Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-07
AN OPENING FOR CAPITALISTS.

AN OPENING FOR CAPITALISTS.
With the extension OF the Carson and
Colorado railroad from Keeler to Mo-
jave, the people of Southern California
will have opened to them a cutoff
northern overland route which will be
more attractive and interesting one than
the circuitous route now available by
way of Lathrop and Sacramento. The
overland passenger will cross the desert
from Mojave to Inyo county, and then
proceed for three hundred miles through
very picturesque country to Reno,
where the Central Pacific railroad will
carry him to Ogden, and thence the
Union Pacific will take him across the
rest of continent. This route will avoid
the heavy grades of the Tehachapi
and will reach the eastern side OF the
Sierra Nevada without crossing any per.
ceptible elevations. The route from
Ovens lake to Bishops creek, and
thence through the Walker River reser-
walton and the Carson, valley is one that
has many scenic attractions. The
heaviest grades are in the Candelaria
country; but these are comparatively
easy; whilst along the whole route the
range of the Sierra Nevada to the left
presents constant change of majestic
Alpine scenery. We have no doubt that
the natural attractions of the route will
induce many tourists to take it, either
coming to or going from Southern Cali
fornia.
The undeveloped mining interests in
the country that will be opened to
tidewater at the nearest point by this
route are very extensive. In Inyo
county there are number OF known
districts rich in ores that can only be
made to pay by being reduced in smelt-
ing and separating works. We all know
that the Cerro Gordo mines, even by the
slow and expensive methods of trans
portation by teams, were sufficiently
rich to enable several people to amass
immense fortunes from them. The
Kearsarge mines we're at one time be-
lieved to be the richest ever opened on
but it was found that their ores were re-
bellious and could not be made to pay
without cheap railroad transportation
to the separating works at tidewater.
There are thousands of mines in the
range that will be developed when the
Carson and Colorado road is extended
30 as to place them in traffic connection
with Los Angeles.
This brings US to consideration of
the fact that if we expect to profit as we
ought to by the rich mineral country
through which the Carson and Colorado
road passes, it will be absolutely neces-
sary that we should have here, or near
here, extensive reduction and separat
ing works. The miners will send their
ores to Los Angeles for treatment if we
are prepared to treat them. 1t is their
nearest point, and the economy OF trans
portation in sending their ores here
would enable them to take in a much
wider range of low-grade ores to ship
than would be possible if they had to
send them to San Francisco.
There is no point in Cali
fornia more eligibly situated to do an
immense business in the treatment of
ores than Los Angeles, and why capital
lists are so backward about establishing
metallurgical works of all kinds here
is incomprehensible. Whilst Arizona
ores are sent as for east for treatment
as New Jersey, involving a very large
percentage of the profits for the expense
of transportation, Los Angeles is, as it
were, at the very door of that territory
and its ores could be sent here at the
minimum of expense for carriage.
If there were reduction works in ope-
ration here now, they would be patron
lied by Arizona and Southeastern Cali
fornia, the mines OF which are capable
of furnishing ores enough to give en-
ployment to very extensive works.
Train loads of ores are passing our city
every day on their way to San Francisco
for treatment that ought to be treated
here. Calico and the whole line of dis
tricts that have been opened in that
region send their ores to San Francisco
and Kansas City for reduction. These
mines are, 30 to speak, Immediately
tributary to our city, and yet capitalists
have never made a move to invite the
miners of those districts to send their
ores here for treatment. There is a
want of energy or defect of intelligence
somewhere that is responsible for per-
mitting the great industry that would