, 1890-02-13
IN THE NATClIEEI.
An Interesting Description of Rich
Mines and Grand and Piotur-
esque Scenery.
Placer Claims and Froo Milling
Silver Lodes-A Big Rush
Expected.

The trail rom CIcmNn's corral,
running along for some six or seven
miles, soon drops down into the
basin or bottom Of the Natchccz,
forty-iiye miles above the city oI
North Yakima. "a the prospcctor
comes over the high peak on the
trail, there bursts suddenly to hi.
gaze the gTnndcst view thnt II 4.
possible To imagine. To the right
looms up hill after hill aud noun
tain after mountain, stretching
away up the river into dim and blue
persp peciive. TO the left, abrupt and
craggy, rises an Immense wall Of
rock, intersperscd and crowned
with stately pines and lirs.
Far down into the bottom
of the valley, like thin rib.
bon Of silver, whnls, fre,s and
dashcs the Natchecg.. Some five
miles up this open valley, at the
head, stands the Edgar rock, grim,
bare and erect, like IA sentinel oi
time, keeping watch and ward over
the treasures that lie in this store
house Of nature. In this bottom are
wide stretches of open ground COW
cred with luxurlant gras. of the
brightest green, surrounded by u
Jungle of brush, cottonvoods and
pines, some Of them old veterans,
towering up for l50 feet or more and
six or seven feet through at the base.
Here on the trail, only about u foot
wide one can look down In the mar.
row pass, that the river has broken
through some thousand feet below,
which gives one "A feeling of being
suspended In mid mir
Standing In the bottom, where
our camp has been pitched, we can
look up on all sides and follow the
dykes and hssurc veins over
one hill after another clear way
up into the farthes, mountain. The
rock In which the richest silver lies
Is principally porphyry, although
there are rich veins Of tulcnse slate.
ON the left or south side OF the creek
there Is hardly single point but
shows up rich indications Of silver.
II IL on This side that the Relief and
Quandary claims are situated, and
they are the richest by tar Of any
that have been located. On the
north side, however, there are ono
or two test holes, among u number,
that are exceedingly promising.
None Of these holes have been put In
over twenty feet, aud II l. found
that the farther they 90 In tho bet
ter the find. Thcfe Is giilch that
comes DON II about II mile above the
camp, and II Is thought by some OF
the prOspcctorH hat from the indlcd-
tlons and cropping here Will be bl;.
surprise. But there IL no point In
this whole stretch Of sevcn mites in
length, End probably cightin width,
but where good ore can bc found.
IL ls free milling and ear
rics with II nothing that can POS
slbly make II expensive To get the
silver out. | noticed in the river
bottom number of slulccs and pan
ming outfits where men have been
working placer claims, and am
told by some of them that they can
pan out from 81 to s. u day, and
some days have done better. Above,
close To Edgar rock, some ono h ut
work on u placer claim and Is cX-
cecdingly mysterious about what lie
does and has done. Here the gravel
and sand IL quito fine, aud there Il
no doubt hut that he IL making II
good deal more than II fair days
wages.
In the bottom, at the edge of II
beautiful grassy glade, Captain j.
Il. Simmons has made n permanent
mining camp, with Il. X. Current
as recorder, They are now at work
putting up log cabins In order 10
stand out the winter and operate
on the claims whenever the
weather will permit. There are
over one hundred claims now
staked aud located, and IL rs fully
expected that over 1900 mon will he
In there at work when spring opens
up. In anticipation Of this Mr.. Our
rent has located II fovnsiie on n high
bench of land that runs allalong the
north side of the valley.
The ore, from the returns of the
assayors, IL on the average of nm $50
ore, and thcre Is no end to the amount
of II in sight.
Ten niles above camp the Bump
Ing river tiowa into the Natchcez,
and at this point, at the side of the
blufi, there are several holes where
coal of line quality has been taken
out, some of which we burned In
camp. As TO the quantity of II we
can not say. suffice II to say that
there are enough good Indications to
make II worth the while for some
one to prospect at this point and
also further up the Bumping river.
J.. FRANK GORDON.