The San Francisco call., 1904-12-31


OF the Grapevine Mountain range, down TO and
across - the headwaters Of the Amargosa. at
me point known 10 old-timers Oasis. 1t
nes about fifteen miles north Of Chloride Cliff,
al an elevation OF about 1900 feet in the low
pophynue foothille. The country is well wa
teted 10 the west by numerous small springs
ana the weil-timbered summit Of Grapevine
fan-e makes the future fuel question OF the
new camp a simple one. In the bed of the
AtnarGosa only a few miles away to the east
large springs furnishing water al the present
uiIe 70 irrgate a number OF small ranches
make the water problem for reduction works
an easy one 10 solve. One spring in particu-
iar. near the Davis ranch, is hot one-just
hot enough for hot bath
The first discovery Of gold was made last
August by Frank Harris and Z. L. Cross and
was christened the Bullfrog mine. and later
wien opher parties came IN to prospect, a dis
ulct was organized and called the Bullfrog
oislilct- since then numerous other discover
ies nave been made, until now ii is generally
DeheNed by competent mining men that have
examined the mineral resources of the district
tnat there are at least ten or twelve groupings
nat are sure 10 make many mines and
promising.
The Lodges here are very large and some OF
them are paying milling ore for a distance OF
ten 70 fifty feet wide with occasional streaks
ana punches IN them that will run into the
lhonsands The quartz is q porphyritic quartz
stained brown or black with manganese Very
little iron is one Of the peculiarities OF the
ore While the gold is not all free, from ap-
pearances ana some tests that have been made
II can be treated very satisfactorily with a
Tree milling and cyaniding plant
Altogether mining men OF experience agree
mat BullfroE has some OF the best surface
shovrinSs that Nevada has ever had for big
sno rich mines. but under the conditions ex-
development work will commence.
In the investigation that is promised
by the Government concerning the
cornering Of the petroleum producing
industry of California by the simple
device Of making the market price of
oil at the wells low, the petroleum.
miners Of the State will be largely in
terested. San Francisco is the larg-
est market for the crude petroleum Of
any single California city. The de-
Inands OF the railway companies for
fuel oil are very large. but both the
Southern Pacific Company and the
Santa Fe have their own sources of
supply. The Southern Pacific is the
owner Of stock IN the Associated OIL
Company. The Santa Fe has lands
that it acquired at an advanced price
paid TO its own employees few years
ego. There are several parties that
profit by keeping down the price of
crude California petroleum at the
wells, but these are not the petroleum
miners. The Standard Oil Company
buys oil. The railways seek to get in
hand all the oil lands that they can
at bedrock prices and so insure cheap
fuel for their own use for a long
series Of years
The railway rates for moving petro-
leum from the Kern River and other
California producing points to this city
are so much greater than the cost of
piping for the Standard Oil Company
to tidewater that it is very--difficult.
IL not impossible, for any ordinary
combination of producers to compete
for contracts continuously with the
Standard Oil corporation. The situa-
ton is artificial all along the line in
that there is a standard product to
market, entirely in the State of Cali
fornia, finding its largest demand in
California, but all the conditions are
so contrived against the owner of oil
wells that he has not anything like a
chance to make money that owners of
any other sort of California mineral
deposits enjoy. Great interest will
attach to the investigation of the
methods adopted by large corpora
tions in this State.
EXPANSION OF GOLDFIELD.
J. z. Spur of the United States
Geological Survey has visited Gold
field. New. and has submitted a re-
port, of which the following is the
most interesting paragraph:
The area Of known ore bodies has spread
since last year so far beyond Columbia Noun
tain that values now found over an area
about six miles square. The most productive
area measures two 20 two and half miles in
either direction. The chief mines at the pres
ent time are the Jumbo, the Combination, the
January and the Florence, all grouped together
Columbia MountaIa. Some five miles south
east OF Columbia Mountain is the Diamond
fields group. including the Vernal, the Quartz
ite and Black Butte from which shipments
been developed in various parts Of the field.
The Empire and Pacific mines near
Plymouth will be reopened.
The construction of a plant to con-
vey electric power from Bishop Creek
TO Goldf1eld, New, has begun.
The Roberts placer claim, near
Montezuma, Tuolumne County, and
the Omega and Joe Hooker mines
near Rawhide, have been bonded, the
first named to H. G. Comstock & Co.
Of San Francisco and the last to Chi
cago parties.
The Mountain mine in Sierra Coun-
ty, which has been crippled by fire, was
Just ready to resume after years OF
fdleness. The mill will not be able
to resume work until next summer.
The Central Consolidated mine IN
Nevada County has been equipped
with a twenty-stamp mill from the