The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-13
NEW GOLD FIELD
At THE SOUTH
FL Dorado in Riverside
County.
MANY CLAIMS STAKED OUT
DISTRICT LOCATED SOUTHEAST
OF HEMET.
Discovery Was Made by Accident,
but the Lucky Prospectors
Failed to Realize on
Their Find.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1.-THE new
gold field which has recently been dis
covered in the southern part OF River
side County is causing considerable ex-
element, and is attracting much atten-
ton from investors, mining experts and
prospectors.
This discovery of gold bearing lodges
Is in the Mountain Beauty mining dis
trict, which skirts the foothills of the
Chihuahua Mountains, being a spur of
the southern end of the San Jacinto
Mountains. The district is partly in
San Diego County and partly in River
side County The district is forty miles
south and east of Hemet. The nearest
point to the district is lakewood post
office, which is reached by stage from
Hemet. At lakewood is a tavern and
several stores. These supply the wants
of the ranchers who grow crops and
raise cattle in the many sheltered spots
of the canyons.
The formation in the district is gran
lite and schist, the country rock being
cut by huge bikes of granite. The mi
nor formations, in a thousand and one
forms, which delight the student and
puzzle the layman, are not lacking.
The trend of the lodes is from the
north to the south. These have been
traced to the Mexican border. Where
locations have been made the groupings
are strong, Of great width, possessing
every appearance of permanency.
These combinations that have at
tracted large number of people to the
newly discovered gold district may be
the cause of opening mining excite
ment such as Southern California has
not experienced in many years.
The discovery Of the gold lodges is,
like many another gold discovery, the
result of an accident. In December,
1896, Johnson and Savage, who had
prospected together for years, entered,
during a storm, one of the canyons, and
pitched their camp at the base of a
foothill. The top of the hill was
crowned with an imposing cropping.
which appeared not unlike a giant in
the center of his rock ribbed domain.
These two pioneers, who traced the
float, sampled the ledge, which could
be traced on the surface for hundreds
of feet.
No matter where they tested the
ledge gold was found in the hornspoon.
Quartz taken at random demonstrated
the same results. They sank shaft
and drifted into the claim. The quartz
from the workings showed the same re-
turns in gold.
This is a beauty" said Johnson, as
he raised huge chunk of ore
This whole mountain is a beauty"
replied Savage.
THE Mountain Beauty is her
name" said the partners. The records
show the wish of the hardy pioneers.
Johnson and Savage erred in mining.
They left the ore as they followed the
footwaH Discouraged and disheart-
ened they gave up the work, believing
that the ore had pinched out. Other
people took up the work, and the re-
suits show that what is probably the
biggest ledge of free milling quartz in
this portion of California has been I'M
covered.
The two tunnels on the Mountain
Beauty are in ore. A Wine, 5x6 feet,
has been raised in the ore chute. In
crosscut, 20 feet wide, which is all in
ore, no hanging wall has so far been
encountered. The fairest tests of sam
ping yield from ali parts. of the proper
ty a general average Of $40 ton in
gold. Many samples go into the hun
dreds.
Many claims have recently been To-
Gated, including the Annex, Jessie L.,
Maria, Helen, Progress, North Exten-
sion, South Extension, Alturas, Golden
Link, Virginia, Valley View, Lizzie,
and others Prospecting on these claims
shows the same results in free gold and
the same character of quartz.
The two essentials, water and fuel,
are found in abundance. The water is
a small stream which seeps from under
the base of a mountain in one of the
canyons. The fall is such and the num-
Der of inches sufficient to afford power
for electricity and for all reduction
works to handle the ore.
The mountains are covered with ce-
dar The damp grounds show heavy
growth of sycamore. On the plains are
mesquite and manzanita. The size of
the timber will permit of it being used
for mine PURPOSES.