The record-union., 1891-09-28

| that point he declared is at the same level
now that it was many years ago. In Its
present condition the canyon could, in
his opinion, restrain all the debris that
could be thrown into it for twenty years
to come Even now there is an average
depth of sixty feet of debris in the bed of
the canyon, yet, according to Mr.. Nor
toms statement. the water that came into
it in winter did not have current enough
to carry any appreciable amount OF the
matter with it.
a TWIN RECEPTACLE.
All of the mines on the Iowa Hill
divide" propose to throw their tailings
into Indian Canyon.
On the other side of the divide, where
the town of Wisconsin Hill once stood,
there are three mines which it is pro-
posed to clean up, if the Sacramento Su-
pervisors permit. These are in about the
same condition that the Iowa Hill mines
are in-stripped down to the bedrock.
But these mines dump their tailingS into
what is known as Shirt-tail Canyon,
which is a veritable twin of Indian
Canyon. Like the latter, it is level,
and, so Mr.. Morton stated, it pre-
vents the debris from getting into the
North Fork. Near these mines are those
Of ElizabethtOwn, which also dump into
the canyon with the unique name. De-
hris may be seen in the bed of this can
yon, which the miners say has been there
between fifteen and twenty years, thus
demonstrating, they say, that it acts as a
perfect restraining receptacle.
After the SacramentanS had feaSted
their eyes long enough on the grand pan
Drama that laid before them. and had
listened attentiyely to all that the mining
men had 10 say, ii was proposed that they
visit the Washington mine, which was
only about a quarter Of Il mile distant.
Although considerable climbing and
H,I !,
dulged i'll which started Supervisors
Bates and Black putting loudly, the mine
was soon reached. It is quite an extern
sive mine, and Messrs. Sprague and Nor
ton, who with q. NJ. n. Libby and John
Parker, own the mine, say it would pay
"big money! if they We're permitted to
work it in the manner they desire to. As
1t is now, half a dozen men are at work
III the place, loosening I'D the bedrock
with picks and an occasional blast and
then dumping it into the sluices The
sluices are provided in the ordinary way
with quicksilver to catch the gold as the
gravel is carried through the boxes with
a stream Of water.
TO CLEAN UP.
'Now, gentlemen" said Mr.. Sprague.
you see here that we have what should
be valuable piece Of mining property.
/ say it should be valuable, because there
is plenty of rich rock here. But Of what
value is it, if | cannot take the gold out ?
| can't do as some others have done
abandon the hydraulic process and start
in drifting. This rock can't be handled
in that way. 1t can only be handled by
hydraulic pressure. Now, all l ask is that
| be allowed to work up the bottom here
the bedrock. / don't want to wash
: down any hills The mine just about
pays wages now, but it would net us a
handsome sum if we were permitted TO
hydraulic it OUT
The Washington mine is among those
which have had to cease operations under
injunctions commenced by Sacramento
County in the Superior Court. The
others enjoined in the same court are the
Medical Point mine, better known hs the
Del Rey claim, the Homeward Bound
and the De kruse mines. Those under
iniunctions issued by the United States
Circuit Court are the Golden Hope mine,
the Gleeson placer claim and the Orient.
The latter is run by the Quong Sing Com
pany, a Chinese corporation.
None OF these mines around Iowa Hill
are owned by foreign capital except the
Red Point, which is twelve miles distant
from the hill, and which is a drift mine.
The balance are all owned by men who
live right there and whose interests are
all there.
OTHER MINES.
After the Supervisors and the others had
thoroughly inspected the Washington
mine-and several of them had tried
their hand at washing out pan OF ''pay-
dirt'-without finding any nuggets
larger than hens eggs-the party struck
Off toward the HOmcWard Bound mine.
This mine is owned by Alexander Rossi.
and is just across Indian Canyon from the
Washington. Adjoining the Home
ward Bound on the east is the Del Rev
mine, which is owned by Henry Del
Rey. Both Of these mines are in the
same condition as the Washington, need
ing only cleaning up.
Having now descended into the CANYON
the party tramped along the bed Of it and
over the heavy debris toward the Morn
ing Star drift mine. on the way thew
passed one of the "old timers" the Tryo
mine, which has not been worked for
over ten years. The Iowa Hill folks
called the attention of the Sacramentaus
TO the fact that the tailings which were
washed out of this mine so many years
ago are in the same place now that they
were then, thus further proving, they
say, the assertion that the debris STAYS in
Indian Canyon. The great banks Of de-
Dris III front of this mine in the canyon
show no traces of having even been chan
neled by the winter 1reshets.
A short visit was paid to the Morning
Star drift mine, after which the party, be-
ing hungry and pretty thoroughly tagged
out, returned TO town.
WISCONSIN HILL.
In the afternoon the visitors embarked
in wagons, and were driven as near as
practicable to the Wisconsin Hill mines.
On the way over the old Kidder claim
was passed. This claim has not been
hydraulicked since 1874. 1t has history.
too. Nearly twenty years ago Kidder,
one OF the owners, was shot beside one of
the fumes by the night-watchman,
Dewey. The story was that large quanti-
ties of amalgam had been stolen out of
the fumes at night and the thefts could
not be accounted for. The watchman
was warned to be vigilant. A few nights
later he saw the outlines of a man at the
fumes, and blazed away.
Another mine passed on the road was
the old De Kruse mine, which has-been
abandoned since 1873. A neat little farm,
with prosperous little vegetable garden,
and large flock of goats, now overlooks
the site of the old mine.
An old tumble-down schoolhouse, a
relic of the days when town of 200 in
habitants thrived at Wisconsin Hill. was
also passed. There are very few of these
relics left, and where used to be plenty of
neat little cabins and stores, is now but
little less than wilderness.
At Wisconsin Hill are two hydraulic
mines side by side. They are the Glee-
son claim and the Orient mine To-
gether they form one of the most ex-
tensive illustrations of the power of the
monitor to be seen in that vicinity. Half
of an immense mountain of solid rock
and gravel has been ripped off and
washed out, leaving perpendicular
wall hundreds of feet high. TO those of
the party who were not familiar with
hydraulic mining, the sight was appalling.
1t was explained by Mr.. GleeSon-and
for that matter the visitors could see for
themselves-that the debris from these