Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-04-15
Acres of Rich Placer Dirt--An Elk
pert's RepOrt-Views of
Recent Visitor.

Mr.. James 7. Newhall who has Just re-
turned from three weeks trip through
the Taos valley, says it is really true that
Colorado prospectors are focking into
that region. There are new arrivals daily,
and great things are expected in the way
of mineral development this spring and
summer. The new town site of Amizett,
in the mountains, some twenty miles east
of Taos, is yet under snow, but tho "beau-
tiful" is fast disappearing and prospect
ing is on with vim. The mineral leads
thus far opened justify, he thinks, the
present excitement, while the pla,er
fields along the Rio Colorado make q
| showing on the side that can not but be
most attractive to the man who compre-
| hends what is meant by "a hundred colors
to the pam" Despite the snow in tho
mountains feet high-about twen-
ty men have been at work all winter on
| the quartz leads, but until tho snow
| is gone the scene of the greatest activity
is along the valley streams, in the placer
fields. Four miles below Cuesta post
Office, on the Rio Colorado, some twenty
five mon are now washing gold. The day
| Mr.. Newhall left Taos seven men arrived
from Colorado and went to work in this
placer district. Ex-Postmaster Hamblin,
| of Cuesta, assures Mr.. Newhall that the
gold found in that locality is of the
''shot" variety, readily saved by the ordi-
nary process, and that it will run as high
as 100 colors to tho pan. A man named
Paine has prospeoted over an area Of
thirteen miles between the Rio Hon6o
and Rio Colorado and finds four to ave
feet of surface sand, resting on bed of
hard pan, that pays we'll. There is plenty
of water, and Colorado company has
commenced the construction of ten mile
ditch to operate these placers. ~
| In this connection the New MEXICAN
would say that prominent engineer has
| just made a report on the Rio Hondo
placers for Taos county claimants that
speaks particularly we'll of the 800 acres
covered by the Nebraska" "Iowa;"
"York State" and other adjacent claims,
He says: #i
II have made numerous tests by pan.
ming and the results have been highly
satisfactorily in showing pay gold to
avery pan of gravel or loan, an average
Of Is to 80 cents per cubic yard. The
gold found here is what call shot gold
and very heavy, and is therefore more
readily saved than light, scaly gold.".
Summing up the situation this engineer
writes: -'7%
1.-THE neceesaries of life can be had at
reasonable figures. Laborers can be had
at $3.50 per day, who board themselves,
and very small percentage of skilled
labor would be necessary to profitably
work these mines. Lumber is worth $25
per thousand. Timber is plentiful on
the mountains, and there ia good wagon
road to Tres Piedras, twenty-fouf miles,
the nearest station on the Denver Il Rio
Grande railroad. From my examination,
am satisfied: .p.,
"First, That the gravel deposit is prac-
tically inexhaustible, and could not be
worked out in fifty years with q dozen
hydraulic plants. -
Second, That the property must con-
tain many millions of dollars, of gold.
"Third, That all the tests show that the
gold can easily and cheaply be separated
from the gravel, there being no cement
or clay in the formation. s. ~"
Fourth, That the water supply in the
Rio Hondo is abundant to work the. en-
tire field, and the facilities for disposing
of the waste gravel or dump could not be
surpassed.
Fifth, That the cost of mining after