Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-21
THE DEBRIS INQUIRY.
The San Francisco Committee Still
Investigating.
lBy telegraph from the REcoRp-USros's Special
Reporter

10y ASAe5AaPH iioni tne ftECORD-ONI0NS s Special
ReporterI
MARYs VILE, October 20th.-The Debris
Investigating Committee and party left this
city yesterday morning at 8 o'clock for Orc.
vile by special train, furnished by N. D.
Rideout. About fifty persons made the ex.
cursion. Upon arriving at Oroville the party
was met by a large delegation of prominent
citizens representing both sides of the debris
question.
INSPECTION OF HYDRAULIC OPERATIONS.
Carriages were ready for the occasion,
which took the party to the NEiooene nine,
against which the suit recently brought IS
pending in the United States Circuit Court.
The mine is situated almost opposite, but .
little above on the north side of the Feather
river, and only about mile from the town.
In crossing over to the north side the condi-
tion Cf the river, as charged since hydraulic
mining commenced, was pointed out to the
committee. The original bed Of the river
between the banks was shown to have been
about 600 feet, and which is now filed up to
height of thirty feet or more with round,
blush bouldsrs from the mines, ranging in
size from two to twelve inches in diameter.
Several hydraulic mines lie below the Miocepe
mine, occupying the entire bluff on that side
of the river, but some of which mines have
| not been worked for the past ten or twelve
years. It was stated that the oveifows of
last year formed bar of such heavy tailings
part way across the river, and another SINH
larly formed from the working of the Hewitt
mine, Immediately ON the opposite side cf the
river, that dam was created which flooded
the principal streets Of the town, and washed
away the gas house-and other property AS
showing the velocity and strength with
which the food swept through the town, it
was stated that an iron safe, weighing 200
pounds, was carried from the demolished gas
works, and was found about two months ago
over half mile below, covered with debris
also that portable engine, weighing 8, 000
pounds, was carried soma distance and de-
posted safely in q deep hole.
BETWEEN TWO FIRES.
In answer to q remark OF nlining man,
that it would cause much hardship and in-
jury to portion of the people residing in
Oroville to have the hydraulic mines stopped,
a member of the committee replied :" You
folks at Oroville are in devil of 6x-be-
tween two fires. If you stop mining you will
starve, and if you don't you will get drowned
What are you going to do -
We will move the town up higher on the
bank" was the good natured answer.
THE MooENE MINE
Was shown to the committee by the Super.
intendent, S. A. Harris, who, in answer
to inquiries, informed the members
that the mining claim of the COM
pany covers $40 acres; that it cost,
when opened and ready for operation,
including machinery, pipes, water privileges,
etc, $780, 600; that the mine had been in
operation about fifty days when it was shut
down By the injunction, and during the fifty
days washed down about 200, 600 cubic yards
of earth, with net profit of about 81 ,0C0 per
day. The company uses 1000 miners inches
of water under a 300-feet pressure, It en-
ploys eleven men. The earth above the hard
pan, upon which the metals are found, is
about 20 feet in depth.
This mine has no dumping grounds fer
all this lard has it, except into the Feather
| river - inquired a member Of the committee.
No." replied the Superintendent "there
is no other way It can go in, working the hy-
dranlic process"
ANOTHER SLICKENs PRODUCER
TIE party was next driven to the mine of
the 0rovilis Mining ard Irrigating Company.
which is Immediately opposite Oroville, and
covers l 800 acres by its mineral land pat
ents. This mine IS rot being worked, and in
Sns-er 10 an Interrogation, o y. 2e--ars. fha
manage er. stated that this mine was shut
down in May last at the time the iajuncticn
was issued AGAINST the Aiiocene mine, ani
that none of the hydraulic mines n this Vi
cinity have since been worked. Being asked
the reason for stopping he said his mine was
short of water, and II was also thought that
Oroville might bring suit and stop them. He
further said: There is 10 bedrock at this
point, ard the lower down we go
The richer it il. But we can
only work it down to certain depth for
want of fall TO damp the tsiings. We must
have at least half an inch fall to the foot, in
order to work and carry off the heavy tail
inss, and you can see from this that the
depth to which We can work by the hydraulic
process grows less constantly as we go back
into the claim. l do not think we can work
to exceed 100 acres out of the l. 500 by hy-
draulic action We employ, when in opera
tiop, eight men. No Chinese ever work upon
the premises, except those who work upon
their own account. We rent to the Chinese
the privilege Of drift mining, all they wish
to buy, each paying 81 90 per month. Our
the river, and OF course we have
nowhere else TO dump but in the river, as you
see. The average hight of the bank which
would be washed down upon the 100 acres
which [ have said we can mine would be
about forty feet. The remainder of the
claim is rich, and can be worked by drifting.
and the whole can be worked down to the
water leyelb by the drifting process.
DAMAGED RIVER.
AS the party returned to the Oroville side,
crossing the river upon temporary bridge at
the upper end of the Oloville Company S
mine, the committee observed and remarked
that the dumping along the front of this miae
had occupied about one-third Of the width Of
| the river channel, and forced the
flow of the river along the Oro-
passage. The question as to the
right of private party or corporation to
permanently occupy or destroy portion Of
the channel of public water course was
discussed among the members of the commit
tee. Attention was also directed to the fact
that the dumping from the Hewitt mine, on
the opposite side of the river to the one under
consideration, and little above, had at that
point forced the channel along the other
bsnk of the river, and that the further dump
ing from the Miocene by the hydraulic pro-
cess would inevitably Increase the danger to
Oroville, at time of future high water, in
proportion to the amount of tailings de-
posted.
RETURN TO MARYsyILLE.
No further examinations were made in this
vicinity, and at Q P. NJ. the party returned to
Marysville. Upon arriving at the line of the
upper levee of the city the train stopped
and the press representatives were taken in
carriages to examine the levee system of the
city and the principal industrial establish
ments.
A meeting was held last evening at the
City Hall, at which several short speeches
| - - 1t &I<x
members of the San Francisco committee
were subsequently called for, and each one
spoke briefly, thanking the citizens generally,
and the committee by which they had been
entertained while in this city, and the pains
they had taken to furnish information upon
the subject under consideration. They said
the citizens had not in any way exaggerated
in their statements, and that they had not
anticipated finding such desolation caused by
the debris. On the morrow they would leave
them and 90 to see to what extent the
hvdranlic mines were responsible for the dam