The record-union., 1897-07-02
THE PLACER COUNTY MINES.
SOME OF THE GRAVEL DEPOS-
ITS ABOUT IOWA HILL.
Old River Channels That Are Be-
ing Worked for Their De-
posits of Gold.

| Especial Correspondence of Record-Union)
One-half mile from Iowa Hill is sit
uated the Morning Star Mine. 1t IS a
drift gravel mine, the company owning
mile on the channel 1t is opened
by a tunnel which is 400 feet III
| length. The tunnel is riven in solid
bed rock and is about forty feet under
the channel. A series of upraises have
been made to the gravel above, which
is breasted out and dumped down
through chutes to cars in the tunnel,
which are run out to the mill by Srav-
| ity. The gravel is worked from seven
to fourteen feet in hight, the chan
mel averaging about $50 feet in width.
The gravel is slightly cemented, which
necessitates cru@hing. TIE mill has
ten stamps, which crush about 1oo
tons per twenty-four hours. The de-
velopment or dead work done in the
mine is unusally large. Tunnels and
drifts have been advanced ahead OF
the regular work, so that there is two
or three years steady work opened up
without doing any more dead work.
The mine has paid IeSulaC monthly
dividends for the past seven years, and
they have been big ones, some going as
high as 81 per share per ton month.
This information was not impaired TO
me by the owners or the Superintend-
ent, but it lis quite generally known.
John c. and Edward Coleman and J..
H Neff are the principal owners, Mr.
Neff being General Manager ard Su-
perintendent, with H. Sfmonds as
acting foreman. The mine employs
from sixty to sixty-five men.
Three miles southeast of iowa Hill,
is the
BIG DIPPER MINE.
It is also a drift mine anu employs
between thirty and forty men. 1t is
worked through a tunnel which is in
over 1900 feet. 1t has a l0-starflp
mill and the workings are similar to
the Morning Star. The pay channel
varies in width from fifty to 20 feet.
The gravel breasted out is never less
than six feet, and sometimes as high
as twenty feet The work OF develop
ment was commenced IL 1890.
As before stated, the mill has ten
stamps each of 1000 pounds weight
a rock breaker-a double cylinder air
compressor-all run by water power
when there is plenty, and a steam plant
for use when water is low. The COM
pany own a ditch ten miles long. The
usual shops, a clearinghouse, Office,
ETC., complete the top plant.
Columbus Waterhouse is the Presi-
dent of the company; E. W. A. Water
house, Vice-President; Seymour Water
house, Secretary and General Man
ager, and George D. Blood, Superin
tendent. The company own one mile
in the channel.
A San Jose company owns a drift
claim a short distance above the Big
Dipper called the
OCCIDENTAL.
1t is being opened by perpendicular
feet before it struck bed rock, when
it was sunk ten feet below the gravel
and a drift started south of east, which
has penetrated gravel that will pay for
working, though it is not down to bed
rock. Quite fair specimens are en-
countered, and the owners feel conti-
dent of opening up a profitable mine.
There is an extensive range of gravel
on the Iowa Hill divide, and there are
opportunities for opening a half dozen
or more paying properties Every
thing is claimed, but owners are dis
posed to make liberal terms with oper-
ators who may seek investments.
w.
TOvvo IJf1l J,1no 2nth