The record-union., 1896-02-06
STREVN WITH GOLD.
Rich Pocket Vein Discovered In SaCra-
mGntO County.
Prospects of a Long Legal Battle
Over the Title to Min
ing Claim.
Especial Correspondence of Record-union.,

4 Especial Correspondence of Record -Union.)
MICHIGAN BAR, Feb 4.-To-day
was an eventful one in the history of
Slug Gulch. Several pages have recent
" been added to the history of that in
! teresting spot. For almost half a CEN
tury the mosseS and numerous trickIing
! rIyulets have We'd with each other in
| covering up the excavations from which
the miners of 40 secured small for
tunes. But nature did not successfully
hide her buried treasures left by these
miners. 1t was here that George Nor
gan fortnight ago unearthed one of
Sacramento's biggest nuggets and
nest of lesser ones, amounting in all to
$1,000.
Yesterday an observer looking over
| the high hills which surround the ra-
vine would have beheld a picturesque
and novel scene. At the bottom Of the
| long grassy slope strewn with glittering
fragments of quartz might have been
! discerned two black patches from
which shovel after shovel Of dirt and
stone shot up, impelled by brawny arms
/ OF miners, stimulated by big pros
poets. Now and then a head appeared,
q man came up a man went down, a
few buckets of water dashed into the
! air, then more earth and rocks. About
/ these animated pits a score of men loi-
| tered, vainly peering into the gloom Of
! the prospect holes" for a glimpse Of
what might be uncovered next. These
| oniookers were on the qui vive They
we're led there by curiosity born of the
report current that j. G.. Davis Mich
! iSan Bars Justice of the Peace, who
lately commenced prospecting in Slug
Gulch, had quietly drove home one day
last week with eight pounds of gold in
his cart.
! The digging continued through the
morning hours At II o'clock Walter
! Davis and James McGraff, who were
working in the Davis claim, announced
it was their purpose to fire two shots
of giant powder in the bottom of their
shaft. The men scattered Two dull,
| heavy reports followed and then the
crowd made a break for the hole. A
few moments sufficed to clear the smoke
away The pit was strewn with gold.
Did ever such an audience peer down
into prospect hole? One look to the
miners was sufficient, but their quick
| decision sent disappointment to the
spectators hearts. "Let her fill up with
water, boys, and we will go to dinner"
was the prompt command.
Then the interest centered in the
claim being worked by Hiram McCuIloh,
Oliver Ball and others, but this was
soon lost in the speculation as to the
value of the strike in the other claim
The curious visitors determined to
make day of it and miss their din
ners, with the chance of seeing Davis
and McGraff take out the pocket" but
they were again doomed to disappoint-
n1ent All afternoon the two men served
sentinel duty on the top of the hill some
500 yards away. Late this evening 1t
was reported that they had decided to
wait until nightfall, SO that they might
work and the extent of their find not
be made public. One possible reason
also for the secrecy desired, it is said,
is the prospect of a lawsuit over title to
the claim. This feature promises to be
one of the most interesting character,
owing to the fact that beyond question
true fissure vein of extreme richness
has been struck.
AS before reported in the Record
Union" a number of pockets" have
been discovered in this locality during
the past ten years. However the true
ago. This discovery is claimed by
Oliver Ball, an old and experienced
quartz and placer miner, who then
opened shaft on the lode, but was
prevented from prosecuting the work
further by a protest from the Nc
Laughlin estate, who holds patent for
the land. Other prospectors have
worked upon the ground, and among
them Hiram McCulloh has spent sew
eral winters there and has a comfort
able cabin on the claim.
After various small strikes by Nc !
Culloh, Morgan and others, Mr.. Ball
returned and took up the work where |
he had abandoned it. He advised Nor |
gan to sink on the same lead and he did |
so with the result reported two weeks |
ago.
A few weeks ago ]. G. Davis resigned |
his position as foreman of the Internal
Improvement Company's mine and |
with his son Walter commenced pros |
pecting on the lead or vein worked by |
Ball. After striking pocket he left |
the claim a few days in charge of his |
son and James McGraff. A report |
reached Ball. McCulloh, Chaty and |
others working on the ground, that Mr.. |
Davis, having interested d. r. Thomas, |
had purchased the Mclaughlin Com
pany's title and proposed to file a min
eral location on the ground. After Sc
curing legal advice Ball and his part
ners determined to intercept this
scheme, which they considered an i'm
position upon the men who have
worked for years on the ground unmo
Tested by the Mclaughlin Company,
except in one instance.
At.3 o'clock a. M, January 31st Mr..
Ball and his co-workers filed the Slug
Gulch Placer and Quartz Claim" cover
ing the mine. At o'clock on the same
morning Mr. Davis appeared on the
ground and for himself, his son, James
McGraff, D. r. Thomas, w B. Thomas
and DR.. Sweet, a son-in-law of d. r.
Thomas, located the "Trilby Claim"
over Mr.. Balls filing.
The fact that Mr. Thomas and his
family are non-residents of the county
and have no interests here has greatly
incensed the miners and the commun-
ity generally, it being looked upon as
an old-time case Of claimjumping.
Ball and his partners have the sym
pathy and moral support of the com
munity. Both claimants are determined
to hold what promises to be one Of the
richest pocket veins ever discovered
in California, and this will doubtless
result in a long lawsuit which will set
tie the title. It is claimed by the Ball
ties that prior to the time and during
the year the patent was granted to the
railroad company, the land now in dis
pute was worked for gold and was
r1otOriol1sly mineral land and comes