Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-11-17
The Work Underway on
His Concession.
A FLUME AND PLENTY OF WATER.
What 1t Costs to Take Cinnamon to
the Mines-0ther Points
of Interest.

ings OF the mines and their surround
ings. Speaking about the employment
Of the Chinese there, he says that there
are about fifty there now, and that it is
rather difficult to get the right kind OF
Cinnamon. 1t costs, in the first place,
about 5000 for every Chinaman taken
there, for he and his associates have to
guarantee them transportation, wages,
supplies, duties on the supplies. and also
return there. This guarantee has to be
in cash, and must be deposited in San
Francisco, otherwise the Chinese Con-
sui General will not allow the Cinnamon
to leave the United States, knowing
that they cannot return. OF course this
does not affect the merchants, who can
obtain certificates, but it affects the la
boring element, and under these circum-
stances it is difficult to induce men to
leave for the mines. AS Ear as possible,
nothing but the cream of the woikmen,
expert in mining. we're engaged, and the
most of these were pioneers in hydraulic
mining in this State, many of them
having been in the business near Marys-
vile.
At the mines at present about 100 men
are at work, fifty of whom are Chinese
and the balance Mexicans and Ameri-
cans. The number includes miners,
carpenters, blackemiths, teamsters, over
seers, storekeepers, gang bosses and
chiefs.
In regard to the object of himself and
associates, Colonel Massac said that there
had been and is complaint about the diff
ference between the value of silver and
Of gold, and that until gold is produced
in such quantities as will reduce its
price, this difference will exist. When
this difference has been adjusted, and
the prices equalizsd, legal tender dol
lar can be adopted which will be accept.
able to all the countries south of the
United States, and will rule as the unit
Of exchange between the United States
and the southern countries. The matter
had been discussed by the Pan-American
Congress, and the sooner such unit of
exchange is established the better, the
Colonel thought, it would be for all the
countries concerned. He and his asso-
ciates would endeavor to bring about
the desired result as soon as possible.
The Colonel said that his Chinese as
sociates had already expended over $40,-
coo for furnishing labor, transportation,
custom house duties, supplies, lumber
and machinery for the mines known as
the "Massac Concession" in the Real
del Castillo district in Lower California.
This Government concession covers 116
square miles of mineral lands, and in the
words of the Colonel, "We are now de-
veloping these mines with the utmost
energy. The principal feature of the
work so far is the five-mile fume which
is nearly finished. This fume in it's
course runs over five separate trestles,
the largest of which is 1900 feet long
and 35 feet high at its lowest point.
When completed the fume will carry
from 600 to 800 inches of water from the
San Rafael cailon to the Ridge gulch.
The water pressure throughout the en-
tire distance averages 8 feet per
100 and at the present time,
before the rainy season has bsgun
the quantity OF water is SO far in excess
of what we shall ever need for hydraulic
mining that my company will uae the
excess for the purpose of irrigating farm
lands in the San Rafael valley, which
the International Company of Mexico,
through Captain Scott, its general man
ager, has put at our disposal on the most
generous terms"
1t is understood that the arrangement
is that the International Company pro-
poses to divide the land into sections, of
which it will retain every alternate sec-
ton, the other sections to be given to
the Colonel and his associates; the only
obligation being that the water shall bs
carried upon all the sections. Colonel
Nassac states that the sections turned
over to him will be Immediately placed
under cultivation.
Continuing on the subject Of the fume,
the Colonel said: "This great hume
would have been finished weeks ago il
we had not come across a granite forma.
ton which required careful blasting for
nearly ], 700 feet. This work was done by
the Cinnamon with marvellous accuracy
and the fume looks as if it had been
chiseled out in the rock with instruments
of precision. There is no friction and
the water runs as smoothly here as in
the timbered hume. Over 1000 feet
Of lumber was used in the trestle work.
This lumber came from San Diego and
was carried by the way of Ensenada,
from which place it was. taken by teams
to the mines, distance of twenty.six
miles.
''These placer grounds are considered
by all the experts and natives who know
them, to be the richest in that country,
and having an abundance of water on
hand they will be worked for all they
are worth. Nature has provided the San
Rafael cafIon, into which our fume
empties, as the place where we can get
rid of the tailings as we proceed with
the work up the gulches. We shall be
able to leave our tailings behind us az
we go ahead with the work.
"In addition to the placer mines,
which cover several square miles, we
own fifteen distinct quartz ledges, carry
ing free milling gold assaying all the
way from $25 to $40, 600 per ton. All OF
these ledges have been partially devel-
oped, sufficient to show what is in them.
The principal is called the Zaragoza. In
this shaft has been sunk to depth of
fifty feet. At the end of this level has
been run for thirty feet, disclosing true
fssure vein between granite and por-
phyry formation. This promises to
be q real bonanza according to
the judgment of the experts and
men who know what the Comstock was."
Speaking of the Intentions of the Inter-
national Company which has, under a
new management, secured IS 900, GOO re-
Gently, Col. Massac says that the money
will be expended in improving the land
belonging to the corporation. Railroads
will be built and roads made, and other
r L. T. T.