Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-23
SANTIAM MINES.
The Excitement Increasing as
the Discoveries Grow Rich.
SALEM A MINING CENTER.
A Brief History of These Rich
Mines and why They Have
not Been WOrked--New
Machinery.

Macnlnery.
A new discovery of gold travels
with incredible rapidity. The re-
ports of the rich discoveries in the
iSantiam mining distrit is attracting
no little attention in Portland, San
Francisco and even in the east. The
,5lutiam mining district is not f;
new field by any means. the country
having been pretty thoroughly pros
nccted some twenty-five or thirty
years ago. Many claims were taken
and much development work done.
\ quartz mill was put in, roads
that cost many thousands of dollars
made, and Quartzville, the mining
town of the district, and the mines
"White Bnll" and "Red Bull" Gre
ated much excitement at the time,
aud some of the finest free gold spec
linens ever taken from any mines
on the coast were taken from the
"White Bulln mine. The lack of
railroads in the country and the
methods of developing quartz mines
made this district less Profitable
than it would otherwise have been.
The owners were very much elated
over the prospects and the result Of
the first few months run of their
mill seemed to indicate that their
expectations would be fully realized,
but as they went down, free gold
became scarce, the ore become refrac
tory, and at that time the modern
methods of handling such ore was
not known, in fact free gold was all
they could save, and silver they were
not looking for. Consequently the
mill ceased to pay, and about this
time the mill was burned. and the
owners becoming discouraged did
not rebuild it. The company then
rented the mines for a per cent. Of
the ore taken out. After the mines
had been worked for a year in this
manner, the operators turned over
to the company about $12C0, as their
pay. 1t has since been discovered
that the men working the
mines, tunneled into the hill
a long distance and then filled up
the mouth of the mines. 1t is also
reported they took out about SOC
while they operated the mines.
From that time little was done until
1889 when company in this city
and one in Albany were organized
to make a new investigation of that
district. Since that time number
of companies have been organized,
and a part of them propose to put in
machinery early this spring. Pre-
parations to that end are now being
made by the following companies:
The Red Bull, of Salem. Oregon;
the Bonanza of Albany, Oregon; the
Golden City company, of Albany,
Oregon, the Galena company, of
Portland, Oregon; the White Bull
company, of Salem, Oregon; and
Gold Mountain and Dry Gulch
of Salem, Oregon, (placer);
and number of other organized
companies have signified their in
tention to commence active work in
the near future. The properties of
the above companies all assay well.
The district is large, being not less
than thirty miles long, fifteen wide
with plenty of timber and water near
at hand. In many of the claims
silver s, ems to predominant, and In
going down as many have, so or 10
feet, their lodges seem to be well de-
fined and wide, getting richer in sill
yer every foot, plentifully intermix-
ed with galena. All it requires is
capital to develope these mines, and
it is destined to become one of the
best fields for the investment OF
money that has ever been discover
ed on the coast.
Salem will necessarily be the cen
ter for supplies for that region. The
of the companies are loca-
ted in this city, the money is here
and the foundry and factories are
here, and from that reason alone
Salem will be the principal seat OF
business for that entire district. The
East side railroad which runs in IA
few miles of the city will make
terminus here, and run a branch
line t. the mines, and also make
here with Southern Pa
cific. A road from Salem to the
mines would pass through some OF
the finest timber on the coast. This
could be run down to the mills in
the CITY and be manufactured into
lumber. The center of this rich dis
trict is only about so miles from
Salem and 20 miles of that through |
an eden offir timber.