The record-union., 1896-08-20
THE MINERS FEEL BETTER.
One Of the Costumes InjunctionS Has
Been Raised.
A Committee Will Examine the
Forest Home Mine Next
Monday.

The anxious hydraulic miners from
the Costumes River who have been in
the city for the last few days, were
yesterday given a hearing by the Ex-
ecutive Committee of the Anti-Debris
Association.
1t will be remembered that injunc-
tons were served during the early part
of the month on the Ellen Taylor hy-
draulic mine, located at Indian Dig
Elngs, Ell Dorado County, and the For
est Home mine in Amador County. The
mining men made strong protest to
the association and to the Board of
Supervisors of Sacramento County,
claiming that they We're complying with
the law, both mines being operated un-
der permit from the Debris Commits
sion. They urged, too, that great in
justice was being done them, they hav-
Ing in both instances equipped their
mines at great expense, the major por-
tion of which was expended in Sacra-
Inento Particularly was this the case
with the Forest Home mine, John Ora
nam showing by bank checks that in
four or five months he had paid $4,000
to business men here.
The time set for the hearing of the
IL,
their earnest appeals induced Chairman
Morrison Of the Board of Supervisors,
under the advice of the associations
attorney, r. T. Devlin, to appoint a
committee to visit the mines and make
an immediate report. Supervisors
Curtis and Dreman were appointed,
and left the city last Saturday morn
Ing for the foothills, where they spent
6aU in lai,
AT yesterdays meeting of the Anti
Debris Committee Chairman j. NJ Nor
rison presided and Robert Cosner of
Colusa acted as Secretary.
Attorney Devlin announced that the
miners. He wanted it distinctly un-
derstood that there was no desire on
the part of the association to prevent
them from operating their mines pro-
vided they were being carried on le-
gally. The people of the valleys, he
said, would naturally guard their prop
erty, and when they found the rivers
carrying debris from the mines they
would promptly act. 1t was the desire
of the association to deal justly and
impartially. If the miners failed to
otey the law requiring the keeping of
their dams in good condition then it
was duty to close them down
The Ellen Taylor mine was taken up
first Mr.. Jones of Marysville, who in
formed against the mines, furnished the
committee with samples of water he had
secured, showing a large percentage of
debris
Cy. Mull1ey, one of the proprietors and
manager of the mine, complained that
Jones had not thoroughly investigated,
but had acted rashly in condemning the
mine. He stated that there was another
dam six miles below the one at which
the sample was taken. In fact, three
dams constituted the restraining plant
The anti-debris detective admitted
that he did not know of the existence
OF the lower dam.
Mr.. Mulkey declared that 1t was there
at the time the sample was taken. He
complained that the association was not
treating them fairly. If their officer
had called upon him he would have
made no attempt to deceive him, but
on the contrary would have assisted him
in securing information. In such case a
suggestion could have been made as to
any matters not meeting with the ap-
proya1 of the association, and he would
have willingly made the desired i'm
provement.
Mining operations on a small scale
were commenced, he said, in May and
June, and a permit was granted by the
Debris Commission on July 9th. 1t
would take twenty-five or more years
to exhaust the mine.
The Supervisors who visited the mines
reported favorably on the Ellen Taylor
They thought that If Mr. Mulkey raised
his dam four feet, as contemplated, the
tailings would be mpounded and no
damage could result from hydraulick-
ing.
The Executive Committee, after hear
ing all that was to be said relative to
the Ellen Taylor mine, instructed Attor-
ney Devlin TO modify the injunction so
that the mine might run as long as it
kept up its impounding dams.
Supervisors Curtis and brennan made
no report on the Forest Home mine.
They had found the time insufficient to
look over the ground.
John Graham, one of the owners of
the mine. assured the Executive Com
mittee that he was fully complying with
the law and the instructions given him