The San Francisco call., 1895-08-01
The Revival in Mariposa.

The Revival in Mariposa.
No county in the State is experiencing
more of a mining advance at present than
Mariposa. For long series of years it
has been practically abandoned to few
enthusiastic miners, and capitalists have
passed it by. In the early days of the
State it attracted marked attention, and
millions were invested in the mines. Then
came the litigation over the Mariposa
estate, which finally resulted in almost
putting Mariposa out of the list of mining
counties. For years it has langmshed,
though the mines were known to be ex
tensive and valuable. Other counties were
favored by capitalists, but this was not
until the company from Butte, Mont,
took hold of the claims at Coulterville.
This was the signal for others to follow,
and since then many investments have
been made, and the sleepy old pioneer
towns and camps have been awakened.
Now comes the news that Eastern people
and Los Angeles people have bought lot
of mines in Catheys Valley, and English
capitalists have bought others at Hornitos.
Both these companies have plenty of
money, and will follow the lead of the
Boston and Montana men in developing
and equipping the claims to make them
productive.
All these claims have been just as good
in the past dozen years as they are to-day,
but California mining men have neglected
their opportunity. Eastern and foreign
capital has recognized the advantages of
the sections from mining point of view
and bought the claims. The Sierra Buttes
people, an English company, owning pro-
ductive mines in Sierra, Plumas and Shasta
counties, have bought and equipped some
mines in the county, and finally some Cali
nrYlIa how tr, yncf
But we have been slow about it, and too
late for some of the big properties. There
are many other mining sections in this
State still languishing for want of the capt.
tai to develop them. and Californians
ought to profit by the example in Mari
posa County and not wait for others to
make the first investments.
Small Hydraulic Mines.
The California Debris Commission has
recently granted permission to several
mines in Sierra and Plumas counties to
resume mining by the hydraulic process.
The closing down of hydraulic mines some
years ago probably affected these two coun-
ties more seriously than even those of Ne
vada and Placer, where more extensive
operations were carried on by large compa-
MES. In Sierra and Plumas are hundreds
of small hydraulic mines, owned and oper-
ated by one, two or half a dozen men,
When they had to quit work these men
found their occupation gone. The two
counties in question are dependent essen
TALLY on the mining industry and have
languished to certain extent ever since.
When the Caminetti law went into force it
was mainly the larger companies in other
counties which petitioned for permission
to resume mining, since they could afford
to construct the dams and other impound-
ing works for the debris required by the
commission under the law. Few OF the
smaller mines on the upper mountains
have resumed operations.
The reason for this has been that the
few individuals owners could hardly afford
to construct the impounding works, not
withstanding the fact that the Govern
ment commission is disposed to be very
lenient with this class of claims and does
not compel them to do very expensive
work.
The fact that in both Sierra and Plumas
counties permits to mine are being asked
Tor augurs well for the future of the gravel
mining interests of those sections. 1t will
be good thing for the State when the
hundreds of small claims in the mountains
can again resume operations and become
productive without doing any injury to
other interests. Employment would be
furnished to great many men, ground
now useless could be made to yield and
hundreds of thousands of dollars could be
obtained and Gisbursed locally.
Finding "Fools'' Gold.
That ore from Alameda County which
was to pay from SIS to $50 per ton in gold
is found to be decomposed granite filed
mi rrIt{ ta,,,,