The San Francisco call., 1897-04-01
MINERS .FLOCK|NG
TOWARD BALLARAT
Mushroom Growth of TIE
New Camp on the
Desert.
Busting Town Where There
Were but Two Buildings
Ten Days Ago.
Randsburg Rivaled by the Panamint
District as a Mecca for
ProSpectors.

RANDSBURG, CAL, March 3l.-During
the past two weeks many leading citizens,
prospectors and miners have caught the
Panamint fever. Two gentlemen, on their
return from Panamint yesterday, counted
forty teams and outfits on the road to the
new mines. Ten days ago there were only
two wooden buildings and two tents at
Ballarat, the new mining camp of the
desert. To-day there are seventeen, aud
a general store, feed yard and two saloons
are doing thriving business.
Eight miles east of Ballarat, in Pleas
ant Canyon, another camp has been
started, and it has its store, feed yard and
saloon. Town sites are already laid out at
both places and town lots are being sold
at from $40 to S75 each. An abundance of
water and mesquit timber is at hand. In
the mountains near by are great quanti-
ties of pinon pine. The climate is similar
to that at Randsburg, and tents answer
very well for the protection of the gold
seekers.
Montgomery Brothers and Langford
have group of nineteen mines, which are
bonded to San Francisco capitalists. Two
of the group-the World Beater and the
Elephant-are now being worked. Four
drifts or tunnels in the Wo-ld Beater
snow high-grade free milling ore. The
top level starts in on q four-foot vein that
increases to seventeen feet at a distance of
sixty feet. In a 120.foot drift in the Ele-
phant there is a well-defined ledge of high
grade free milling ore. The vein is six
feet wide on top and fourteen feet at
depth of forty feet. A clean up from six
days run with small Bryan mill of ten
tons day capacity netted $1,000. Forty
five men are employed at 50 day and
board each.
Many transfers are being made in the
new Panamint country. Two weeks ago
Span;ard named Valencia discovered a
ledge and Immediately sold his claim to
San Francisco capitalists for $4,000. The
purchasers have in turn sold it to a Chi
cago syndicate. Another prospector
(Charles White) sold his claim for $4,000.
II. S. Meyer, Tulare capitalist, has
bonded group of six claims adjoining the
Montgomery property, also two water
rights.
The principal camps are located in
Pleasant, TuDer, Jail and Happy cany ons
About eighty men are now employed in
the several mines. Owing to the great
distance from Mojaye Q2O miles) hay is
worth $45 tons. All other goods and
provisions are proportionately high. Pros
pectors must necessarily be well supplied
with money and provisions.
In the Rademacher district there is
much activity in mining. Forty-sev
camps have been esta blished. Consider
able work is being done on DR.. Schafers
mine, and also on the Rademacher, Louis
Riggs, Mckinney Brothers and the
O'Connor and Rutherford properties.
couple of arastas are being run in that
district. At present most Of the ore is
being shipped to KernviIle. Hunting
ton mill is now being erected at Higgens'
Wells, which will be of great benefit to the
mine and ciaim-owners of the Rademacher
district. This district is blessed with
plenty of water, it being found at dis
tance OF thirty feet beneath the surface
Heretofore the Argus district has al
ways been considered rs siIver-bearing
country, but late discoveries are showing
up well in gold. The output from this
district is shipped TO Pueblo and Kern
vile.
Slate Range Is forty-one miles north of
Randsburg, and IL IS coming to the front.
New and valuable discoveries are being
made there every DAY. A number of good
mines are in active operation. The Otto
is shipping very good ore and the Bennett
is showing up well. Several arastas, be,
sides two small mills, are in operation in
this district.