The herald., 1894-01-01

AZ per cent OF liked carbonlc aciQ gas
this of natures making contains 81 per
cent OF fixed gas. Each acre Of ground
surface produces 100 tons Of crude soda
for each year.
With rail from the lake to Los Angeles
the haul to tide water would be only
ne-third the distance to San Francisco,
and the difficulty of climbing two great
ranges OF mountains would be avoided.
A railroad, to Los Angeles in ths near
future Is certain. and then this soda
business will grow to great proportions.
The supply is mex hauetible and the de-
mand is steadily growing.
SUMMARY.
Ovens valley contains 900, 900 ac.es OF
tillable land. Nearly all the land now
under cultivation is irrigated by streams
from the Sierra Nevada mountains, and
with better management these streams
would supply double the area. Already
canals with q joint water capacity OF TO-
900 inches, are completed and The tens OF
thousands OF acres these canals will ir-
rigate await settlers to convert them
into as fertile fields and orchards as can
be found in California. Tho present
population OF the valley is not much
over 5000; it would easily support
population OF 800 900.
About five miles south from Owens
lake the mountains on the eaet approach
the Siarrs till only a caiion remains be-
tween them. In placss this canon is
not more than 200 or 800 yards wide; in
other places it expands and forms val
leys of different areas; the largest OF
these is Rose Spring valley--it contains
several Thousand acres. This traci is
about Id miles eouth from Ovens lake.
At the south end Of RoHs Spring val
ley is Little lake. Here is a stage sta
ton. The lake is q small body of fresh
water. About seven miles below the
lake the canon opens out'into
INDIAN WELLS VALLEY.
This 10 a grand body Of land, having
aarea Of about 400 900 acres. There is
not q single settler on the whole tract.
Great herds Of cattle pasture over it the
year round. The center of .this tract is
about 50 miles north from Mojave. The
new gold fields of Redrock and Golar
are Just south OF Indian Wells valley.
The first week in December just ended
work WAS begun upon a canal TO convey
water for irrigsting that great body of
land Owen's river is the aource of
supply, and the head OF the canal is at a
point few miles north from Independ-
,ence. Nearly Mi OF the land in that
vhiiey, anu in .tile snlaifier TRACTS nuItii-
ward to Ovens lake. is public domain
and open to settlement under the
United States land laws.
MINES AND MINERALS.
To the eastward of Ovens valley all
the rest Of Inyo county is a succession
OF mountains and valleys, the former
high and very rugged, the latter narrow
and in most part barren. All the e.moun-
tain ranges are rich in minerals. The
following metals are found: Gold, sill
yer, copper, iron, zinc, lead, tin and
biamuth. Sparse population and diff
/ Guilty of Transportation has prevented
miping ior any metals but gold, silver
and lead. the last two being always
| found together. The silver-lead ore ia
sent by rail to San Francisco for smelt-
ing; recently it has been carried by sea
from San Francisco TO Oregon, the
miners getting better returns there alter
paying the sea freight. No ore is
ship ped that carries less than 80 ounces
silver per ton, and the proportion of lead
is from 90 to 50 per cent. This makes it
valuable to snaelteFB for mixing with
other ores that do not contain lead
enough TO smelt easily. The ore pays
the miners from $50 to 5000 or $500 per
ton. MoBt OF the mines are in the
southern part Of the county, and Keeler
ia the principal hhipping point, ore being
hauled there from distances of "a to rs
milea. With such q distance to hapl,
only selected ore is cent from the mines.
A railroad from Mojaye to Owen's
1,.l1 L.. .skl.
easy reach OF the beet mining diEtricts,
and snort branches could easily be
run in to the mines, A smelling works
4 is nov being bnilt ,at Los Angeles, and
Will siav.t huui plud chess, 4ra is,ht nnrl oh
ore would 70 that way. Reports from
! various mine owners and managers put
tho aggregate quantity of ore now on
| the dumps OF the mines in this county
at 100 900 tons, waiting for cheap trans
portation to get it to market. From one
mine near Keeler silyer-lead ore to the
value OF $4,000 600 was taken out,
| This was before the Carson and Colo
rado railroad was extended to Keeler.
| The ore was smelted at the mine and
the bullion hauled by team to tidewater
near Los Angeles. The extension OF the
railroad diverted the ore traffic 10 San
Frapcisco, and the great numbers Of
people who rushed to Los Angeles dur
irgs the big boon" and since then,
have no knowledge how valuable
that trade was to the city. But
the Nadeau hotel and the building
belonging to the Beaudry estate were
built and paid for by money taken out
of the Gerro Gordo mine in Inyo county.
Five miles north from Keeler is a
mountain OF marble.
1t ia OF inexhaustible extent and every
known variety. Great masses are taken
out riyalipg in whiteness and tnensss
the best CarrarB marble, and, according
to the judgment OF experte, Offering the
best material for the use OF sculptors.
A few hundred yards distant jet black
marble Of equal fneness is found. At
another location blocks oi 30 or 80 tons
weight may be seen quarried out, every
block veined through its whole mass
with thu figures seen in moss agate.
Another variety is Of the color OF gold,
veined with lesf-like figures.
When this marble ia polished it ia
beautiful. In the line building on the
corner OF Bush and Montgomery streets,
| San Francisco, great deal of this mar
bic has been used Tor ornamental pur-
poses. The building belongs to d. o.
Mills, OF New York, and cost 80, SOC, 900.
Many costly buildings are being erected
at and near Los Angeles. With rail-
road offering easy transportation IL iH
certain that great deal OF the marble