The record-union., 1897-05-02

powder set off periodically (the last
blast having cost, as L understand
about $1,000, involving the use of sew
eral tons of POWDER, then water, to the
amount of 1000 to 200 inches is
brought in from large bitches (being, l
think, the South Yuba Canal Compa-
nys ditches) and a part of the water
is run in a loose head over the bank on
to this Ioosened material, and the rest
of the water brought into the mine
close to the base of the bank through
large heavy iron pipe terminating near
the base of the bank in a 'reducer' or
| tapering joint, with a pressure of per-
| haps 800 feet.
| The work progresses, am told, night
and day, when they work without mo-
Hesitation: this bank is of very light ma
terial to its entire depth, there being no
powders or rocks, which require the
use of derricks, everything passing
right out through the sluices. After this
state Of facts had been considered by
the State Anti-DebriS Association, ana
the bad condition of Bear River as 1t
passes through the valley, being trace
able to no other cause than the work at
this point and Red Dog (Which latter
place is a similar mine, but of harder
materially the association felt justified
in enjOining the mine, and hence the
suit was commenced by Sacramento
County Complaints having reached the
citizens of Sacramento that this pro-
ceeding was unjust, 1 got Supervisor
Hoke of Suffer County to accompany
me on a visit to this mine with a view
to ascertaining whether or not the
watchmen had accurately reported on
these operations. We made our visit on
last Saturday, and we are fully con-
WINGED that the watchmen had not re-
ported the matter as bad as 1t really
is, even viewing it as simply working
by the ground sluice process, but in ad-
dition, we discovered by the watchmCn,
viz: That on the side of this bank and
near the top was set regular hy-
draulic monitor with a nozzle perhaps
four inches in diameter, supplied by
water through a pipe coming from the
top of the bank. The fact is this mine
is no more and no less in any sense of
the word than a very damaging hy-
draulic mine, under its present system
of working, and those parties are clear
y violating the provisions of the Can't
netti law, as we'll as doing vast
amount of injury to Bear River. There
is no attempt whatever to restrain their
material in any way. Yours very
truly, w. L. Philips,
Manager State Anti-Debris Association.
From this letter it will be observed
that this mine was farmerly a hydraulic
mine; that its operations were so inju-
rous that many years ago the court
enioined it's operations. You will OBJ
serve also that the banks of this mine
range from rs to 200 feet in hight, and
these banks are disintegrated by blasts
of powder, and the whole mass dumped
into the rivers of the State The injury
is so vast that we would be derelict in
our duty if we did not prevent it.
1t is but natural that persons who are
enjoying a profit from injuring their
neighbors and destroying the naviga-
bility of the streams of the Nation
should feel aggrieved when they are
stopped The Anti-Debris Association,
as you probably are aware, is composed
of members of the Boards of Supervis-
ors of the various counties, each of
which contributes to the expense of
prosecuting suits, assisted by several of
the most prominent citizens Of the vail
ley. Any person is allowed to go be-
fore the association to make complaint
of any action it may take, and if it has
innocently committed an error it al
ways stands ready to correct it. In this
particular case some of the merchants
of Sacramento, who had been written
to, made statements to the association,