Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-03

story OIlCk DullOlDRS, TWO OF tnree large
and elegant hotels, large wholesale houses,
foundries, machine-shops, fine churches
and school-houses, and good public build
ings. The first man to greet me on step
ping from the buggy was Captain Rapp.
the County Recorder. He has held that
position for several terms, and is the Re
publican nominee to succeed himself
PREPARING FOR MEETING.
Shortridge was to speak in Nevada City
that night, and they were decorating the
buildings all along the principal streets.
Every house was embellished and when
the question was asked if all were Republi-
cans, the reply was, mo, but both sides
decorate when there is a public demonstra-
ton, regardless of politics." This / find to
be true in all the mountain towns. The
rival candidates often travel in the same
buggy, speak from the same stand
and there is no mud-slinging. We
called at the Transcript Office and had a
pleasant chat with n. ?. Brown, the busi-
ness manager, who is confident that Nevada
county has before il a great future, and
claims that quartz mining is yet in its in
fancy. We also made call at the Herald
Office, and were pleasantly received. The
editor, b. J. Watson, is candidate for the
Office of County Treasurer, and was out
among his constituents endeavoring to run
down campaign lie." At last accounts
he had his man cornered at Rough and
Ready.
A FINE FRUIT SECTION.
The altitude of Nevada City is 2,525 feet,
that of Grass Valley $500. 1t Is in one of
the finest fruit belts in the State, and the
apples from this section always bring the
highest market price. AT present Nevada
City is not as lively town as Grass Valley,
M 60 ma
its immediate vicinity There, however, is
large amount of prospecting going on,
and many of the quartz claims are develop
ing into paying property.
At P. NJ. we started on our return trip
and arrived at Grass Valley in time for
supper.
RIDE To BANNER MOUNTAIN.
The next day by invitation of Mr.. Fletcher,
the Secretary of the Nevada County Mar
row Gauge Railroad, and E. D. Brown,
its Secretary, James P. Shoemaker and
myself, visited their mine at Banner Noun
tain, some six miles distant We rode in
an elegant carriage behind spanking span
OF bay horses, over one of the most de-
lightful aud picturesque mountain roads.
The gentlemen proved to be genial COM
panlons, and much of interest respecting
this rapidly developing mining section
was cleaned from their conversation. Ban
ner Mountain has an elevation of 3 900
feet. En- route to the mine, of which Mr..
Fletcher is the Superintendent" The
North Banner Consolidated Tunnel Com
pany we passed the most noted mine in
the State of California, the Idaho. This
mine has paid 228 consecutive monthly
dividends on 3,100 shares of stock, and has
ore enough in sight to continue in the divi-
dend business for some years to come.
The last dividend was 81 so, and it paid
during the past year 105 per cent. on its
capital stock. This mine employs con-
stantly some $50 men.
A few miles farther on, at the base of
Banner Mountain proper, we came upon
the abandoned works of the old Star
Spangled Banner" mine that was oper-
ated in the early days of quartz mining at
an immense profit. 1t lies idle TODAY, but
is considered valuable property.
THE NORTH BANNER CONSOLIDATED TUNNEL
COMPANY.
When we reached Mr.. Fletcher's mine
we found large force of men erecting a
fine ten-stamp mill, modelled after that of
the North Star, mentioned above. The
mill is almost completed, and will be run
ming by the middle of November The
car-track from the tunnel runs on top of
tie mill, and the machinery is run by
water power. This is one of the best
mines in the county, and it is expected to
become regular dividend paying property
as soon as the stamps are put in motion.
On the ore dump are hundreds of tons of
rich rock, assaying all the way from $50 to
$3.50 per ton. The ore that ASSAYS the last.
named figure contains $3.50 in silver. which
makes it the best silver mine in the State.
This, like the North Star and other mines
was operated in the early DAYS at great
profit, but when depth was reached the
rich sulphure;s and silver could not be
saved by their primitive milling processes.
aud they were abandoned. We were in
vited to the fCreman's house, where we
were regaled with all kinds of refreshments
and the best of Havanas, and given some
fine specimens of ore.
1,500 FEET UNDER GROUND,
At the invitation of Mr.. Fletcher. we all
donned miners suits-gum coats and hats
and started for the mine. No, not all of
us, for Mr.. Brown positively reused He
said he would get under the ground soon
enough" and sat down at the mouth of
the tunnel and whistled Down in the
Coal Mine, as we entered the DRIFT. There
were seven OF US in the party, each carry
ing candle, and l assure you noue of us
looked like dudes. The tunnel was really
an incline shaft that went down INTO the
mountain at about an angle of - We
looked for all the world like a miniature
torchlight procession, and when the miners
at The bottom of the mine touched off
blasts, the noise reverberated through the
drift, sounding like the distant discharge of
artillery Down, down, down we went,
several hundred feet-sometimes stumb-
at dtos the over mouth Of Pie OF stoDel quartz dt
others. climbing down slippery ladder
ten or twelve feet to reach different level,
uatil finally we reached the lower workings
Of The mine. Here we found large room
say 40 by 30 feet-floored, heavily tim
pered, ceiled and sided with heavy lumber.
At ouI feet we saw running stream. This
vas flowing through the tunnel that came
ou at the mill spoken OF above. At this
point ard in this room will be put in a lot
o machinery to run hoistipg works, Bur-
leigh drills, etc AT this point shaft will
60 down on the main ledge, and the ore
extracted will be sent out through the lower
tunnel. The power to run this machinery
in the center of the mountain will be OBJ
tained by water piped down through the
drift by which we entered the mine.
There are twenty FIVE men working un-
der ground in the North Banner Consol-
idsted Tunnel Company, and this will be
increased to one hundred in a short time.
In this square room thatI spoke of, at the
the bottom of the drift l stood upon the
very spot We're only ten days previous
young man was caved upon and lost an
arm and a leg. As the lower tunnel was
very slippery and wet, we decided to return
by the same route we had entered. The
ascent proved much more tiresome and
tedious than the descent, and we frequently
rested on The stope dumps and examined
the rich ore that the miners were knocking
down with giant powder.
We returned from the mine to Grass
Valley Just after sundown. A HoosIER,
Titles of Our statesmen.
"Old" and Little" are two favorite pre-