The record-union., 1897-05-08
MEETS BABCOCK'S CHARGES.
S. ]. HOlSinger'S Letter to the Board Of
Supervisors.
What He Says About His Mine
Just Over the Amador
Boundary.


planned to the Board of Supervisors
that water, trees, powders, etc, from
S. ]. Holsinger's mine in Amador Coun-
ty were injuring his potato ground
and the board referred the matter to
the Anti-Debris Association.
| Neither the mine nor Babcocks ranch
are in this county, and the wash from
| the former does not reach the
Cosumnes River However, Mr. Hol-
singer has sent to the board the fol-
lowing letter in reply to the statements
made by Babcock:
Michigan Bar, May ), 1897.
| To the Honorable Board of Super
visors Of Sacramento County, CAL
Gentlemen: In view of the statement
made before your honorable body by
one George Babcock concerning my hy-
draulic mine, / desire to submit the
| following facts:
| For some two years I have been min
| ing in a small way during the winter
season, using only water collected from
ravines and hill sides in old mining
bitches. Last fall l concluded to en-
large my little plant and apply for a
permit to the California State Debris
| Commission. / did so, and after an
! inspection Of the ground and dump in
! November by Captain Gillette 1 was
authorized to construct certain re-
straining dams, etc, and my formal
application for permit to mine by the
| hydraulic process was duly advertised
according to law in the San Francisco
papers, and later my dam was in
spected and approved and finally,
| March I'D, a permit or license (No.
23O was granted. My plant now con-
| sists of 1,0OO feet of pipe, small giant
and a fourteen-inch f1ume [ am using
a bout forty inches of water, which
| plays upon a bank of alluvial deposit
containing only about , per cent. of
| gravel, from one to three feet in depth.
| My working force consists of one able
bodied miner a boy and an invalid,
and we are able to move from five
! to fifteen cubic yards of material per
day. So much for the mine which is
deluging the Babcock ranch with
powders, slickens, roots and trees.
Who Mr.. BabcOck is and what are his
antecedents 1 am unable to state Suf-
fee it to say that he is an unfortunate
| tenderfoot from Oakland, who, l under
stand traded valuable Oakland prop
erty for apiece of worthless land ad-
joining me, consisting of unproductive
clay flats and barren sand hills.
| Replying to his statement that I rep
resented to him that 1 had secured
the privilege to operate my mine from
the former owner, Arson Rider, 1
have only to say that l never saw
Mr. Rider in my life, and never had
any conversation with the man Bah
0;,,cr s,,;,,
All I know of this man is that in
stead of coming to me and making
known his grievances he during my
absence from the mine, surreptitiously
appeared on the scene and by dire
threats Of imprisonment within twenty
four hours tried to intimidate my men.
They politely referred the man to me-
and nothing more was heard of him
until I received a clustering and bully
| ing letter demanding 5000 damages,
and that 1 at once cease mining opera
| tions. 1 Of course paid no attention
to this letter, hence Mr.. Babcock's ap-
| plication to the board.
l am full of regrets that / should
be accused Of spelling Mr.. Babcock's
potato crop. l am sure he will need
them, and doubtless he deserves a
bOuntiful crop of spuds. The facts are,
however, that Mr. Babcock has not a
corner on his land that would sprout
potato except where sediment from
my hydraulic mine has been restrained
in the hollows Of his clay flats.
| The good faith of this honest farmer
who would embark in producing tubers
| is shown by the fact that whatever his
intentions might have been he is now
using this same water, which 1 am
paying for and which is such a menace
to his valuable property, for mining
purposes.
Ever since Mr.. Babcock became the
unfortunate owner" using his own
! language, of this greasebrush farm
he has had two men busily engaged in
his potato field digging for gold and
sluicing with the water from my mine.
While this article is being written
two able-b bodied men are throwing Mr..
Babcocks potato patch into line of
sluices, and it is rapidly being carried
down to my impOunding dam below in
the deluge of free water now furnishing
transportation for the hills from
Holsinger's fnine.
In conclusion, I will add an apology
| for taking your valuable time in a mat
| ter which in reality needs no explana-
ton. l am running my mine strictly
| within the law. If / am doing any
damage to the premises of Mr.. Babcock
| he will find his remedy by bringing a
suit for damages, and on this ground
l am at all times ready to take issue
with him in the courts of Anador
County. If Mr.. Babcock will contain
himself a few weeks longer I will be
| through with my seasons work, and
will turn the water off and close the
| mine.
Then the broad strip of green kept
luxuriant by the water from Holsinger's
mine will soon disappear, and Mr.. Bah
cock will before the hot DAYS of Au-
gust have all been numbered be delv-
ing in the sand for water to quench his
thirst and cool his parching tongue.
! Respectfully submitted,
II. j. HOLSINGER.