The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-29
Locating Prospective Gold
Mines Along Mountain
High-Roads.
IMPRESSIONS OF A PROFESSOR.
comparisons Are All in Favor o+
the Region of the Mother
Lode.
Special Correspondence of THE CALL.

TO San Andreas this morning was S. f.
Godbe, scientist and mining engineer,
whose favorable reports were the basis for
the purchase. of six important mines at
Angels by Eastern capitalists during the
past sixty days. Like most learned men, Mr..
Godbe is modest and unassuming in APP
pearance and manner, and it is only when
matters pertaining to his special fields of
study and work are in discussion that one
discovers the extent of his practical knowl-
edge gained from wide experience and the
comprehensivenes and force of his gener-
aHzations.
Speaking Of the mother lode region as a
whole and comparing it with other gold
fields, Mr. Godbe was enthusiastic as to
the many advantages it possesses over
those of Africa and Australia and also over
those in nearly every other part of this
continent. Mr.. Goddess operations have
been largely in Utah, Nevada and Arizona,
with headquarters at Salt Lake, and the
difficulties he has had to contend with in
matters of transportation, lack of water,
wood and timber and the excessive cost of
supplies of all kinds makes California seem
to him veritable miners paradise.
Andreas is along the course of the mother
lode all the way, and in the entire dis
lance Of twelve miles active development
work. is being done but upon one mine. This
simple fact afforded a subject for much
speculation and comment, taken in con-
nection with the circumstance that at in
tervals along the route would be gulches,
sidehills and fats bearing the plain evil
DANCES of ytl nd rah
ing in early days. In several instances
locations could actually be made from the
stage while riding by that might turn out
as favorably as those recorded at the end
OF an expensive prospecting expedition,
possibly involving journey of hundreds
of miles and an expenditure of thousands
OF dollars. In some cases the existence of
q body of paying ore seemed almost capa-
bic of demonstration that there had
been such body was certainty. Along
the brow of the hill would be an occa-
siOnal outcropping of quartz, defining
clearly the course of the vein.
Beginning at the saddle of two hills,
along the side of one, under the quartz
vein, the ground would show clearly that
it had all been worked over for placer
gold or powders. The other hill would
be intact, except that a narrow strip might
have been worked along the bottom of the
gulch. Practically the preliminary pros
pect work had been done and the extent
of the pay chute of ore determined. The
gold did not fall on that particular side
hill like mama from the sky, neither did
it climb over that quartz vein from the
other side.
Possibly the pay chute had all been worn
of the vein by erosion and left barren
zone beneath. Possibly it had not. The
chances are at least even. There are lots
of possibilities in gold mining. AT any
rate the fact remains that if professional
prosDector had crossed hundreds of miles
of desert or climbed thousands of feet of
mountain and had struck the color in
gulch and laboriously traced it to its
source in a blind vein, he would have ar
rived Just where we did bowling along in a
six-horse stagecoach-at the proper place
to sink a shaft.
But from this point on the enterprising
prospector would have the worst of it.
While scanning the desert horizon for
some lone mesquite, whose gnarled trunk
might serve for makeshift windlass, or
perchance gazing, with parched lips and
longing eyes, at the silver thread waving
along the fathomless gorge below, or con-
templating with despair the emaciated
saddle-bags rafting On the bones of his
starved burro and defining but too clearly
the limit of his time for action; while in
this interpretive mood would not a
thought of the big cropping alongside the
high-road in genial Calayeras intrude upon
his inner consciousness and the visions of
vine and fig tree, milk and honey complete
the comparison he had been unconsciously
instituting between himself and the mel
ancholy ass?
The innocuous prospector, as he is some
times termed, has hitherto not held avery
high place in public esteem whether he
was of the shotgun, the shade tree or the
h~aT-u Foon ICtVy ffDo
of day sometimes upset the i'm pressions
of a lifetime. so my mornings ride with a
mining philosopher has mellowed the
prejudices entertained against the harm
less gold-hunter, and surrounded even the
stage-coach prospector with halo of re-
spect.
Professor Godbe makes a generalization
regarding the mother lode region at Angels
with which district he has partly familiar
lied himself) which is directly contrary to
the generally accepted theory, and which
may have an important bearing in de-
termining the probability of the perma-
nence of the veins in depth. 1t is generally
supposed that the "dip" of the country
rock is to the east and south, in conformity
with that of the mineral veins. Professor
Godbe contends that directly the contrary
is the case, so far as his observation ex-
tends; that the dip of the country rock is
to the west, and that the vein creyices have
been broken through at an acute angie,
showing the exertion of tremendous force
below and indicating the continuation of
the veins to great depths.
Another conclusion arrived at by the
professor and one favorable to the disposi-
fion of gold, is that the degree of heat in
the igneous rocks was not excessive, and
that in cooling the conditions were favor
able to the concentration of the metals.
The mineralized. states have afforded a
peculiarly interesting study, being new in
his experience. In one of the mines he
has examined and approved the slate
sometimes constitutes the entire vein mat
ter, with only occasional stringers OF
quartz, and Is rich in high-grade sulphurets
and free gold.
Professor Godbe says frankly that he be-
Iieyes the mother lode region is the great
est gold field in the world; that 1t is an
inscrutable mystery why it has lain so
long undeveloped; that in few years the
production of gold in California will ex-
coed that of Argonaut days; that he IS
tempted to dispose of his interests every
where and 'grow up with the lode" This
conviction has borne fruit already in bring
ing millions from the East to be invested
in California. and it will certainly bring
millions more. A. J. BROOKS.
~ rzTnm mr1 ~ an