Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1901-11-07
Letter From California.
TOWNSVILLE. CAL. Oct.

TOWNSVILLE, CAL, Oct. q, 1901.
DEAR Mr.. EDITOR IL feel like saying dear
old Shephe rdstown REGISTER. A copy just
sent me by my sister, Mrs. Ella Welsh. is the
lighted 20 see the names OF some knew In
childhood. DR.. Reynolds. our beloved fami.
ly physician, and some others OF sacred
memory, have gone to their last resting
place while others have visited distant par Is
OF our great country. i came TO townsville
four and a-half years ago, to the high Serras,
$500 feet above the level of the sea. Perhaps
d brief sketch OF my surroundings might be
OF interest to some. Though not gold
bug" our conversation naturally reverts TO
our surroundings and environments. We
are In what has been and is the gold region.
A quarter OF mile from my Office is the ia
nous Eureka Mine of Plumas county, CAL
which turned out its more than fifty mill
lions OF dollars worth of gold and Is still pro-
ducing. The mountain Is honeycombed with
tunnels crossing one another at right an
giles. Some of these tunnels are over mlle
in length anC from $40 TO SUI feet below the
earth's surface. In this mine there can be
very little done with apick. The rock is very
hard and the ledge has been one OF the most
extensive quartz lodges In the State. The eff
fort is made all the while to follow up the
ledge. IL pitched downward 10 such degree
that In sinking the shaft deeper upon one OF
the richer leads the water came in upon the
men In such volume that they were driven
from their work. The great Improvement
made in machinery may yet lead 10 resump-
ton OF work below, where doubtless many
millions lie unclaimed. Mining, especially
gold mining, Is very expensive (ano let me
say right here what don't know about min
ing would make q large book II printed In
book iorm.) Thousands OF tons OF quartz
have no gold, not even trace. All this has
TO be worked throIgh-drilled, blasted and
removed out OF the way. Then there are
many tons having here and there particles
as small as the point OF an ordinary sewing
needle. This has 10 be removed for better
paving rock, which may go from five to forty
"A nj la r.
rock has TO be crushed and pulveriZed in the
stamp mill, passed over concentrators, cop
per plates, acted upon by electric batteries,
and quite q good deal OF expensive work done
before IL is moulded or minted into twenty
dollar gold pieces. Then, too, the expense
OF living is much greater than 1t Is In Shep-
herdstown. Twenty years. ago apples brought
one dollar piece, flour, S5O for 5O-pound
sack. In an early day everything had 10 be
packed in on mules backs. Even such cum
bersome things as COOK stoves and ranges,
large water pipes many feet In length, and
everything OF the kind, could come in no
other way Now what am about TO say you
will not believe. We have so much snow
here In winter that We train some OF our
horses 10 go on snow shoes. We are used 10
snow shoes and use the Norwegian. whlch Is
from to III feet in length. My two girls are
quite export on them and leave me with my
two hundred pounds avoirdupois way be-
hind. The cost OF these shoes Is from $3.50 to
$40. The bottoms contain groove full
length, except at point OF toe, where 1t
makes short turn upward. This Is for the
purpose of keeping II from sliding sideways,
on the principle OF a skate. l send you lit
tie sample ofgold. II is not from the quartz
mine, but Is free milling, taken from placer
claim, and is just as 1t comes out of the earth.
One nugget found near here was pure gold
and worth Sl,3W. / saw a man who found
$4,000 pure gold-removed 1t all the same
day He is penniess and In san Quentin
today. A man who had not a dime yester-
day may come In today and throw down on
the counter $50 gold piece or two or three
ounces OF gold dust, and no one makes any
re marks or expresses any surprise. This Is
California This letter has grown to too
great length TO say anything about Placer
Mining. l.. NJ. HESSEL.