Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-01
CALIFORNIA MINING.

The principal gold belt of California lies
along the lower slopes and foothills of the
Sierra Nevada mountains, and extends
from San Diego county in the south to
Siskiyou in the north, distance of over
| 700 miles, and varies from twenty to sixty
miles in width.
Throughout this immense auriferous area
the gold occurs under widely varied condi-
tions. 1t is found in the numberless quartz
veins scattered throughout all parts of the
| gold fields; in the channels of ancient
rivers, buried in some instances under
| hundreds of feet of lava and the products
OF the erosion of lofty mountains for ages !;
IN the banks, bars, and beds of the modern
river system, constituting the placer dig
| gIngs; in seams and pockets, and in the
| bluffs and beaches of the northern coast
More varied even than the sources of
gold ara the means that have been employ
ed Tor securing it, and the inventive genius
OF the miner and mechanician have been
taxed to overcome the obstacles which
| a.1sen at ever step of the process. In the
esriy days of mining in California nearly
all OF the gold produced was from super
hclai and easily worked placers, but they,
Tor the most part, have been exhausted,
and the rocker, tom, and sluice are now
things OF the past, or used only by indi-
vldual operators of small means, or China
men content to work old claims and secure
what was lost or disregarded in the flush OF
fortune by the first claimants.
The amount produced in this manner
throughout the whole State is NOT incon.
siderable 10 the aggregate, and as the bulk
Is taken out by Cinnamon, from whom no
| reports are received, it can be estimated
Only from returns Of express companies.
More than half the production of the
State to-day is from the gravel of the an
Gent river channels, and this is obtained
| either by drift or hydraulic mining. In
the first. the pay gravel is extracted by
drifting or tunneling under the superin-
| cumbent lava, while by the hydraulic
method the whole deposit is disintegrated
by large stream of water thrown under
high pressure from the nozzle of a pipe and
washed down the sluices and fumes to the
valleys below.
The quartz lodes of the State have also
produced largely. The ores for the most
part are easily treated, and under a better
system of mining, and more intelligent un.
Outstanding of methods of treatment of
ores than formerly prevailed, this branch
of the industry is acquiring psrmanency
that promises for many years to come to
add large share to the wealth of the
State
THE TOTAL PRODUCTION
OF California during the calendar year 1881,
as nearly as can be ascertained from all the
sources of information at the command of
the Mint Bureau, was SIS, $50 900, of
which SIS, 200, 600 was gold, and $3.50, 900
silver.
1t is as difficult to ascertain the profit of
mining, as the expenses.
Only fourteen companies paid dividends,
aggregating 81, SOS. 722. These were the
Black Bear, Bulwer. Gold Stripe, Green
Mountain, Idaho, Inyo, Magalia. New
York Hill, Plumas Eureka, Plumas Mining
and Water, Rising Star, Sierra Buttes,
| Spring Valley Hydraulic, and Standard
Consolidated. In addition to this, much
was undoubtedly divided without publicity,
but in the majority of cases the profit re.
suited only to those who did the manual
| labor.
Notwithstanding the large aggregate
production and the amount Of profits that
have been divided, the expense of working
tuo hiines nao peoh very great. Inc outpus
of many of the mines is swallowed up in
their development, and where there has
been no metal. bearing ore to defray ex.
penses, assessments have been levied.
| During 1881, l55 assessments were made
upon 81 mines in the State, amounting to
50 2SS. $50.
The principal appeals for aid came from
Mono county. The following shows the
number of mines and assessments made,
and the aggregate amount for each county