Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-18
The Old Baldy Placers Begin
ming to Pay.
Arizona PrOspectOrs Propose to
Work From a Balloon.
A Rich Ledge 1900 Feet up the
Canyons Side.
Fresno's Gravel Banks Not Yet All
Worked Out-The Lyons Mine
Looking Up-Min-
ing Notes.

server writes as IOllOWS ABOUT tne Olu
Baldy placer mines:
Thinking that description OF the
mines on Old Baldy might be of interest
to some in your community, I send as
near as can facts that l have learned
both from observation and from miners
themselves who are working the claims.
The mines are located in a depression
Of the main divide of the Sierra Madre
range east of Old Baldy, and west from
Telegraph peak, in what was an old
river bed at one time. They are purely
placer or gravel mines, the gold being
found in the gravel, which varies
in depth from three to twenty feet
and prospects from surface to bed
rock but the pay streak, or dirt that
pays, varies from one to five feet; this
dirt will pay from 81 to 81 wheelbar-
row load, and the bedrock often pays 8
great deal more. After being stripped
OF all surplus dirt, the miner with a
hooked iron will scrape out all the crew
ices and depressions very carefully, as
in them is found all the coarse or heavy
gold. The mines have been worked
very successfully since 1882. Mr..
Banks, one of the original locaters, and
from whom the mines take their name,
Banks's diggings, worked for years with
no other facilities than an old-fashioned
rocker, and made $40 day whenever
he felt like working. He sold one of his
mines in 1889 for $4,000, for which claim
the present owners ask $4,000. There
has been pipe line of two and one-half
n1i1Aa laid frn1n onrip0 r1nHnr (l1H
Baldy to conduct water to resel voir,
thence to be used for hydraulic power,
thereby saving great deal of
labor and doing better work
than the old slow manner in
which the mines were worked. At
present there are several men working
with rockers on the gulch, and making
good wages. A company from Los An
geles has recently purchased locations,
and has, after thoroughly prospecting
the ground, made all arrangements to
work number of men this summer.
They have already built a dam, and set
their sluice boxes, and are building
chutes to chute the dirt to the water.
They haye enough dirt ready for the
chutes to keep them running for a
month, that will pay at the rate of 81 so
to So wheelbarrow load, according to
their prospect. There is good deal of
land there yet that would pay good sys-
tematic miners big wages. Lucky Bob
and Mr.. McOulah took out about $40 in
three days with rockers last week, sew
eral pieces weighing from 50 to So each.
Three men have started on another
claim this week, and everything looks
favorable for the camp.
UAIInON HJyNINn
The Prescott Journal-Miner gives
space to the following unique mining
scheme:
To descend hundreds of feet into the
earth in search of the hidden treasures
of mineral wealth supposed to be con-
cealed there is no uncommon thing,
in fact is the natural way of mining.
S. G. Rees, however, promises to revolu-
tionize the old-fashioned way of mining,
and has under consideration now pros
pecting tour by means of balloon.
His scheme as outlined to Journal
Miner man, is substantially as follows:
Rioh carbonates have been found in
Cataract caflon in a blanket ledge.
While the ledge is accessible at the up
per end of the cafion, owing to the
steep descent Of the canon towards
the Colorado river, when near the latter
point the ledge is located about 1900
feet above the bottom of the stream,
and consequently inaccessible by all Or
dinary means. The question OF reach
ing it by means OF ropes, from the top
of the almost perpendicular walls of the
cafion, having been discussed and pro-
nounced fmpracticable, Mr.. Rees has
accordingly arranged with Aeronaut
Howard to visit the canon in October.
A large balloon will be inflated in the
bottom OF the cai1on and secured by
ropes there to prevent it's escape, when
it is proposed to initiate it and make the
ascent to the point in the walls of the
caflon where the ledge is and foot
hold worked into it from the balloon.
After the work is fairly commenced the
balloon will be used only as a means of
conveying them to and from their work.
The experiment is new and novel one,
and while to the ordinary mind it looks
impracticable, Messrs. Rees and How
and think it practicable, and expect to
make their fortune there. They pro-
pose and will have it divided into seven
or eight compartments, any one Of
which, when inflated, being capable of
carrying mans weight. This will be
done as precaution in case of accident,
in having the air ship strike against the
rocky walls of the cai1on; the raising
power of the balloon will not be totally
destroyed.
PLACERING IN FRESNO.
The mining interests OF Fresno county
are in no manner dying out. Paying
quantities of ore are being found daily
by those who are working their mines
along the foothills and the banks OF the
San Joaquin, says the Expositor.
The latest reports from the mines in
that section come from the San Joaquin
Mining company, who own valuable
property on the river, four miles above
Hamptonville.
Mr.. McDougald returned from the
mine this morning, and was seen by an
Expositor reporter at the Office of 0. B..
Olufa, manager of the Fresno Raisin
Packing company, who owns an interest
in the mine.
Said Mr.. McDougald: "The deeper
we get into the hill the better the
gravel. See this" and Mr.. McDougald
displayed small phial containing a
small quantity of pure, clear gold.
"That l panned out of one shovelful of
dirt yesterday, and the prospects are
fine. That gold weighs over five grains,
and pays IS cents to the shovel, or $18
to the ton. I have the utmost conf
dence in the weighing quality Of the
s-L -