The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-10-28
THE BLoss AND M'cLAEY MIKE.

years, md miners are there today who hnvo
been working away there for more than
decade, making good wages, hut little
more. AS long ago us 1870, $159, 420 in
gold was taken out of the placer bods
there during the yonr, and moro or less
has been taken out every year since.
The principal reason for tho present rush
Is the fnct that two men, the Graves broth
ors, while working II placer claim which
they had located, struck Il pocket which
yielded moro than $4,000 in one lump
and promises to be equally rich in other
places. a popularity of these placer beds
is that the gold deposits lie very deep, bed
rock being covered in many places TO n
depth Of from 80 to 90 feet deep. In previous
years prospcctors confined their attention
TO washing out the sand and gravel bars
along the edges of the creek not going far
below the surface. Tho Graves brothers
were doing this when, for some reason
which they themselves cannot explain,
they decided to run u shaft horizontally into
the gravel bed sloping back from the creek
Experienced miners would hnvo told
them that this was Il waste of time, but
they knew little about mining and went
ahend with their work. As result they
are rich men today, and in the light of
their discovery it Is now understood that
present bed Of the creek, but in the valley
lands around it, which were probably ut
ono time tho he'd of mighty mountain
river that rushed along through tho noun
tain passes and washed the gold out of tho
chinks and crannicS of the gaping quartz
How many more of these rich deposits
there are no ono can say. A E any rate it
Is spnrscly settled country. and there is
lots of room for prospoctors.
Every indication points to tho fact that
there is plenty of gold in this section of
California. The only reason that it has
not been found before and dug out in all
these years is that the dig2ings have never
been properly developed. A few companies
with capital have gone in there, and all of
them have plants which arc being opernt-
ed at big profit The most extensive is tho
Bloss and McClary mine, recently pur-
chased from tho original owners by j.
Elcry and l.. Reel. The property COM
priscs 600 acres around Trinity Center and
was bought for $50, 000 A recent clean
UP tho dirt which they arc washing yielded
81 900 per day The new owners are ex-
perionccd mining men and are rapidly fit
ting their plant with improved devices
and machinery.
ProspcctcTs have been swarminU into
Trinity county from San Francisco, Sacra-
mcnto and other California cities Ono of
the stories of good fortune which have
come from the diggings is that of two men
who struck it rich tho first dry. Ono was
william Truax, who came from Creedo tho
moment he heard Of the Graves brothers
find On his way In no met variety
actor named Dillon, who had determined
to abandon tho stage for the goldficlds.
Thoy became partners. Tho first day of
their arrival they found n rich ledge over
two foot wido which will doubtless mako
fortunes for them both. Stories arc also
told of other pruspcct0rs who have found
rich pockets in placer beds, and who are
preparing To develop their claims. In
doubtrtly there will be work for thou
sands Of ,,,'n ut good wages in Trinity
County a.. ,hi, winter ana perhaps for
many n.GthS ~ como
MARX NORRIS.