St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-03-17

CALIFORNIA; MlNIHG.
and New Places Developed
Wealth OF the Golden State.

The opening of mines that have been
for a quarter of a century or more idle
is IN, OF the notable features of the
times in California a mining. Most of
these arc quartz properties. which. un-
Ter old methods of miniu z and milling.
We're not profitable to W work. Modern
mei hods have, however. made them
available. Many of them have ore in
sight that will make them productive
from the time they are reopened and
their reduction works are started, for
the methods now in vogue are so eco
nomical that good margin of profit
IS present in ore that would not pay eN-
penses by the old-time processes. Cheap
power, cheap light, more effective and
less costly explosives, improved ap-
pliances for breaking out the ore from
the slopes. hosting and pumping ma
chinery capable of reaching to greater
depths and lifting greater weights more
expeditiously and economically and
chemical processes that arrest all the
gold contained in the rock. combined
with a more intelligent knowledge of
the gold-bearing veins, are the agents
of modern success. These methods and
appliances have thus unconsciously. as
it were, raised the business of quartz
mining largely out of the domain OF
speculation.
But new interest is also being taken
in the placers. Discoveries have been
lately made at various points which en-
courage exploration for gold-bearing
gravel deposits whose existence had not
been suspected before. Gravel mines
that have been worked for nearly half
a century have thus been given a new
lease of life. A disposition is also being
shown to work. by unobjectionable
methods. many of the deep gravel mines
which were forced by the courts to dis
continue hydraulicking. In these prop
critics it is intended to mine only the
richer strata of gravel lying on the
bedrock. Some of them are now be-
ing prepared for drifting. Prepara-
tions are also being made to open sew
eral big gravel properties in Calaveras
and other counties, which have not yet
been prospected. but in which capital
has lately become interested. Other
minerals besides gold are also receiv-
ing liberal share of attention from
rrospectors and claiming the notice OF
mining investors. New borax ledges
of great promise have been lately
opened in the Moiave basin, and large
body of zinc ore is reported to have
been found near San Vicente, San Diego
county.
The increasing confidence Of capital
in California mines is noticeable. 1t is
not obtrusively paraded. But wherever
a promising mine is for sale there is
not the same difficulty in finding pur-
chaser for it that existed few years
ago. Eastern capital in large amounts
has thus been quietly invested. Bos-
ton is credited with having placed at
least s1O.Oa0.OOO in California and Ari-
zona mines. and large proportion OF
the investment has been made in the
former. Experts are scattered all over
the mineral belts examining properties
in the interest of this class of invest
ors. and. as a result. sales are becom
ing frequent each succeeding week. and
the initiative taken fer elaborate de-
velopments which will aed to the gen.
rral wealth of the state.-San Francisco
Chronicle.