Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-11
THEY ARE A SELL"
A Special Dispatch About
the Gold Mines.
THE SITUATION OUTLINED.
Everybody Warned to Investigate.
A Letter From the Santa
Clara Placers.
THE SITUATION OUTLINED.

The crash has come and the Santa
Clara highly-colored gold bubble will
doubtless collapse as suddenly and ef-
fectually as toy balloon when pricked
by pin. The news,so fatal to those who
were figuring on making fortune in a
week, arrived yesterday morning in the
shape of dispatch to Messrs. Hellman,
Haas & Co., the merchants, of this city.
1t was from Mr.. A. E. Davis, whom Mr..
Hellman describes as good responsible
person, and who left here some days ago
for the new placers. 1t reads as follows
'SAN DIEGO, March 10, 1899.
HellmGR, Haas d- Co., Los angeles, Cal =:
Tell everybody to investigate. The
mines are a sell. l have inst returned.
A. E. DAVIS"
The few to whom the HERALD privately
communicated the news received it with
much astonishment, for, up to that time
no absolute statement against the mines
had been received, and to receive such a
crusher all at once was rather startling.
Knowing that friend was intending
to leave for the placers by the
afternoon train, a HERALD man, who
had read the dispatch hurried off to the
Santa Fe depot and arrived there just
before the train for San Diego pulled out.
A number of individuals whose outfits
showed that they were en- route for the
mines were standing on the platforms,
and, deserving his acquaintance, the
scribe beckoned to him and showed him
copy of the dispatch.
L. khck kot~o ;c,hf Ott oaiA tho xxJO,1lH ta
prospector; and, on being assured that
it was, he went back into the cars and a
minute later reappeared with an outfit of
blankets, gold-pan and other parapher-
MALTA necessary for the trip he intended.
81 guess l won't go,'' he said, sadly,
as he came back to where the scribe was
standing, "but [ hate to tear down so
suddenly the castles [ have been build
ing in the air."
A prominent Southern Californian,
who has resided here many years, on
hearing of the dispatch, said: 81 knew
that this is how it would turn out. Why,
for the past twelve years every time
things have got more than unusually dull
in the lower country, they have started
craze of this kind, and they have all
resulted the same way. 1t is rather
amusing to an old settler to hear them
talking about gold being discovered now
a.days in Lower California. Why, it has
been known for over 100 years that there
is gold in abundance in the Peninsula,
but it is like the gold that
exists in the caflons above Newhall,
it cannot be worked to a profit at
least not under the present system of
mining. OF all the rushes that ever
took place to Lower California there
was only one that turned out in any way
satisfactory, and that was at the Trini-
dad, when $75 1000 was taken out in four
weeks. But that was all that ever WAS
got, for it was a mere pocket, which
speedily played out, and although prob
ably twice the amount of money found
was afterwards spent there and there
abouts by prospectors, not another dol
lars worth OF the yellow metal was ever
found. l will wager that about SAC, 900
has already been spent in the Santa
Clara, and there will probably never be
one hundredth part of that amount re-
covered. AS matter of fact very little
gold has been brought in from the
mines, and the stories that are afioat
have been greatly exaggerated. l was
informed yesterday by q San Diego
banker that as far as his knowledge went
only about $400 worth of gold had been
actually recovered since the excitement
commenced, and as the working force that
is down there could do as we'll as that in
the Soledad Canon do not see where the
big bonanza is. The item published ia
Fridays HERALD giving the experiences
of prospector, tells about the exact stu
alton there. Gold is being found in very
small quantities, and the men on the
ground are mainly prospecting with the
hopes that something big will turn up.
As to the effect of the excitement on
Southern California, well, 1t will be
rather detrimental than otherwise.
When the camp breaks up,
about four-ffths of those on the ground
will be broke and they will naturally
wend their way here, those who came
from the north, hoping to make a stake
to get home with. We will, therefore, not
only have our own men back with pockets
emptied by the International Company,
the Mexican Government, and the store
keepers of San Diego and Ensenada. but
we will get the horde that poured down
from San Francisco and other coast
towns"
A special correspondent writing to the
San Diego Union from the gold
fields, in a letter dated March 9TH,
gives some interesting information re-
garding the condition of things there.
He says: "The Mexicans all work to-
gether. For instance, three or four Of
them will work on the same claim, each
putting down an independent prospect
hole. On the other hand, the Americans
stake out claim OF sixty-four feet square
and guard it against all comers. :.
The dirt is carried to water in sacks and
panned out by wage men. These men
get about So day, and boss watches
over each gang OF them. The Americans
are nearly all camped at the mouth OF
Mexican gulch, and most of their work
is being done at the lower end. =.
1t is five feet to bedrock. The Ameri-
cans do not seem to sabe the mining.
They work like Turks, and without rest
go right down to bedrock. Very little
panning is done until bedrock is reached,
and then they find a meagre quantity OF
dirt and gravel to wash. The
International Company are said to be
telegraphing to the City of Mexico for a
concession to this part of the peninsula.
They have thirty or forty men here now
prospecting and locating claims.
Persons coming here with horses should
bring plenty of feed, as there is none
here. The bunch grass has been eaten
to the ground, and animals will suffer il
feed is not brought along. E. A party
iust rived had Soh worth ,f nroviaions