The San Francisco call., 1905-01-14
ASKS STATE TO ERECT
DESERT GUIDING POSTS
STATE F\|NERAL0G|ST HAS PLAN
Would Also Have Wells Dug
for Prospectors' Safety.

In the last few years very large
mineral discoveries have been made IN
the desert regions of California. in sew
eral counties. The great plant of the
Yellow Aster mine at Randsburg is an
evidence of this. The oil fields in Kern
County are in regions that formerly
produced little except sage brush. The
gem industry of San Diego County has
been created in a desert region. BoraX,
inter and other products of Death val
ley have made the State famed abroad
and have brought in many hardy pros
pectors, the precursors of invested cap
ital from abroad. In Nevada the Ton
opah. Goldfield and Bullfrog districts
are in what would formerly have been
called bad lands"
Within two years prospectorS in the
deserts of San Diego. San Bernardino,
Kern and Inyo counties have been more
numerous than ever before. They have
risked death from lack of water and
have undergone great hardships in
many instances and some have loSt
their lives in the engrossing search for
gold. To make prospecting easier ana
so render discoveries of ore on the Cali
fornia deserts more frequent is a prop
osition that has attracted the attention
of Lewis Z. Aubury, the State Mineral
ogist.
He said yesterday that he would
submit a bill in behalf of the State
Mining Bureau to the Legislature for
an appropriation to have guide boards
put on the deserts in the counties or
Kern, San Diego, San Bernardino and
Inyo, TO point out the way to water
springs and TO indicate the distance to
water from each post. II money is
provided wells will be sunk in certain
places. There is water enough flowing
under the desert, Mineralogist Aubury
says, and wells would save many lives.
Not infrequently in the history of
desert mining in California and else
where, prospectors have been found
choked TO death for lack of water
within a few rods of springs, the prox-
unity Of which they had no means of
ascertaining. The knowledge of such
deaths has deferred many from going
over the deserts.
Some years ago, in at least one Cali
fornia county, wooden guide boards
were set up. They were eventually
destroyed. either by prospectors, who
utilized them for f1rewood,, or by the
weather. 1t is now proposed to erect
iron posts with substantial metallic
guide boards firmly attached. Also 1t
is intended 10 have a law providing
for fine and imprisonment as penalties
for disturbing any of the signs.
SMALL SUM Is NEEDED.
The expense of the sign boards and
some wells, so Aubury says, may not
exceed $5000 The State will be asked
for a small Appropriation. The work
of putting up the signs and digging the
wells may properly be effected in part
with the aid of the counties to be bene-
fitted. Aubury believes there is no
doubt the counties Will lend their as
sistance. Only oldtimers now can cas-
lily find their way in the deserts. The
new corners, whom ii is sought to en-
courage. ought to be of much value to
the State as prospectors for the pre-
cious and other minerals.
Within the next few weeks an eX-
haustive treatise on gold dredger min
ing in this State will be issued from
the Office of the State Printer at Sacra-
mento. 1t contains complete descrip
tion of the industry as ii exists and
gives many facts relating to the regions
in which gold dredging has been prac-
ticed and referring to others where
little has been done yet except to set
drills to work that the richness of the
soil may be determined. The industry
is increasing so much faster than any
other form Of mining in California at
this time that the publication, which
has been prepared uLder the direction
of the State Mining I;nreau, will Re of
more than common interest.
Concerning recent operations among
the gold dredgers in the Oroville dis
trict the Oroville Mercury says:
Gold dredging at oroville is steadily pro-
crossing and this field is now the largest and
most important in the world. 1t is very prob
able that land not yet touched by the
dredge or the drill will be opened for work
within the next twelve months, thus adding
to the territory now being mined
Most OF the dredging for gold in this terri
tory has been along the bed and banks of the
Feather River OrOVilIe "A
few miles Of the town. The field has extend
ed on the south to a distance OF six eight
miles and of late has been widening in this
vicinity. Land not yet touched by the dredge
has been prospected east of the railroad and
OF the main road between Oroville and Pa
this land will be dredged.
1t is thought that land will be dredged near
Garden Ranch along the creek that flows past
that place. and that other land near Palermo
will later be worked.
1t is believed that considerable of the So
called higher or upland not touched as vet nv
a dredge will before long be tested There
are now twenty-nine dredges in operation In
this vicinity, and one new one is in course of
construction.
The gold is found in gravel deposit, and
this gravel Is loose that except in one To-
cality no blasting has been done
Where blasting has been resorted to IT in
creases the expense and this extra expense is
estimated at from 21a cents to cents a cubic
yard.
The ground dredsed is from twenty TO sixty
feet The gravel yields from 10 cents to 40
cents per cubic yard. The whole district is
.e estimated to run about 16 cents per cubic yard
Power for the dredgers is obtained from the
Bay Counties Power Company. 1t is esti-
mated that the cost of digging the gold here
including all expenses for power and labor.
etc, is cents per cubic yard. In some cases
IL has cost trife less than 4 cents a cubic
yard TO extract the gold. The cost OF labor
and the cost Of power about equal each other
They ought to form about e-half the expense
Of operating a dredge. Repairs form An inn
portant item. as there is much wear and tear
SCOTS EMULSION.