The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-04
THE nLoss AND M'cLAEY MINE.


years, and miners arc there today who have
been working away there for moro than 4
decade, making good wages, but lit:!r
more AS long ago as 1870, $l50,4oO i'm
gold was taken out of the placer bo,!s
there during the year, and moro or less
has been taken out every year since.
The principal reason for the present rush
Is the TACT that two men, the Graves broth
ers, while working u placer claim which
they had located, struck Il pocket which,
yielded more 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 "A
depth of from 30 to 90 feet dcep. In nrovious
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 brothcrs
were DONG this when, for some reason
when they themselves cannot cXplnin
they decided to run IL shaft horiZontnlly into
the gravel bed sloping back from the creek
experienced miners would have told
them that this WAS waste of time. bur
they knew little about mining and vert
ahead with their work. As "a result they
are rich men today, and in the light of
their discovery it is now understood than
present bed of the creek, hut i'm the valley
lands around it, which were probably nc
ono time the bed of II mighty mountain
river that rushed along through tho noun.
tam passes and washed the gold out Of the
chlnkS ana crnnnicS OF the gaping quartz.
How many moro uf these rich dcpusit-s
there are no ono can say At any rate it
is II sparsely settled country, and there is
lots of room for prospcctnrs
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 ali
these years is that the digginEs have mover
been properly developed. \ few COMPANIES
with capital have gone in there, and all of
them have plants which are being opcrat-
cd ut big profit. The most extensive is the
Bloss and McClary mine, recently pur.
chased from the original owners by j
Ellcry and l.. Reel. The prorcrty com
prises 600 acres around Trinity Center and
was bought for SOD, 900. Al IL recent clean
up the dirt which they are washing yielded
$1,000 per Gay. The new owners ara c..
pcrenced mining men and are rnpidly fit
ting their plant with improved devices
ami machinery.
Irospcctors have been swnrmne into
trinity county from San Francisco, Sacra-
menu" "iu o'ncr talllornEt cities. Ono of
tho stories Of good fortune which havo
come from the diggings is that of two mon
who struck il rich tho first day Ono was
William TrIax, who cano from Creedo tho
moment Inc heard of the Graves brothers
IND On his way in no met Il variety
actor named Dillon. who had determined
20 abandon tho stage for the gnldficlds.
lhey became partners. The first day of
their arriva! .hcy found !; rich ledge over
two feet wide which will DOUBTLESS make
fortunes IN: iHein both. Stories arc also
toiu OF "thor irHSpGctors who have found
riah rocE'i' a placer beds, and who arc
prcrar'nl; 10 dcvclop their claims. I'm
doIhi"rl 'tir will he work for thou
SUMO 81 "t good wages in Trinity
COUNTY ~ as winter ana perhaps for
mary ~. It's 10 come.
MARX NoRms