The San Francisco call., 1896-01-03
Eastern Capitalists Planning to
Mine the Sacramento
River.
ASKING FOR BIG CONCESSIONS.
Slickens and Debris to Be Thrown
on the Levees and the Chan.
mel Deepened.

AS the result of the recent visit of ST.
Louis mining expert to this City move
ment is on foot to extract from the slickens
that has for years been clogging the
channel of the Sacramento River some of
the millions in gold that are believed to
have been deposited there during the past
forty years. a. Swartsweller spent some
time in Sacramento and at other points
along the river and made an examination
of the debris at the bottom OF tie stream
as well as into the feas ibiity of extracting
it in sufficient quantities to make the
proposition pay. On his return to st.
Louis the report he rendered to the capi-
talists there was of such nature they at
once decided that under certain conditions
the scheme would pay big dividends.
A number of letters to capitalists in this
City asking them to take hand in the
operations tell the nature of the plan. 1t
is proposed TO form a company with a
working capital of $4,000 and build GER
tain appliances, the plans and models for
hich have already proved satisfactory.
Then the Legislature at its next meet
ing is 10 De asked to grant the company
the right to mine the slickens in the bot
tom of all or a portion of the Sacramento
n consideration that while taking out the
debris the channel shall at the same time be
improved by being deepened and the lands
lying ad jacens to the banks be protected
by having the levees raised to height
much greater than they are at the present
time.
From the description of the machine to
be used IN extracting the debris and re-
claiming the gold it would appear that it
bles both in appearance and opera
ton the huge dredger which is now being
use 10 deepen Oakland Creek, and which
for months past has daily been dumping
hundreds of tons of earth and sand behind
the training wall that forms the south
bank OF the waterway.
The main difference will be that the
earth and sand brought up by the suction
pipes instead of beng pumped directly
| ashore will be dumped into huge hopper,
| where secret process Will remove the
gold. Then another hopper with the sue
ton arrangement will take the dross
wherever it is desired to fill depressions or
raise the levees. The letters express an
opinion that If the privileges are granted
practically all the gold concealed beneath
the waters can be recovered, and that the
river will be improved to the extent of
hundreds of thousands of dollars without
the slightest expense to the people of the
State
The time for beginning operations is set
! for the coming summer, and in the mean
time the local mining men, to whom the
Eastern men have applied, are asked to
ascertain what can oe done in the Legis-
lature, and how much, if anything, they
! will have to pay the State for the privilege
| of mining the entire river.
| AS the question ofimproving the channel
! for many miles above where the stream is
now navigable has been agitated OF late,
and has been the subject of special IN
vestigation by the Congressional COM
mittee which recently, in company with
| Governor Budd. made tour of the bay
! and of the streams flowing into it, it is not
anticipated that the company, if formed,
will have any difficulty III securing the
| desired concessions.