Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-03


think come from mining, because they did
not appear to be like the material in the bank
above. This was my first visit to hydraulic
mine. I had had no acquaintance with placer
mining. save to see cradles in motion on
journeys to the mountains. Saw several on
e trip te the Yosemite valley. The bar re.
ferred to in the section named was on
the right-hand side, and there was an
abrupt bank. The rock on the bar slopipg to
the water did not, by its appearance, appear
to have come from the bank.
THE coBBLEs,
AS seen in that bar by just casual inspection,
and by comparison with those in the mine,
led me to believe that they did not come from
the mine, and this belief does not deny the
possibility of their having all come from the
mine. did not examine them scientifically.
| simply say they appeared to me not to have
come from the mine. l said the red earth
on the upper part of the bank in the pit OF
the mine was from twenty to forty feet deep.
l had data for that in estimating the banks
of the smaller pits. The lines of the different
soils are not well defined one merges into the
other Witness here made, at the request
of Mr.. Belcber, a rough diagram OF the bluffs
of the Dit of the defendants mine and ex-
planned in detail regarding it. Between the
upper rims of the Indiana Hill claim is about
]. 500 feet across. and it is LOO feet along
the ridge. At the south end of the claim
was an old ravine, indicating that the slope
of the hill was not, originally, an unbroken
curved surface. l think that the top OF the
rim slopes downward toward the lower or
sonth end of Gold Run district made no
instrumental examination of it. The rim is
not continuous. The pit had form between a
circle and a right angle. The contour, the
formation and hight of the surface that was
washed away, I had to restore in my mind
BY the surrounding contour Of the banks, ra-
vines, etc.
THE MEASUREMENTS
That made with instruments were accurate.
All OF my calculations in regard to the meas
urements of the pit are reasonably correct.
The upper rim on the east side il 150 feet
above the present main pit. The west rim
of the old washings is about 800 feet. The
upper portion of the rim for a distance of
twenty to forty feet from the top had red.
dish color, and then it merged into blue, and
it all contained gravel, The blue gravel car.
ries some larger stones. 1t is slatish blue,
and perhaps some would denominate it o
drab color. Blue is pure color and drab il
not. Here witness described at great length
the primary colors and the various combina.
tiops which form colors. He was examined
at length and deliberately as to his knowledge,
during the whole cross-examination, in geol
ogy. mineralogy, hydraulic engineering, ETC..
Mr.. Hart-Evidently Mr.. Belcher wishes
to find out all the witness knows, and quite
remarkable, he is willing to tell him.
Mr. Belcher-Yes, and he'd have among
some counsel more interested auditory.
MIR. Hart-That depends on
Mr.. Cadwalader-Does Mr.. Belcher mean
| to say there are seven colors-?
he Court-AVaIi lat oct m with This
case.
Witness, resuming-At the lower end Of
Sacramento Bar | was in doubt as to the
position of the original channel. The banks
tween Folsom and Sacramento that inclose
the river at low stage of the water are moi
always well defined. The bluff banks come
distance from the river which inclose the
bottom lands are very prominent in mos'
places.
ABOVE RIcE'5 BRIDGE
About a quarter of mile | saw evidences Of
the water having been, at high stages, hfteer
or twenty feet above the level at the low
stage. All rivers do not necessarily leave
evidences on their banks at the high water
mark. Have seen long reaches in the Sac
ramento river where no traces of former
nights of floods were discernible. Water, II
flowing through gorges, may have the same
velocity at the sides as in the middle. The vs'
lccity is generally greater on one side than or
the other. That portion of the river fol
three-quarters of mile above Rice's bridge
ia in canyon. l should call the whole dis
lance of the North Fork canyon. I could
not tell whether these water-worn rock:
were worn recently or hundred years ago
Rivers confined in very narrow canyons gen
e-ally leave no deposits, or evidences or trace
Of the debris they carry. 1 have read
thr )ugh a rocky formation to very
great depth. Here witness described
the Colorado canyon, and the causes
of its formation. | saw several places where
| the bank was caving bank, or such a bank
as the current would wash and cave
| into the stream. / don't remember of seeing
any evidences Of land slides. I may have
said, as to one place on the American river
that the depth of the mining was compare
lively small that is, that the quantity taker
out was small ); don't remember to what poin
l applied that, if l said 80. did say the quan
tity Of earth removed from mining pits alonl
the river bank was great. l could form n,
estimate of how long the bar near Rice's hat
been there. Mining / saw had generally beef
conducted at places where there were bars
| l rememb Der seeing no place where ther3 ba(
be, n mining On the banks Of the river with
out bar in the stream.
REDIRECT.
| ITO Mr., Hart)-I found no material on tn.
banks where there had been mining, any
where near like the quantity that had evi
! IDENTIFY been mined out. Between Folsom
and Canyon creek if all the material that hal
been mined out had been left in the canyons
it would have filed them up quite materially
All rapid streams flowing through narrow
canyons grind out holes and deep place.
az high water, but after substance O
the stream the material which is carried ovel
the shallower places, when it comes TO these
pools or gutter plsc is Deposited
and they begin to fill up. These pools for the
| time, therefore, represent different river
My survey described was merely topograph
zeal. My Typographical work has been gen
| orally the construction of river maps. In al
the surveys made by myself, or by parties o.
engineers with whom l was, the distances
were measured
WITH CHAINS,
With telescopes having stadia hairs, and sele
meter rods. In connection with this work,
was frequently plating the topography of tbs
country, AID had 10 transfer TO paper The
natural objects on the line. For many of thi
miner points, after the main points ara deter
mined, il is necessary to estimate the distance
sometimes without measurements, and with
the aid OF tie measurements already made
Thus, having two points or a river, the align
ment between them may frequently be made
out by estimate. Frequently with the eys
We Judge of distances, hut not long dstances
| have frequently, and in all my work, haC
more or lets Of this experience as to eye-meas
| urement. As to how long distance, and nov
accurately eye measurement can be made,
depends on the conditions Across rivers
estimates Of distance may be male with 9
moderate degree of accuracy fer 400 or 5O(
feet. With my experience of eye mel ire
ment, my estimates of the width of tn.
American river could not be more than 10 pei
cent. out OF the way on the whole work
Afternoon Session.
Mr. GruHsky resumed ito Mr.. Hartl-Al
measurements are more or less inaccurate
Measurements taken with instruments ART
generally reasonably accurate. I said
thought slate was igneous, and granite also
l do not consider myself an expert in geology
We cannot always tell the character of rocl
| by merely seeing it. Some varieties o.
granite have an appearance resembling slate
They may be covered with decay or deposit,
that change the appearance of rock, anc
without very close examination you can moi
| tell its true character. 1have always studied
| those sciences that form the base of civil
engineers education. The discoloration of the
rocks on the streams bank to which referred
NAV Re is the result of simple contact with
the material held in the water which come.
| :: contact with them The color depend;