Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-23
PETERED OUT!
That's what's the Matter With
she Mines.

IhAGSa WnAt'S hhe 6AsA
the Mines.
Three weeks ago one could hardly
meet man on the streets who was mol
either starting or preparing to start fol
the Santa Clara mines. Now, there is
no trick in finding half-a-dozen men in
the space of a block who have Just re.
turned from those mines, and whose clips
drop curses" on those who got up the
blankety- blank fake and swindle.
Yesterday a patriarchal old miner
named Andrews, who has been
through it all in the course
of prolonged lifetime, came into the
HERALD office for the eminently Chris
tian purpose of lifting up his voice
through these columns "to prevent any
one going to those mines to put money
into the shrunken pouch of the Interna-
tional Company of Mexico, and to crafty
the greed of the Unsuitable Mexican
Customs Officer"
81 was sent for from Calico" said Mr..
Andrews, "to go and investigate the new
mines, in the interest of Mr.. Cole and
Mr.. Campbell, OF this city, who knew
that had spent lifetime in following
up those excitements, and would be liza
BILE to tell, with tolerable accuracy, just
how much or how little there was in the
new alleged Ell Dorado.
81 went by steamer from San Diego
to Ensenada, and from there to the
placers by stage. | found absolutely
nothing worthy of the name of mine
there. That is all there is to that.
"We had only been few minutes in
camp when a Mexican came up to us and
oh finn x1hi H.
said he had Just found, but we were in
formed by one of the men who had been
some time in camp that the same identi-
cal nugget had done service of that sort
every day-and sometimes several times
q dav-since the camp started. 1t
was a portion of the "salting" of the
fraud mines.
81 stayed long enough to satisfy my
self that there is not, and cannot be, any
profitable work done in the Santa Clara
mines. Why, l watched the rockers
closely, and l never saw even half dol
lars worth taken out, and it was rarely,
very rarely indeed, that color was
found. The men who are at work there
are not making so cents day.
"The breaking up of the camp has set
in and made good progress. Those who
brought considerable supplies with them
are selling them as rapidly as they can
dispose of them. One man sold tent to |
us for $50 for which he had paid $50 |
duty at Tia Juana, besides the original |
cost. Bacon is selling at % cents a |
pound which paid 40 cents pound duty |
to the Mexican customs officers. Flour |
is selling at 50 sack, and mining tools
are a drug in the market. Mr.. Cole |
bought pick and shovel there for so |
cents, and brought them back with him
when he came home.
"The formation at Santa Clara-I am
speaking especially of Spanish Gulch-is
a brownish granite, and there is an en-
tire absence of slate and clay. The
quartz ledges, of which so much has
been said, are what miners call CASH
lodges, of wedge or V shape, running
down between walls of granite.
whether it is the case or not, there
is no denying that the impression is
strong-amounting even to conviction
among the men down there that the
international Company of Mexico have
worked up the excitement for purposes
OF their own. 1t is certainly the fact that
men in their employ are prospecting all
over the country and locating ledges."
Another young fellow in the typical
miners garb stated to a HERALD man
that he had just returned that afternoon
the mines, and very glad to get back he
was. His language was even stronger
than that used by Mr.. Andrews, and he
was unsparing in his condemnation of
the bilks who had started the excitement.