Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-12
THE NEW MINING DISTRICT
An Old Sacramentan Tells What is Going
On at Alamo.

On at Alamo.
ALAMO Lower Cal. }, July 3, 1889.
EDS. REcoRD-UNIoN 1t is with pleasure
that ! embrace this opportunity to send you
news relative to Camp Alamo, the new
mining district of Lower California, and
the new "Eldorado' of the Southwest.
l have been here since the excitement
first commenced, and / have seen this camp
grow from q little settlement of five or six
people into thrifty town of over 1000
people. And while like all other mining
camps it has had its ups and downs. it has
steadily increased in population and pros
perity. The ''tenderfeet'' and kickers have
all dropped out, as is natural-and the men
who are here now are here TO stay. They
have confidence in the district on account
OF Its rich quartz resources. There are
miners here who were in California in 40,
others who have followed mining in Col
orado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, South
America, Australia and Alaska, and one
and all say that this is the richest quartz
region they ever saw, and that it's only a
question of time when the whole world
will acknowledge the fact. OF course, time
and time again there have been rumors and
rumors OF rich gold finds in Lower Cali
fornia, which, upon investigation, proved
lakes, and this has prejudiced the people
OF the United States against taking any
stock in anything which halls from Baia
California. But the time has come when
they will soon have 10 admit that some
thing great can come from Mexico. as the
authorities ofold did, that something good
could come out of Nazareth. And the peo-
pie at large, especially those contiguous TO
San Francisco, will find that they made a
great mistake when they allowed the
prevailing prejudices against mining in
Mexico 10 influence their judgment. They
will also find that where they could have
hurried the prosperity of this camp by the
investment of a little capital, that the
camp will win out on its own merits and
establish a solid financial reputation, be-
cause there are at least two hundred miners
here who have claims with ore or their
dumps which will range in value from
$500 to $50 900, and as soon as the custom
quartz mills get running, which are now
being erected, there will be plenty of money
in circulation, and Alamo will stand on her
own solid financial basis.
At present there is one five-stamp mill
running, owned by S. H. Butler, Of San
Diego. The Torres Mining and Milling
Company will start its ten. stamp mill on
Monday next. 1t will crush the ore of the
company's own leads, and will also do GUS
tom work for other people.
The Alamo Mining and Milling Com
pany have twenty stamp Huntington mill
on its way here from San Francisco, and
Mr.. Sutherland, the International Com
pany's engineer, went to San Francisco last
Saturday with carte blanche from the COM
pany to purchase any kind of a mill he
saw fit with which to reduce the ores of
the company's mines, and also do custom
work.
At this writing over 225 mines have been
denounced, and the assessment work has
been done on the majority of them. The
Government has given possession to %
mines, whose owners have complied with
the legal requirements up to date, and
many others are hurrying up to qualify.
The grave question which has disturbed
the miners has been the cost and scarcity
OF timber in this region; but that has been
happily solved, for at distance of twenty
five miles from the Alamo is pine dis
trict. 1t is, in fact, the back bone of the
peninsula. 1t embraces a space about
ninety miles in length, ranging from fifteen
to twenty-five miles in width, which is
covered with the finest kind of pine tim
Der, varying all the way from one to five
feet in diameter.
This district is owned by the Interna-
tional Company, and it is now laying out
wagon road from Alamo to the pineries
and has sent one of its officers-Mr James
Randau-to San Francisco to purchase a
sawmill, which will be used to make the
timber of the pineries marketable. 1t now
costs the International Company to place
timber in the Alamo, brought from San
Diego, using its own steamers to Ensenada
and its own teams to freight it to Alamo.
SS5 per 600 feet. From the new timber
district it is estimated that toe best kind of
timber and lumber can be delivered here
for sale al $50 per l 900 feet (Mexcan
money!.
The International Company, l am in
formed, propose to take broad view of
this question and will do all it can to aid
and encourage the miners to develop their
Lodges, and will sell timber at its actual
COST because it knows that the success of
its other enterprises in Lower California is
largely contingent on the successful devel-
opment of It's mineral resources | am
also informed that a party of capitalists
from San Bernardino have made pur-
chase of several hundred acres from the
company in the pine district, and they.
too, will start lumber industry with the
Alamo for market.
All IcpStS WHICH nave DePD SUNK on I'D
to this date have improved upon develop
ment, and | can conscientiously say that
if this camp was anywhere but in Mexico
that instead of 600 people being here there
would be 10000
One more thing want to say, and that
is, that it is an Unprecedented fact that
there has been better order, better peace
and less disturbance here than in any min
ing camp or mining excitement that has
been started on the Western frontier.
His Excellency, Governor Torres. is a
broad-minded, liberal, intelligent MAJ.
and does all he can to act fair and square
with everybody, whether he be American,
European, Asiatic, African or Mexican.
Tomorrow will be the Fourth of July,
and the Americans of Alamo propose to
celebrate the day in a manner which will
be credit TO the great country they repre-
sent. The Governor and the balance OF
the Mexican officials have been invited to
participate, an invitation which has been
accepted, and tomorrow the representa-
tiyes OF the two republics will celebrate in
unity and harmony the day upon which
the foundation of the greatest republic
which exists was laid, and for that day the
stars and stripes will wave above the new
Ell Dorado of the great Southwest.