The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-10-04


Horseshoe Bena and e01tk-Ees aS 1z- -
rwo xel1--Eirsvat~1 ea--7s re o1- O. TIE
forest There = connects WIKI 2 trail
which wzn@z <sr znSz1er rlsle ever ne IA
watch sHsss 90 Ixangg valley from tsl=
Sultan river ard CONES within vieg % Ire
latter sErezze 81 the e9gA Of 3 htga hs-sea-
perfectly seses an1 With 3 fz1 soztlz sally
washing 50wn tzza the stream Following
the szge % fA.s beach, with ire w4.Er
shining sh-o1ga the trees al IS base 30
feet below. pas: the CAMPS u -@o carries
% saIng-e boil cutters. tne 1<aA 2sScsn3s
% 8 loser 5sz11 n ne center OF the
Horseshoe Bend. where sr2n3s the camp
% TIE Horseshoe Bend Mining COMPANY.
Placer Mines
Here Is the largest enterprise fer mining
placer gold 81 the Sultan river az indus
try which has been carried On for zA3sfE
tt.arty years IN desaItozy manner and .
TOW occupying about twenty men 81 vawI-
CHS poinfS as Ear SIS ter miles s-orz the
mouth. The geld all appears 10 have come
from high bars formed ~ the river whsn
II followed 81 older channel, much higher
than that a which IL now flows The most
marked evidence OF this change o. chan
rsl Is found a. the Horse Shoe bend. the
head OF which So SIX miles above the
mouth Here the bedrock lies exposed "a
the rfvsrhed. ard a short distance above
the bend, which Is roSr appropriately
named and IL about one and a half r.ies
long from point 70 point OF the horseshoe
has been split by Some natural coavuIsIon-
he assure has bear occupied BY the riv-
er, which al this point Is SO dsep that TIRE
water appears black and has scarcely
perceptitIs row Stu further down, on
entering the bend. the river flows In rapids
and small falls between high bluffs and
then leaves cliff OF hornblen1te quartz 10
the left and enters another fathornlesS is
sure in the bedrock, Of which the ragged
edges testify TO DEeakage by some great
natural force and show little or no wear
from the water From this hole the bed
slopes upwards until the boulders and
sand become visible and the water leaves
II II shallow rife The high bar al the
head OF the bend has been washed down
forty or fifty feet. for a crescent-shapesi
space CT about four acres blow It's general
level. These facts ali lead 10 the belief
that the river formerly flowed directly
across the present high bar. bat that some
CONFUSION burst open a assure in the
rocks and afforded Il a ne~ channel
which IL finally adopted after sdaying
around and washing dawn the crescent
shaped area described The hfEn bar in
the hollow Of the bend * from = 10 80 feet
nigh and Is composed Of cement gravel.
bocl4ers and sand. with streaks Of biGs
clay. All Characteristic Of river wash.
Similar bars are found higher up the river
on both sides. and the ueE channel is sup
posed 20 have been cat through them.
The pioneers in these placer workings
are Thomas Lockwood and James Harris.
who took out as much as SO a day in one
place about the year ISIS Later came
Cinnamon. whose fumes conducting iat-
eF4i streams 10 the river bank can st4ll be
seen Ia places. They gathered up from the
river banks the sand and gravel washed
down from the bars. using a shovel where
the quantity was sufficient. but in many
places picking IL out Of the creyices and
holes in the bedrock with a large iron
spoon. and washed out the gold with
rocker ana cradle. They were followed by
white men. and it is said that two sailors
took $3.50 In one season sixteen years ago
from bar above the deep hole in the can
yon. named after them the Sailors bar
Lawrence Hanson OF Everett. IS said TO
have taken out 100 in one season some
years ago. The bedrock close TO the water
level has been scrape1 clean for some dis
tance, and most OF the present miners
have taken 70 the higher bars. They lay
their sluice boxes by the river with era
die and rocker. ard carry the dirt down in
buckets 10 wash IL. In some OF the bars
they find coarse gold on bedrock and fine
gold near the surface. but In others II is
mixed with tolerable uniformity all
through the deposit. John kinfcel, Will
lam Scott and J. Rodgers are working on
bar about loo feet above the river. three
miles above the bend. and have made as
much as SIC in a day with a rocker. their
average being about $50 a day 70 the
man Their largest nugget was worth s.
the general run being = cents TO 81. and
the largest ever takeh from the river was
about go Most OF the gold is bought by
John F. Warner. Of Sultan. who secures
ABOUT 81 an ounce for Il az the san Fran
cisco mint. II contains very little silver.
mr. " in col "a
is usually in rough. fat pieces. very little
Hater-worn. In the last three years Mr.
Warner has bought from s. ~ TO s., 90
worth. and this year about $40 has been
taken out besides his purchases.
The Cid bars.
The first step 10 work the old bars on
large scale was taken about the year fssS
when a party OF Seattle men organized
the Sultan River Mining Company ard
patented ~ acres Of the high bars in the
hoiio~ OF the Horse Shoe herd Believing
that the best pay would be found in the
deep holes Of the box canyon through
which the river aows around the bend
they planned 20 turn the stream from that
course. and with that snd n view cut
tunnel seven feet wide through the bed
rock across the bend. a distance " 500 feet
While waiting FOR powder. this company
washed out some IL The bar above The tfIn-
ntl WlfG = hand nozzle sud jook our about
S.z@. thuS proSng the richness q the de-
post Ihe tunnel had been completed in
the Tall Of }sts ~ cost % Ss.0E and the
water hat been turned iEio it when q
great nQoG checked * with boaldsrs and
driftwooe. The company had reached the
end II Us resources and gave up work and
"a year later Sas sold out Eion. NJ <
George 81 Portland bought thss rroi>s~.y-
and on March J. Is.e. leased II 20 lha Horse
Shoe Hen6 N.alng Company. composed -
r TX Brown T. 81 fonu.v ard ryenrsA