The San Francisco call., 1903-09-05
UNDERMINE TOWN
To GATHER COLD
Enterprise That Affects
the Prospects Of
Dutch Flat.
Mineral Resources Of County
Of Sierra Described
in Detail.

The town of Dutch Flat is to be under
mined to get the gold that lies under it.
The enterprise is based on the idea that
the rich gravel channels in that district
run under the town. The channel had
proved to be rich when it was worked by
the hydraulic process. When the hy-
draullc mining industry received so Sc
we're a setback through the famous court
decision Of Federal tribunal Dutch Fiat
suffered. Concerning the plans for tun-
neling the Nevada County Miner says:
When the matter was first broached to the
property owners they demurred They sur
missed that the damage to the town would be
greater than the benefit to be derived from
such an enterprise. But when tney were IN
formed that the work could be done without
any injury to the city they consented and will
ingly sold the mineral rights to their prop
erty.
wick has been busy buying these rights and
making preparations for the work or mining
by the drift process. 1t is the intention OF
the company to commence operations some
distance from the town and easily work. their
way up excavating the rich gravel as they
proceed They are OF the opinion that by the
time they reach the town they will be far
enough below the surface to remove all fear
of danger to the buildings. They expect TO be
handsomely compensated for their enterprise
and outlay.
IN SIERRA COUNTY.
Some new light is thrown the min
eral resources of Sierra County by bull
letin just issued by the State Mining Bu-
reau, together with a map which care
fully locates every mining claim in the
county and defines the means of access
to all parts of the county. This sums
up some of the leading facts concerning
Sierra as follows:
Since 1S49, when the county was first set
tied, the principal industry has been gold
mining and many millions OF uollars nave nave
and quartz veins The quartz belt crossing
the country is twenty miles in width. with
trend to the northwest. rms pelt consists OF
several distinct zones, distinguishable by the
character Of the ore and the nature OF the
kountry rock. The most notable OF these
the county, near Sierra City, and runs north
westerly through the Gold Lake region to and
beyond the famous Plumas- Eureka mine, just
across the Plumas County line. The quartz
veins of this zone are situated within and
along each side Of a belt of quartz porphyry
about mile wide. These veins generally
fifty degrees to the northeast Two miles east
OF this zone is another on the contact be
tween the states of the west and the granite
on the east. Most of this contact, however, is
covered with gravel deposits. A third zone
crosses the county in a northwesterly direc-
tion, between Downieville and Sierra City.
This zone is ten miles in width and consists
of alternate bands OF clay slates quartzite and
pOrphpyry. The ledges occur within the states
or between the states and quartzite slate
and porphyry. West OF this zone is a band
of serpentine passing through Forest City,
Goodyear Bar and Poker Flat. Most Of the
discoveries on this serDentine contact have
been made by drift miners working under the
lava-capped ridges, but many valuable diseov.
cries have been made in the neghborhood OF
Allegheny, where Kanaka Creek has cut a
deep channel through the country, exposing
the contact.
Nearly all of the ridges Of this county
above an elevation of 45O0 feet are lava
capped. 1t is in these ridges where the drift
mines lie. Many of these ridges have never
been prospected. Unlimited water power is
available at all points The abundant rain and
snow fall furnishes ample supply of water.
which the precipitous nature of the country
renders available under any pressure desired
with a reasonable length Of ditch Almost
the entire county is covered with the finest
pine spruce fir and sugar pine timber. While
gold is the principal product of the mining
section OF the county, there are many valu-
able deposits of iron and copper. Lack Of
transportation facilities has retarded the de-
velopment of these mineral deposits.
The population of Sierra County is
estimated at $500. The mineral produc-
tion in 1901 was $576, ,1S2. The area is about
1000 square miles. practically all of which
with the exception Of Sierra Valley is
mountainous.
The main ridge of the Sierra Nevadas crosses
the eastern part Of the county from south TO
north. Several spurs from the main ridge trav-
erse the county from east to west. forming the
watersheds of the four principal streams. which
form the drainage system of the western part
THESE streams consist OF the Mlddle 1uDa River
on the south. with Wolf Creek, Kanaka Creek
and Oregon Creek as tributaries; the North
Yuba near the center with the North Fork,
South Fork Middle Fork and East Branch ad-
| joining it near Downeville. and Canyon Creek
and Slate Creek on the north. Sierra County is
bounded on the south by the mining county of
Nevada, on the east by the State Of Nevada,
on the north by the mining county Of Plumas,
and on the west by the mining portion of Yuba
County
CALIFORNIA PLUCK.
| oil ctr M
pluck that is characteristic of California
miners. Three years and five months ago
Charles Brockington, for the Orleans
Mining Company, started the long cross
cut that has finally led to the Houston
Hill works in the lower levels, long since
! submerged. When the work was begun
it was supposed that 1t would be COM
pleted in six months. The formation
proved so hard, that the progress was
slow. The crosscut was started from un-
der the Madison Hill ledge, and was re-
garded by many miners as a foolish en-
terprise Brockington pegged away how
ever, keeping his own counsel, and has
met with the object of his search.
What gave rise to belief in certain minds
! that the crosscut was on the wrong track was
the decidedly broken formation encountered.
Three distinct faults were struck in the course
Of the work, but the upraise followed them
steadily and the outcome shows for itself.
To add to the great difficulty encountered, Mr..
/ Brockington had no reliable maps OF the I'M
derground workings of the old Houston Hill,
which had not been operated since the latter
sixties. This made 1t uncertain to estimate
| distances, which in a measure accounts for the
time required in the work.
Yesterday the machine drill penetrated the
| lower works of the Houston Hill at what is es-
timated as the 400 level and volume of wa
ter was encountered, which was not wholly un-
expected. This Is quickly draining off and in a
few days Mr.. Brockington hopes to be able
| to enter the scene OF the strike and ascertain
exactly what is in sight and what course Of ac-
ADVERT