The herald., 1894-02-14
THR MINERAL EXHIBIT AT THE FAIR
A RETROSPECTION.

There is a superb exhibit of minerals
at the midwinter fair which will excite
the admiration of all visitors from
abroad and from the east, and yet the
superintendent of this department told
the writer that he had not pound of
rock from Los Angeles county. This is
8 great oversight. In the Southern Cali
iornia building the Banning brothers
will have fine exhibit of marbles from
Santa Catalina island. Nothing could
be more attractive than the mineral dis.
plays from the northern and central
counties. Nevada county's space will
be graced by an immense globe, which
will be covered with gold tissue paper,
and on it will appear the legend
1925, 600, 900, Nevada county's gold
product" Sierra county follows with
$3.50, 100000. Another globe of NAM
moth proportions will represent Califor-
Mas total contribution of gold to the
United States and to the world. These
several globes will be exactly the size
which the amounts OF gold that figure
on them would make in spherical
form. The idea is very realistic one,
and was borrowed from the New Or
leans exposition, where this novel
method Of illustrating this states unex-
ampled production of gold WAS first
worked out.
There is something very instructive in
a retrospect of the gold yield in this
state. There is now 80 much believing
about the superiority Of the yellow metal
to every other form of money that
brief analysis of the claims OF the Golden
state on the people of the United States
would probably not be amiss. 1t will
always be impossible to give accurate
returns of the auriferous yield OF Califor-
mia. Much of the precious metal was
carried east in belts and in the trunks OF
the early argonauts. When the yield OF
the placers was at its greatest height
this personal deportation Of coin was
greatest. The hardy miner was unwill-
ing to trust his hard earned slugs and
dust to any carrier but himself. Not
withdrawing the inability to get at the
correct figures, however, there is official
record of billion and quarter dollars
in gold having been sent east by express
companies and other conveyances since
1S49.
These figures are most impressive.
The amount of gold in the United States
at the present time scarcely reaches five
hundred millions of dollars. By very
simple arithmeticsl rule we thus reach
the conclusion that, if it had not been
for this state, there not only would have
been no gold in the United States but
we should have been seven hundred and
fifty millions OF dollars in the vocative.
In other words, we should have been
that amount worse off than nothing.
When to this enormous total are added
the gold contributions of Nevada, Colo
rgdo and other western states and terri
tories, il is seen how enormous is the
obligation of the people of the United
States to the Pacific slope and to the
Rocky mountain states. And yet the
people of the east are unreserved in
their supercilious ignoring OF the section
which really made our national growth
and wealth possible. If demand is
made to improve harbor. or to create
one, on coast where it is five hundred
miles between natural harbors, our APP
plication is treated with Indifference if
not derision.
But to return to our muttons Los
Angeles county should take immediate
steps to be represented in the mineral
exhibits at the midwinter fair. There
are many valuable mineral deposits
nereabouts which ought to be repre-
rented there. and for which space will
be gladly made. 1t is not generally
known, but it is fact that the first dis
,overy OF gold in the United States was
really made in Los Angeles county.
Some OF our enterprising citizens should
see to it that the superintendent of the
mineral exhibit shall no longer have oc-
casion to complain that he has not a
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