Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-10-23

Coed Reports Continuing - Gene
in From That Quarter.

o.
inter view with Mike Kearney. who had
returned during the day from Osoeols,
where he did some work at his trade, stone
masonry. He was not continuously en-
ployed that way. however, and he did
prospecting. He says II did him
good to take his pick and shovel and
lunch bucket and strike ont into the
gulches TO spend the day prospecting. II
made him think Of the placers in Cslifor-
mia which he has worked in from San Di-
ego to Shasta. He has seen and worked
in nearly all the camps of any importance
in Nevada-the Comstock, Unionviile,
Austin, White Pine, Belmont, Phoebe md
Eurska-but be says that he never saw .
bigger prospect anywhere than he saw re-
Gently in Osceols.
The placer field, he says, covers an area
Of ten by seven miles and takes in . num-
Der Of canyons. Miners work in the
gulches all the year round and average
from 50 so to S. q day. They are using
rockers now, water being very scarce and
having to be packed in barrels to the
claims. They are getting what they can
out Of the gravel by this process and saw
ing it to work over with the snow water
this Winter and next Spring. Nuggets
are being found worth all the way from 81
to $40 apiece. The diggings have been
worked for y good many years and have
supported quite q settlement OF miners
and their families. At the store the
miners bring In their dust o. in the early
days OF California. II is weighed and
taken for coin in pay for groceries and
other supplies. At the store, there
is only one at present, you can
get q nugget Of any value between the
limits OF value mentioned. These nuggets
have at times been found in considerable
numbers and Of very great value, the larg-
est weighing some Is pounds pure gold.
Mike brought in Q few small nuggets and
q number Of ore specimens. The ore ID
generally . white quartz, carrying free
gold, though in some rich specimens the
precious metal cannot be seer with the
naked eye.
The working Of the placer diggings, as
suggested, has been under great difficult
ties, and, for the want Of water, has NOT
been very encouraging. Gould . working
stream OF water be introduced into the
placer field the water would be worth its
weight in gold. There are streams, two
or three mountain creeks. some fifteen
miles distant, which, it is thought, may be
brought In and made available, but the
cost Of diverting them is 30 great that the
enterprise has not yet tempted anybody
sufficiently TO make him invest one fortune
for the sake Of another and larger fortune
lin prospect. This 10 about the story as
Mike tells it in regard to the placers.
The prospect in gold quartz mining
looks big also, and more flsttering than
that OF the placers, because more definite.
Charlie Tozer's 20-stamp mill is nearly
done. The building is complete and the
machinery 10 all set. Some finishing up
work remains to be done. and it is ex-
pected that the stamps will begin to drop
early in November. Tozer is one Of the
Osceola Company, and is largely interested
himself. Johnnie Turner is the foreman
Of the company, whose mining property
comprises three parallel lodges, each of
which is from ten to tweve feet in width.
The property had been worked by the men
who owned it in q small way for seven or
eight years, the grestest depth attained
being 100 feet. the ledge holding we'll at
that depth, and showing finely in q num-
Der Of prospect workings.
The ore is quartz, generally white and
carrying free gold. There is any quantity
Of 1t, and it will average from $l2 TO $40
per ton. It is very easy rock to work, and
it is calculated that the mill will reduce
three o to the stamp per day, or sixty
about three miles below the mines, near
for milling purposes is readily obtained.
1t costs 81 per ton to haul the ore from
the mine to the mill. and It will not cost
more than 81 SO or 50 to extract it. The
cost Of reduction will be very light, on ac-
count OF the nature OF the ore and the
price OF fuel to run the mill.
Tozer has let 0 contract to some Italians
to furnish him ell the cord-wood (pine)
that he wants for So. The country around
abounds in wood and timber. Lumber
for building can be had for from $25 to
$50 per thousand. There are two Jaw
mills, one twelve miles and the other
about thirty miles from Osceola.
If it be true that the company's ore sup
ply ia Is large as reported, and that 1t can
be turned into bullion st such slight cost
hardly as much per ton as $5l, and all re-
ports are to that effect, the property is
surely Q bonanza.
There are . great many other claims
located, and some Of them are doubtless
rich. Mike Kearney. our reporter, has
made two or three locations. out OF which
he thinks he may yet make something
worth while. He says Mike Ahern has q
couple Of fine prospects. in which he located
John McGrath and E. R. CARRIER along
with himself.
The living in Osceola is not dear. Stuff
from San Francisco shipped through Toano
10 "competative point") is laid down there
cheaper than in Eureka. Board-good,
wholesome, workingmsn's grub-is 81 per
week. There are 1--WE grain, stock and
vegetable ranches in the neighborhood
from which the camp is supplied with
those and other ranch products cheap.
Osceola is about 80 miles (mors or less)
from Ward and about 1875 miles from Eu-
reka. The mail goes over from Ward
twice 9 week, and passengers are taken
along with it from Ward. There are COM
paratively few people in Osceola ct pres
ent, but the expectations are that 1t will
start out with . boom in the Spring.