Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-06-17
CONCERNING sLIcKENs.

How Two Hydraulic Mining Companies
Handle the stuff.
The Commission composed of Majors W
H. II. Benyauad, w. H. Huer and 7. H.
Hanbury, appointed by Congress to make
inquiries into the subject of hydraulic
mining, has during the past two weeks
been examining the hydraulic mines in
klamath, Trinity, Siskiyou, Modoc, Ne
vada and Sierra counties. Referring TO
| the result of their investigations, the CaR
| of yesterday says the Commission found
| large number of mines in operation. but as
worked they do not interfere with navipa.
! ton or give trouble to agriculturists. Hy-
draulic mining in the central eastern Dor
| ton OF the State has almost ceased, A fsw
| large mines have so cO.trived to DISPOSE of
their tailipgs that they have been allowed
to continue unmolested. Back in the in
terror OF the mountains many small mines
are being conducted and are doing their
share toward filling up the valleys.
One OF the largest hydraulic mines is the
North Bloomfield, in Nevada county.
Having been prevented from disposing of
its debris in the usual manner the company
was forced 10 adopt some less objectionable
mode or abandon its works The plan now
pursued is as follows: a stream Of water
under an enormous pressure is forced up
ward through an lS-iDch pipe about ninety
feet high. From the upper end the water
is received into tlume, which carries the
water to an immense settling basin. about
2CO feet deep and twenty acres in area,
This is formed by damming a CANYON in the
vicinity of the mine. All the bowlders,
debris, gravel, etc, that are torn down by
the monitors are washed to the foot OF the
pipe before mentioned, and, by the force of
the water, carried upward into the hume
and by this into the settling basin. The
outlet OF this basin is at some distance
from the inlet ard as there is no noticeable
| current the sediment is mostly precipitated
and when the water leaves the impounding
basin II Is comparatively free from Slick
ems.
OF course, all the heavier portions that
were held in solution have settled. The
Commissioners examined the water leaving
TINS basin, and found that it contained one
eighth OF per cent. of sediment What
ultimately becomes of this e-eighth of
per cent. Of debris that is carried into The
valley is not known. is rot the heavier
portions of the tailings that have done the
damage heretofore, for they seldom reach
the foot of the mountains. 1t is the fine.
lmpslpable dust-like particles that are car
red on down the rivers and into the bav,
that have been the cause of The anti-debris
agitation. The solid material carried out
OF the settling basin CT the North Bloom.
field mine will in year amount to over
500 GOO cubic yards.
The system adopted by the Spring Val.
ley mine in the Cherokee District, Butte
county, seems TO be open to no objections.
A canal nineteen miles long has been con-
suucted from the mine To the waste tule
lands in the Sacramento valley. BY means
OF this ditch all the debris from the mine is
carried TO the marshes and assists in form
ing valuable lands. 1t has been found that
slckens makes good foundation for a pro-
ductiye soil. In the Klamath region the
Commission saw alfalfa growing luxuri-
antly on twenty feet of debris. The tail
ings had been treated with a mixture of
soil and fertilizers, and the result was salts
factory. In the case of the Spring Valley
mine, none of the debris whatever reaches
the river, or can in any way become detrl-
mental TO any other interest.