The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-10-05
REAL GOLDEN SAND.
II Is Found In Paying Quantities on
California Beach.

Visitors to the Cliff House, in San
Francisco, may have noticed several
Cinnamon at low tide gathering up the
black sand on the beach and loading IL
into wheezy old wagons drawn by
horses still more wheezy. The curious
onloolter on asking what they intended
to do with the sand would he told that
there was small amount of gold dust
| in 1t, and that the Cinnamon extract it;
that the amount of gold was very
small, and that nobody but Cinnamon
could make living at the work. Until
few weeks ago that was the only
known instance OF the poetical inn
agery of golden sands" being prao
ticallv demonstrated.
But now, AT what Is called the LON.
poe mining district, about two hundred
men are making large wages by wash
| ing the sea-bcach sand. Lompoe beach
lies about fifty miles north of Santa
Barbara, and is just northward of Point
Conception. A mountain chain, called
locally the Santa Ynez skirts the coast
for many miles in the region, with but
one break in it, and that is where the
Santa Ynez river breaks through the
mountains and reaches the sea. Where
the river empties is the northern ex-
tremity of n black sand deposit which
extends for about fifteen miles south.
and abruptly terminates. AT high tide
the sea entirely covers the beach, and
breaks against the foot of high bluffs
of clay, sandstone, shale, limestone
and a blue conglomerate rock. This
is constantly being undermined and
washed away.
This black sand is found to be very
rich in gold, but at first it was very
difficult to extract it, as the dust was
so very fine. The discovery was made
in the latter part of March, and the
'rocker" and ''pan" were used with
some success, but it was discovered
that but a small percentage OF the gold
was obtained. A peculiar fact, and one
which gives the district certainty OF
being permanent, is that the sea- re-
places the sand as rapidly as the miners
cart it away. This was illustrated on
one of the first days workings. AT low
tide, when the deposit was uncovered
by the receding tide, miner drove
stake in his claim, and from the sand
at the bottom of it washed out 250
''colors." On the next day when the
tide went down, the hole he had made
the day before was found filled up, and,
in short time, at exactly the same
ha ~
The next day the hole was again found
to be filled and he got over 300 .'col-
ors." This was with the wasteful pan.
And so it has been ever since.
Now the sand is taken out by the
wagon load during low tide, but is al
ways replaced by the high tide. This
is all the more remarkable as, though
the deposit extends for some distance,
being fifteen miles long. and extending
indefinitely out under the water, it is
very shallow close to the shore, being
but about two feet thick. and at the
deepest four feet. The sand is dark
gray in color, and is highly magnetic;
when seen under water it appears to
consist OF myriads of blood-red rubies,
presenting most beautiful appearance.
Since the discovery method OF
washing has been devised which saves
about ninety per cent. of the gold and
the lucky men who took up claims
literally under the ocean are making
money rapidly. AT low tide the sand
is shoveled into wagons and hauled
above high water mark, where the
sluice boxes are placed. These con-
tain a succession of mercury covered
plates, which catch nearly il not all
of the gold dust. This is excessively
fine. in fact, almost microscopic, but is |
very pure, and is readily sold at the |
high price of S22 per ounce.
The beach is all taken up and there |
are no claims on the market. About |
two hundred men are working claims |
of their own and several companies
have been formed and are working |
claims that have been purchased. The
Santa Barbara Black Sand Mining Com
pany in March put four men at work |
on their claims, and in four weeks re-
ceived from them 81, 500; this was be-
fore the introduction of the improved
sluice boxes. The men, however,
average between $5 and $40 per day.
Various theories are adduced to ac-
count for the deposit. The most gen.
orally accepted one is that there is
rich gold ledge which crops up in the
bed of the ocean some distance out,
and which is ground by the action OF
the sea and carried by the Japanese
current. which sweeps in at that point,
to the California coast. Another opin-
ion, held by some of the miners. Is
that the gold comes from the bluff,
which, at every high tide is washed
away to some extent. But the most
persistent and careful prospecting has
so far failed to disclose the slightest
deposit of gold in the soil or the stone
which compose these bluffs. Another
plausible theory is that the gold comes
down the Santa Ynez river. A tribu-
tary OF that river, called the San Emig-
dio, passes through a very rich placer
mining country. Against this theory,
however, is the fact that the sand OF
both rivers yields no gold The fact
that each high tide replaces the de-
posit US fast as it is removed lends
color to the idea OF there being
rinh aph,nurina ,rnld |