Connecticut western news., 1885-03-18

the verdure for the next fif- cen or twenty miles. This has been 8 avorite resort for road agents or hign- xaymen, who have bothered the Wells, Fargo Express Company and the United States mail in times past, and at pres ent the stage drivers have to Hands up" at times when it is thought or known that some of the mines on the are sending gold by express. The old, deserted tunnels and shafts, with the deep, dark canyons, afford good hiding places sor these men. It is next to impossible to track or find a man two minutes after he is out of sight, and the chances are he will be the first man to greet you in the next town or post of flee. ...-
 Campo Seco is the next place of note and is another old mining town, though there Is still some tunnel mining done here yet. It has one or two stores, 8 hotel, post office and relay stables, where they change horses on the Lodl and Mokefumne Hill stage route. There is one feature on the foot hills, lover down, that we will mention here. It is evident that the great valley has at some remote period been large inland sea or lake and the water having cut its way to the Pacific through the Golden Gate, and receding or going down at three different times, leaving water-wssh or mark each time. These washes are on level around the entire valley and vary but little in depth. Tn them are found sea shells, clam, scoIlop and 3 kind oi oyster shells, all sound and perfect, many with sea sand solidifed in them. The vertebrR and ribs of the whale and remains of other sea animals are being occasionally found on the east slope o1 the Contra Coata mountainA
 Leaving Campo Seco VIC wind around mp the mountains to Gwin's, a school house, post office and the camp around i}win s mine, which is of tho road t.
 he left, in a deep, narrow canyon. h 1878 this mine was worked on 1850 fee, level; that was the depth of the mine, They have six-stamp quartz mill and Ismelting furnace. the quartz turning nut $15O worth of gold to the ten. Sev eral bad accidents have happened At
 his mine. The men at work at the bot 'orn have to breath compressed air
 pumped down to them, the mine being 70 full of gas. The last sad accident O 'ur recollection was caused by th' rreaking of the air pump, causing thu leath of 10 out of 15 men who were a work in the mine. Five of them go into the ore bucket and were saved; tn, est were found dead at the bottom O the shaft, three days later; all efforts tt saye them were futile on account of tl' choke damp or gas. The scene at th' mouth of the shaft when they wer,
 'rouRht out IS too narrowing to |, brought up here
 Two or three miles farther on we com, 'o Messengers ranch, where we cal stay over night and enjoy the hospitali ty of as genial man as you often meet His table is always graced with the be, O everything and that includes venis,
 nd brook trout at certain seasons. l.
 a VTnA NF t,Il reached or spur of the mountain, vol
 =In, with the naked eye, see as fine
 -ght ss one could ask for. With you
 tAck to the east, the sun behind you .i'e view takes in the great valley wit .Es rivers and towns, the Contra Cost
 mountains and Suisun and San Pabl
 says. San Francisco bay and the cit
 gre hid from sight by Mount Diablc
 The perfectly dry, clear air allows on to sec long distance, and with the al
 If 8 good field glass or telescope a yer close examination can be made of tn
 s'untry beluw. you. It is a grand sigt ,lone that is seldom obtained in tn , pr any other country.
 We will now press on to San Andrea
 'ounty seat of Calaveras county, tow
 alat has seen its best days, but sti
 .omething of miniRg centre. As thel
 x but little here to interest one we wi
 ;eep on few miles farther to Mok
 umue Hill, the last of the towns on tn
 oute. It is very pretty little towl
 with schools, churches, several hote
 .ud stores and the oldest newspaper the state, The Mokelumne Hill Chron 'le. About Is miles southeast of ti
 own we come to the 'sCalaveras B tree" grove. Here we are in the pr,, !. nee of these great giants. We ms ave been told about them and req ' raphic aud. accurate descriptions them, but you cannot realize their ac ,al dimensions until you see them. Y,
 walk around them, then step back AT
 look up; still the eye does not take the all in. There are .16 or Is of the 5 trees and hundreds of trees that wou
 ,ook big in Litchfeld county. Ne vi . give you few measurements of son N of the largest:
 Circu :, Height \. fsren'
 feet. fe [ | Father of the Forest, 435 1lO dother of the Forest, 321 .. 90 r Hercules, 320 95