State. The hall for
the meetings of the members is 60 feet
long and p wide, with a spacious ante and
property-room.
The johnson county government bill is
an item that interests the people of this
county to an alarming extent. That bill
places Lassen in the sixth class, and makes
the combined salaries of the county officers
each year mot including Superior Judge,
Assessor or Supervisors amount to the
sum of Sl9, 200, which sum would bank.
rupt the county the first year. The
amount of taxes raised in this county the
past year was S32, 325 06, at percentage
of 81 As on each 500. This tax is a !
heavy draught on the resources of the
county, and it is plain to see what would
be the result if such bill becomes law.
1t is evident to an observer that if the
present salaries of county officers were re-
duced there would be plenty of aspirants.
And why not Most of the offices are
filed by men who, unlike the professions.
do not qualify themselves by long course
of expensive study, but who seek the po-
sitions for the pay the salaries afford for
the amount OF labor done, and who are
generally chosen by parties for "avail-
ability alone at least, this is too often
the case
There have been no epidemics in this
part of the county this winter, and few
deaths. L.