The record-union., 1899-08-25
Pacific Coast
Mining News.

The following interesting news items
Pacific Coast States:
DEL MAR OIL.
San Diego Union: A movement is on
foot at Del Mar to secure a thorough
prospecting for oil in that neighbor-
hood, where oil men say that indica-
tions for a good flow are abundant.
George S. Andrews of Los Angeles is
on the ground, securing leases from
property owners covering a strip of
land several miles long, running par
allel to the Santa Fe Railroad. Mr.. An
drews says he is backed by English in
vestors, who stand ready TO put in
machinery and bore for oil as soon as
the lands can be obtained.
Mr.. Andrews, in his negotiations
with land owners, agrees to begin work
at once, and asks for three years in
which to complete his prospecting. 1t
is understood that the terms offered,
in case oil is found, are very liberal
At any rate, quite a. number of ranch
ers have given leases to the promoter.
Among them are Mrs Wetzer, 12O
acres; DIR. T. G. Stockton, 100 acres,
George Bennett, 200 acres; Mrs. c. ID.
Weed, 120 acres. Mr. Andrews is anx-
ious to obtain two other pieces OF land,
the Jarvis property of 200 acres, and
that of the Berry estate, eighty acres,
controlled by Judge Puterbaugh of this
city. Until these pieces are secured the
work of boring is postponed.
The parties represented by Mr.. An
Clx for q 6aa1 fo OF
land. in case oil is struck, upon which
to build tanks and warehouses. The
property owners have practically
agreed to give him his choice OF ten
acres, the neighborhood to subscribe
the value of the land to the owner, pro
rata. The land is taken along the rail
road according to Mr.. Andrews, in cr-
der to facilitate the handling Of oil by
piping and storage.
IT am sure I shall find oil in this
neighborhood." said Mr.. Andrews to
Del Mar man the other day. '"The in
dications are so strong, and the char
acter of the country so regular, that
there can be no doubt as to the ex-
istence of oil. Just what it's grade will
be, and whether we shall find it in
E
But the outlook is SO favorable that
am more than anxious to get to work
and prospect.
''It is my belief that there will be
field developed here richer than any
thing yet found in California. The in
dications are much stronger here for
heavy wells than anywhere else in the
State No oil man who has visited this
neighborhood has yet given an ad-
verse opinion, either as to the extent
or quality of the oil.
"Of course, we do not expect to find
Illuminating oil here-that is not the
character Of this region, anywhere from,
Ventura south. But if by a thorough
test we get at the hidden cisterns OF
oil that we believe exist here we will
have something that will be a source
of wealth to everybody in San Diego
County. and a stimulus to every branch
of business
AS TO DESERT MINES.
Los Angeles Mining Review: Edwin
K Alpaugh, the well-known mining
man of Los Angeles, returned this week
from tour of the desert mining region
lying in Kern, Inyo and the northern
portion of San Bernardino Counties.
His first stop on the trip was in the
Rand District, where he found all the
mills pounding away on good ore and
turning out a rich product OF the yell
low metal From there he proceeded
to Copper City, where a force of twenty
or more men is at work developing the
claim owned by j. Irving Crowen and
lar. "a - r~paQnflU =
ganized. These are all showing up
we'll in gold and copper, and promise
to become big producers. Most of the
lodges are wide and lie between con-
tact walls, granite above and diorIte
below, and give every evidence OF true
fissure veins. Mr.. Alpaugh was par
ticularly struck with the formation sur
rounding Copper City camp for miles
on all sides, and says that unless all
indications fail it will one day become
the scene of mammoth mining ana
smelling operations. Outcropplngs OF
quartz, malachite. and lime are ap-
parent everywhere; the surface Is
highly mineralized with iron and cop
per oxides, and through the country,
traceable for miles, run immense por-
phyry dykes.
The Copper City Company is a
wealthy incorporation, and at the prop
er time will begin the erection of 1O0-
ton smelling plant, the plans for which
are now in their possession. Water for
all purposes is available, as are also
nearly all the fiuxes which smelling
will require. One of the needs of the
country thereabouts is railroad COM
munication, but this want Mr.. Alpaugh
states will soon be supplied, as 1T is an
open secret that the road now ternln-
ating at johannesburg will, before
many months, be continued on to Pana
mint, touching at or near Copper City
on the way, which lies east Of Johan-
nesburg.
From Copper City Mr.. Alpaugh pro-
ceeded to the Panamint country, via
the Argus range, and at all the camps
in these sections he reports unusual ac-
tivity in preparing for fall and winter
work All the developed mines are
turning out good ore. and many new
and promising prospects are being
opened up. In both the Argus and Pan
amint sections a number of mills and
cyanide plants are working indusrri-
ously, and adding quite materially to
California's 1899 gold product.
Generally, the whole desert section,
Mr.. Alpaugh says, is prospering, but as
yet it's greatest diversity of resources is
unknown. Besides the precious metals,
there are immense deposits of iron,
lead, copper and other commercial min
erals, and these, added to the former,
will in the near future make of the So
called Mojave desert a field of industry
unexcelled in the West