Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-09-10
NEVADA COUNTY.
SCENES AT NEVADA CITY AND
GRASS VALLEY.
Plant OF the Hydraulic Miners
Fruit-GrOwing a Far More
Profitable Industry-Etc.

Bulletin, writing from Nevada City, says
The two sister cities of the mountains.
Grass Valley and Nevada City, with the
great mining industry that built them up
and TIE great fruit industry that is giving
them new life, afford an interesting study
for the stranger from San Francisco.
They are but four miles apart, and, as
their interests are in common, the rivalry
between them has always been intense.
but thoroughly good-natured.
Nevada City has a population of about
forty-fve hundred, while Grass Valley
claims SIX thousand. Prior to the perpet-
ual injunction against the hydraulic
miners, Nevada City, which is the county
seat, was creeping up to her neighbor and
looked forward to the time when she
would oe far in the lead. But when the
Courts knocked away her chief support,
she adopted a more humble tone, and
Grass Valley. unaffected by the debris
decision, now feels that she has the better
of her rival for some time to come.
The cid resident of Nevada City has
passed through two periods which he re-
calls as flush times. The first is afar off in
the dim past, the days of the Argonauts,
when gold was picked up in every gulch
and was dug out of every mountain side.
Then came the years of hydraulic mining,
when the old river-beds, high on the
ridges we're found to be as rich in paying
gravel as the plaeers. Attempts were
made "a get u this ore by the usual
drifting method, but it was slow and in
the main Improbable.
IAkES5E WATER DITCHES.
Immense streams of water capable OF
washing whole mountains into the rivers
were needed, and millions of dollars found
investment in the county in enormous
reservoirs and long bitches. The reser-
voir capacity Of five of the leading mines,
the North Bloomfield, Milton, Eureka
Lake, Yuba and Omega and Blue Tent is
4,930,000,000 cubic feet. The length OF
ditching Of these companies alone aggre-
gates 700 miles, costing about $4,000,0 600
Anyone Of these bitches supplies water
enough for New York City. This enor
NOUS outlay Of capital furnished employ.
ment for thousands of laborers all over the
county from Nevada City to the north
and east. Wages were high and money
was freely spent and both employers and
employed looked forward to a long period
of prosperity.
1t is with a sigh that the resident of Ne
vada City recalls these lively days. Hi
town was the center of the entire hydraulic
district. Her streets were crowded day
and night with a careless, happy throng O
miners. Mountain teams were drawing
over the red, dusty roads their tons of ma
chinery and provisions, and the expires
Office was netting a handsome revenue il
forwarding to San Francisco the yellow
metal that was the result of all thi
activity.
The long and bitter debris contention
that brought the valley and mountain al
most 70 arm is well remembered by ever,
Californian. The people of Nevada Cit
readily admit that the miners were no
very discreet in the method they adopte,
of settling the great question. When tn
cry OF the ruined farmers of the vale
reached the mountains, little heed wa
given to it. Flushed with prosperity an
secure IN the vast interests that had bee,
developed by the new industry, little atter
ton was given to the complaints of tn
valley people, and no effort was made {
compromise the difficulty until it was to
late, and to their CONSERVATION one afte
another Of the great mines stopped work
ing and discharged its workmen under tn
command of the law.
THE DEBRIS QUESTION.
There was such a large amount {
wealth interested in hydraulic mines tina
the resident OF Nevada City could ~scarcel,
realize that in SO brief a time the miner
fonnd every recourse shut off from then
and were compelled TO allow their grav,
beds to lie untouched, and their magni
icent systems of bitches, fumes and mil
to &c to ruin. They cannot yet be taugl
to consider the closing of the hydraul
mines as final. Their confidence in II
charm of gold is 50 great that they firm
believe that the cry of the world for an i
creased supply will not permit this inc,
haustible storehouse long to remain u
locked.
Give us but a few years." says the sa
eyed mountaineer, "and you will aga
hear the hiss and roar Of our hydraul
monitors in the e canyons"
"But what about your debris ?"
ave will impound it. 1t can be don
despite the assertions Of the valley Peep
to the contrary"
al suppose you remember the bru
dam experiment, that cost the Sta
S300,0Oo2"
The m~ountaineer's eyes blazed. 1t
ways stirs the people to their hearts
mention the Inflated brush dam, and
was with ar oath that he expressed /
opinion that the brush dam was a job.
"And I will tell you this" he went c
"ifat the time those dams were suggest
the miners thought that their indust
was in fatal danger, there would not ha
been any failure. The dam would r
have been a mere heap of saplings a
twigs, burning up in summer and foati
away in winter, but a construction of
more substantial kind. We know how
build them. We have them in the higf
Sierras, holding in check billions of yal
of water. We would have built the d;
gradually As the sediment gathered
hind it, and when we considered that
sufficient height had been reached
would start another. Hydraulic debris
easily held back. In the course of a {
years 1t will form a concrete almost
hard as the sides of The gulches. NJ
whenever we talk about keeping c
debris 10 ourselves, the brush dam afiail
thrown at Us rs a clincher." \
pLD-TlAERS ANXIOUS.
There is many an old-time citizen to
found in Nevada City who looks with {
favor upon the present activity among
f~ruit-growers. He is afraid that his tow
men may be induced to forget their
draulic mines. When any new triumph
p~ear-growing or any reference to the pl
perity that awaits the orchardist appe
in his local paper, he shrugs his should
in a doubtful sort of way, and his feeli
find vent in the expression: "Well
suppose anything's better than MOTH
But one hydraulic mine, working ten n
is worth more than the whole cou
covered with vines and fruit trees,
annual product selling at San Franc
prices"
Still, it must not be supposed that L
ing Is 8 decayed industry in Nevada.
marvellous quartz district about Grass '
lev Is as productive as ever, and the
put shows no signs of abatement, and
shipment of ore by express from Ney
City does not by any means indicate
she is no longer q mining town. Du
the palmy days of hydraulic mining
annual shipment was about $1,000,
Hlgh-water mark was reached in !
with q shipment of $1,594,116. In 1S
had fallen to a round million, and in
tn : I9S-