The San Francisco call., 1897-08-22
SUBSTANTIAL MINING.
Good Fields for Capital and Legiti-
mate Enterprise In Shasta
and Trinity

mate Enterprise In Shasta
and Trinity.
.REDDING, CAL, Aug. 21.-There was a
percsptible decrease in the mum Der of ar
rivals bound for the Coffee Greek gold dis
trict to-day. The overland train brought
only about fifteen prospectors, but great
many have passed through in prairie
schooners and on horseback and some
comical outfits have been seen.
One old-time prospector, E. J. Enright,
who in early days prospected along Coffee
Creek, came from Ell Dorado County on
foot, with pack mule loaded with about
300 pounds of provisions, prospectors'
tools, etc. He knows the Coffee Greek
country thoroughly, and earnestly be-
lieves that some extensive discoveries will
yet be made.
Two old time prairie schooners, drawn
by iour mules each, arrived here this
afternoon from Butte County. Both were
loaded with prospectors from in and
around Gridley. One of these parties had
intended going to the Klondike country,
but now believe they can do better in
Trinity's goldfelds.
Letters are being received here every
day from many points in the far East in
quiring about the new goldfeIds, the cost,
the nearest routes, etc. One of these let
ters, dated Carterville, Mo-, states among
other things that the excitement there
over the news of the rich discoveries in
Trinity is nearly as intense as it was
over the early discoveries of gold in Cali
fornia. The letter also states that various
parties are starting out for this city, bound
for Trinity's Klondike.
Another letter received from Ohio
brings news of large parties of Ohioans
leaving that State for Northern Cali
fornia.
Reports of new strikes are being sent in
almost hourly, but so many exceedingly
wild rumors have been hoated that little
credence is placed on any of them until
they are fully verified.
A teamster just arrived from the neigh
borhood of the Murphy and Burgess
strike on Hickory Creek states that con-
siderable excite ment was created in a
camp of greenhorns, situated on Hickory
Creek, about two miles from its conhu-
ence with Coffee Creek. The party con-
sists of four men and two women, the
wives of two of the prospectors. Two of
the gentlemen were down on the creek
panning out dirt and had met with con-
siderable success, one of them finding
about S. in one pan and both finding col
ors in every pan washed. The eldest of
the two, named Johnson, hailing from San
Francisco, left his companion and went a
short distance away from the banks of the
creek. With pole pick he began digging
around among the loose surface dirt, when
his pick encountered a soft, clay-like SUBJ
stance, gray of color. Johnson picked up
quite a chunk of the "clay," and on
breaking il open found i'm bedded in it
nugget or mass of pure gold said to be
valued at $65. He called to his companion,
and in short while something like $500
was taken out of this clay substance. The
gold has the appearance of being melted
and looks like the molten metal inside an
assayer's cupel. The ladies OF the party
donned the proverbial '49 overalls and
eagerly searched for more clay, and were
rewarded with several small finds.
Up on Buckeye Greek a grizzly bear
came near causing one party to retrace
their steps homeward. A quiet, peaceful
community of eleven persons was located
on Buckeye. They sat night before last
enjoying the cool atmosphere of that
locality and talking over their experiences
and prospects, when. with a grunt and
growl, an immense grizzly poked his head
in from around the corner of the tent.
There. was general scattering of the oc-
cupants of that tent, and gold, provisions
and the entire outfit were left in bruins
possession for several moments, when one
of the prospectors scraped up sufficient
courage to procure rife and take shot
at his bearship. The animal departed
and the sociability OF the campers was re-
sumed.
The extra stagecoaches running out of
this city are filled every trip, and more
will be put on Monday. Pack horses and
NJ ules for sale are springing up from every
point OF the com pass and quite comical
scene was witnessed here to-day. A
farmer from Eastern Shasta brought in a
band of about twenty head OF mules, and,
lining them up and down a block on up
per California street, labeled each with a
huge sign as follows: "Kafey Kirk muls
fur sail"
The spelling added to the comicaI ap-
pearance of the animals themselves, and
was the cause of considerable atten ton.
and crowds gathered around the band to