The San Francisco call., 1896-11-07
THEY ALL WANT
{ GOLD PROPERTIES
British Mining Men Believe
We Will Soon Have
a Boom.
All the Properties on the Mother
Lode Are Now
Bonded.
LOOKING FOR HAMILTON SMITH
j. B. Irving of England on the Mining
Situation-California Develop.
ment Company.

). b. irving, mining engineer of Lon
oon, who for some months has been ex-
amlning into the gold mines in outlying
districts OF California with the view of
making investments, is at the Grand. Mr..
irving has spent great deal of time on
the mother lode, especially in Mariposa,
Calaveras and Tuolumne counties.
He says that British mining men are
looking with interest to the gold mines of
California. They believe we are on the
edge OF great mining boom, and if there
Nwas at the present time one or two great
strikes, the interest would become extra
ordinary.
The settlement OF the financial question
IN the United States, he recounts also. will
greatly help this country, especially as to
the price of railway stocks and other se-
curities. In mining, too, il will be rather
an aid than otherwise.
have been over the mother lode a
good deal since my arrival" said Mr..
irving, land have pretty generally in-
formed myself as, 10 the properties there.
There has been a good deal of interest in
mining claims for some time there, and it
has taken practical form in that nearly
everything ON the lode has been bonded
Those who got the bonds anticipated
that there would be lively times and got
in ahead and secured the property. You
can hardly drive along anywhere now on
the lode that you won't find the property
taken in this way.
You won't find much of it sold There
is little of that, but there has been an en-
ormous amount of bonding. / should say
things were in good shape for boom in
California gold mining
"If the London Exploration Comnanv
closes IN full the contract for the great
Mar1posa grant, as is expected when
Hamilton Smith arrives here, it will do
more than any other one thing think.
to enlist the interest of British mining
mep in California. On the Mariposs
grant there are probably a dozen mines
and each one of these will be capitalized
separately and the stock sold in London.
These mines will all be worked. and one
= way anu another great good ought to re-
suit to California from them.
"It is the policy of the Exploration
Company to organize smaller companies
in this way. The California DEVELOPMENT
Company, which was lately organized and
which is understood TO belong to the Ex-
ploratjon Company, has a great deal of
property in Tuolumne County. Driving
along. there you see their white stakes in
many places.
al am of the impression that gold
mining here will during the next year or
two be quite active. By the end of that
time there may be such discoveries as Will
cause rush to the gold regions here
VIII ch will be something like the rush to
South Africa and Australia. 1t is certain
that great deal of bonding has been
done on the strength of belief in boom
in mining"
Mr. Irving is somewhat reticent as to
just what he is doing in mining. He has
. lately been in the vicinity of San Andreas.
1t is expected that when Hamilton
Smith gets here, as he will do now in a
few days, all the mines on the whole As. .OOO
acres of the Mariposa grant Will be started
up. This will give employment to hun
dreds OF men.