The herald., 1894-01-01

out good pay Black & Sullivan, working
for themselves and doing we'll; then
one and one-half miles further up Hol-
man & Nugent are taking out some gold.
There are claims in this district
worthy OF note, and they differ in every
characteristic save one. They agree in
the fact that although called gravel
mines, all of the rock is angular, and
the sand, even to the finest, is none OF it
rounded ofswater-worn. Yet each claim
is paying, and paying handsomely.
The Black & Sullivan claim is located
upon the mountain side, which is every
where covered with reddish formation
which is called gravel. and all OF it. 80
far as prospected. carries gold. At pres
ent the two partners are working well
up the mountain side. where the wash
is rarely over feet thick, but where by
dry washing each shovelfuls of the dirt
averages about 8 cents in gold. These
two men, who are experienced miners,
believe they have a handsome compe-
tencs before them.
When the rainy season comes, these
side-hill deposits cannot, of course. be
worked by dry washing, and anticipat-
ing that time they have sunk a shaft
nearer the main gulch than their pres
ent surface workings. Three feet from
the surface they struck gravel" 8 feet
thick. Then came feet of Iron
slime" below which are 2 feet OF pay
dirt, which prospects much better than
the upper layer. II water could be used
upon the deposits covering these mount
ain sides an immense amount OF gold
could be extracted, but as it is, by the
naf nh nf WI m in nal lu
the bed and little way up the sides of
the gulches can be washed, and the
great mass of this gold-bearing sub
stance will have to be left untouched.
Black and Sullivan discovered fine
gold in this district in May last and
have traversed the mountains from
Maryland peak, near Tehachepi, to be-
yond Goler camp in general course OF
north Is degrees east, and have found
fine gold in many places along belt
which may, perhaps, average three
miles In width. Their theory of these
deposits is that they have been gath
cred by some sort OF water action like
the wearing of the waves of the sea upon
the auriferous mountain sides. They
do not accept the theory OF q stream of
gold bearing gravel having been brought
down from Inyo county before the erup-
ton OF the tertiary times.
In October Black and Sullivan p-os-
pected this region again and then dis
covered gold in quantities and coarse
enough to warrant NC rking their claims
by dry washing.
Shaw, Bell & Co.'s claim was located
on October 16, 1898, in what now is
called Bonanza gulch. a narrow and
irregular branch opening into the main
gulch something like mile below the
sidehill deposits just mentioned. Here
only the main bed of the gulch ia being
worked to an average width OF about
six feet. The deposit rarely exceeds Is
inches in depth, yet the output averages
an ounce Of gold to the man each day.
The best days recult was 1516 ounces,
while the largest nugget found weighed
314 ounces. This product is the result
from one dry washer.
The ground being so rich no attention
is paid to the sides of the gulch. Only
the cream from the center is taken, and
the results are indeed satisfactory to the
owners. The time will before long come
when part at least of this ground will
be gone over. At the foot of the Bonanza
gulch where its wash debouches into
the main channel, q shaft 81 feet deep
ferent LAYERS of gravel, and at the low
cat of all is said to prospect from 80 to
80 cents to the pan. There were no
powders to contend with, and no water
was encountered; but the owners are
waiting until the rainy season to con-
tinue sinking and prospecting in the psy
| channel.
Pretty much all OF the area where
prospecting has shown gold to exist, or
where it's presence ia even suspected
has been stsked off, and diligent search
failed to show us, even if we had desired
an opportunity for making location
with any reasonable prospect of success.
So, bidding farewell to Red Rock cafion,
after a couple of days inspection, we
struck out for Goler, some 18 or 20 miles
distant.
Goler is the general term for all the
new mining camps now springing up
like mushrooms on the Mojave desert
Goler takes the name because there the
| first discovery of gold was made. The
| personal G0ler was an old-time deBer,
prospector, with headquarters at San
Bernardino, who many years ago brought
into that town some quartz very rich il
| gold, which he found, as he said, near
| spring or water hole on the Mojave des-
ert. The specimens and his story caused
great excitement, and party soon ntart
ed out into the sandy wastes with Golel
as guide. They failed to rsfind springs
quartz or gold, but his name fingered
around the desert in such paterna
way that when, in 1873, quartz minet
were discovered some six mlles from the
present diggings the district was named
Goler in memory of the desert traile
who led those disheartened by q los
hope. These quartz mines were but lit
tie worked ana have long been idle.
The present discovery OF coarse golC
reads like regular mining romance
and outlines with bold strokes thos
peculiar vsgaries of chance whicl
so coquettishly attend upon the discov
cry OF the glittering gold. In December
1892, Ramsey Cox of San Bernardin
was on his way to Death valley with
dry washer. A stiff desert breeze cam
up, and, to escape It's penetrating chill
be turned out of the beaten way int
Goler gulch. Looking around with tn
natural instincts OF a proapector, he es
pied some gravel. To see it was to tr,
it, and from his first shovelful he panne,
out nuggets, of bright, coarse gold
Death valley lost all of its charms TO
him, and his dry washer still gather
gold in Goler.'
From the mouth of Red Rock caflon
drive of sixteen to eighteen miles
| continuing in tha aafna unrt l.