Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-05-19
MINING MATTERS.
COLORADO PLACER MINES.
Interesting List of Districts Where Gold
Has Been Washed Out.

| Interesting List of Districts Where Gold
Has been Washed Out.
Placer mining for the season In
| Colorado Is pretty well under way. In
some places water Is already turned
| on. and In others the work done con-
sists OF cleaning out bitches and re-
| pairing of fumes. which must be done
| each spring. Colorado has not been con-
sidercd Il placer mining state, but II
has far more wealth In placers than 1t
is given credit for, and the efforts to
obtain 1t will be greater and on n more
extensive scale this year than ut any
previous time.
Until within year or two there
We're only three placers worked where
giants We're In use for any consider
able time. Most Of the work has been
gulch mining. The three using giants
are the Twin Lakes Company. in Chat
fee county, the Alma. In Park county.
and the old Hinman placers. in Routt
county. Many other spnsmodic efforts
to install giant plants have been made,
but all, for some reason-generally
bad engineering-failcd. The three
mentioned are the only ones which can
be said to have been successful until
within couple of years.
The Twin Lakes placer has been
some years averaged from twenty-five
to forty-nine cents per cubic yard. Last
year was the poorest year 1t has had.
the gravel averaging only five and one
half cents per yard. No dividend was
earned last year. Most of the rich
gravel on Cash Creek. where the prin-
, cipal washings have been done. is eX-
hausted. but the company owning II
have several rich gulchcs adjoining.
which they have not been able to wash
with their present plant. \ larger wat
er supply will be obtained this year.
and the summer will he largely dcvot-
ed to putting in the needed improve
mcnts.
The Alma placer has been worked
| for years, yielding an average approx
imating 100000.
The old Hinman plnccrs last year
built new ditch. and will run three
! giants this year.
The Pactotus. on South Boulder
| Creek. which have been In operation
two years, will run two giants this
year.
The Mon,rosc placer. on the Dolores
river. below the mouth of the San Mi.
guel. after putting in n very costly
plant. failed to make n profit. and 1t Is
said will not run this season. Other
plants on the San Miguel. which have
been badly engineered. are In n mort.
bund condition, and with perhaps the
exception of the keystone. which is q
large and good deposit. are likely TO re-
/ main in that condition.
For II couple of years n strong COM
| pany has been putting in n costly plant
In Taylor Park. Gunnison county. and
will begin production on n large scale
this year.
Below Idaho Springs. In Clear Creek
county. what Is known rs Governor
Princes company. finished bitches last
year. and will operate with the Lud.
lum elevator this summer.
| Another plant. which was badly en-
| glnccrcd, below the Forks of the
| Creek. on Clear Creek. which ut.
tempted to use the LudluS elevators.
will probably do nothing this year.
Along the Animas river and In the
Montczuma valley new plants using
giants will be at work this season.
The most extensive work In the state.
however. will be in the valley of the
| Blue. in Summit county. There drcdgcs
and Ludlum elevators will be used on
n large scale. and the output should be
large this year.
The greatest deposit of gravel in the
| state Is in R0utt county. where. in a
country whose general feature IL that
of n rolling prairie. sparscly timbered
with Stuntcd trees. all the country for
many hundred square miles Is gold
bearing. A company in which Mcssrs.
! Byron Shear and ii. Il. Gillespie are
/ the moving spirits. have secured sew
cral thousand acres of this ground. and
have expended Il great deal of money
| in prospecting It, Shafts without num-
| bcr have been sunk. and the gravel cX-
! tractcd Systematically. measured and
washed. and found TO be OF pay grade
and free from clay and bouldcrs. It
will cost about 100000 To put water
on 1t. and these gentlemen are promot-
ing n company in Europe to do the
work. This Is the largest placer enter
will probably double the gravel gold
| product of the state.
Along the Arkansas there Is stretch
of one hundred miles where there are
many bars carrying from ten to fifteen
cents per yard and not very unfavor-
ably located for working.
| In the high benches along the AMI
mas. in the Montez,ima valley. all
along the San Juan river. in the
benches of some of the streams empty.
ing into the San Miguel river. and in
occasional bars on the Grand. there is
gravel which carries from ten to fifteen
cents per yard. In some places they
exist in very large quantities. and by
cSpcndlng money, and the proper de-
gree of engineering skill. will some
day surely be made to yield their gold
on grains ut proiit.-AIining Indus
| try.