Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-01
DEBRIS.
ELEVENTH DAY OF TIE sLIcKEEs
CASE IN COURT.

ELEVENTH DAY OF TIE sLIcKEEs
CASE IN COURT.
oId-Time Recollections-Pion Tell Of
the Days OF '4e-Early Mines
ana Mining.
Run Ditch and Mining Company-was re-
sumed in the Superior Court at $50 A. M.
yesterday, Judge Jackson Temple presiding.
John Lawton sworn ito Mr.. Hart IL live
near Folsom, in Mississippi township. Have
| lived there since 1856 and am at present en-
gagged in merchandising. arrived in this
State in June, 1851. The first place that I
located was at Beals' Bar, on the American
river. The first four years was engaged in
mining each summer and fall. I lived above
| the junction of the North and South Forks.
My frat mining was done in the river chan
mel immediately below the junction. The
next place mined was on the South Fork.
| The next mine worked was known as the
Placer mine, situated Immediately above
| Beals' Bar. In 1853 / worked at Condemn
Bar, about six miles above the junction, on
4 the North Fork. The first hydraulic mining
| that 1 saw was at Michigan Bluffs
in 1868. The bed of the river where
I mined in those early days was CON-
posed of cobble, gravel and some gold.
The banks were bluff, aud the course
of the river was between high hills, except
where ravines or gulches came in, and at
those points were always level portions called
fats. The upper portion OF the river runs
between high hills. Massachusetts Flat ex-
tends back from the river about 400 feet.
| The hight of these fats is from s to 20 feet
The bars are from 200 to 400 feet wide. The
fall in that portion of the river l have been
describing is about Is feet. The farther you
so up the river
THE GREATER THE FALL
And swifter the current. The bed of the
river is not the same at all points In some
places it is of very coarse material and COM
posed principally of cobbles. In places It had
almost the appearance OF s cobble pavement.
1 never mined where the bed of the river was
very steep; do not recollect the character of
| the sand found in the river channel when it
was first mined. The bed of the river wss
very hard and compact. When l first saw
| tie river it was very clear, and I could dis
tinctly zee quite large fish at it's bottom. l
| have been to a point on the North Fork dis
tance of 20 miles above Folsom several times |;
| have been to Beals' Bar almost every year
since I came to California, and some years
| quite often First noticed the discoloration
of water as early as 1858. Since that time
| the water has increased in muddiness. 1t
| increased gradually for a few years. The
water in its present condition is not fit for
| domestic purposes The roily water of the
| American in 1858 would now be considered
by the people of this city excellent drinking
water. The water in the American now is of
a -eddish-yellowish color. The water of the
South Fork. in 1886, was not as roily as that
coming down the North Fork. Have seen
sand running down in small clear streams
into the river. Mining on these bars was, in
early days, done with rockers and toms, and
| afterward with sluices. The tailings were all
| deposited in the river. Beals' Bar was a
quarter of mile long. The first bench on
| the bar was about $50 feet wide. and was
mined back about 200 feet and 80 feet deep.
THE TAILINGs
| From this bar were dumped into the river.
| They are not there now, and / suppose they
| have gone down stream with the current.
| Have been there great many times since
those tailings were deposited In the river, and
| know they have all disappeared. Mined some
on Mississippi Bar. Am not very much ac-
quainted with Negro Hill. There was good
deal OF mining done there in early days.
| There perhaps has been $50 acres washed of
az that point Some of the tailings from
| Negro Hill went iuto the North Fork, but
most of them went into the South Fork. Not
| any considerable portion of those tailings re-
main. The river rises very rapidly. Saw it
rise at one time, when Captain Pray meas
ured it, forty feet in six hours. The current
during high water if very rapid
It runs perhaps FIVE times as fast
as a valley river Do not think that
steamers could stem such a current.
| During high water have seen logs, brush,
rockers, portions Of cabins, kegs of butter,
etc, carried on its surface. About 1856
became acquainted with the river below Fol
som as fer as White and HOLSTERS. This
portion of the river had very rocky bed. In
some places the rocks were large, and con-
tanned many rugged powders; in other places
were small, and of a cobbly nature. The
banks in some places were steep and rugged
in other PLACES sloping. About Folsom the
river banks are, in most places, the base Of
the hills, and have gradual slope to their
| summit. Main fat was from Is to 80 feet
| high. The river originally had well-defued
course, but now it changes almost every year.
| The river opposite Folsom, between the up
per banks, is about one third of mile wide.
| The banks on the river on the Eorth side be-
| low Folsom for a mile are perhaps 200 feet
| high. Below that is Mississippi Bar 1t is
a very large bar, and extends back three.
quarters of mile, and is mile in length.
The banks on the second bend here vary from
| 15 to 80 feet. South of Mississippi Bar the
south bank originally was from II to Is feet,
| and the north bank was from 10 to 20 feet
| high. and
THE CHANNRL
Is quite wide. The current here is not very
swift and in ordinary water can be easily
boated. There has been great deal Of min
| ing done almost continuously on Mississippi
Bar since 1851. Three or four hundred acres
has been washed of. 1t averaged from three
| to twenty feet in depth. No extensive min
ing has been done there since 1862. All the
| tailings from this bar were dumped into the
river. The filling in of the river channel is
| observable a. all points wherever l have no.
ticed it. The filling up of the channel just
below she bridge is of depth ten to fifteen
| feet. This filling is the same along down the
river as far as am familiar with its channel.
| Have seen the river at great many points
for distancs of eight miles below Folsom,
and find this same amount of deposit in the
channel. This filling in material is composed
of sand, cobble, coarse gravel and slickens,
and where the water is checked and in eddies
| there's sslumgu.lion or slickens. For shortdis
tance above TO short distance below Folsom
| the filling is mostly cobble and coarse gravel.
A very large amount of the deposit in the chan
mel below Folsom is composed of siickens
From my knowledge of the river the channel
has changed almost every year. The bulk of
this deposit l have spoken of has been de-
posted during the last ak years. live two
and half miles from Mississippi Bar. l
have not seen the lower end of Mississippi
Bar for four or FIVE years, and cannot sag
whether it is covered with river deposit or not
The bars were been mined out some years ago.
/ do not know the height of the north end of
the Mississippi Bar. The first freshets al
ways clear out the miners tai!ings. 1t levels
down the failing piles and moves them away.
This | have observed quite often. l know
very little about hydraulic mining. I saw
some of it done at Michigan Bluff in 1863
The bank in that mine in which this process
was used was 200 feet high. Don't think
they used monitor or little giant. This