The San Francisco call., 1905-02-04
SIERRA MINES
HAVE A BOOM
Large Project to Get Gold
From American River.
Plans ofthe Mountain Copper Company Reat-
ing to keswck Reassure Shasta People,

The mines Of Sierra County bid fair
10 come more strongly to the front dur
ing the coming season than for many
years. Such are the authentic reports
that come down from those parts of the
county where mining operations are
carried on. At Forest City the Mabel
Mertz mine is to be fully developed.
The company owning the property has
5000 feet Of channel, supposed to be the
Continuation of an old lead.
Work was carried on at the placer
mines at Goodyear Bar as long as the
weather would permit and until the
deep snow came. Pumping machinery
has been put in place to take the su-
perfiuOus water from the Dolly Warden
property, one Of the oldest in the coun-
~ The miners all report good hopes
for the immediate future, which deVel-
opments would seem TO warrant
As usual, there are problems to be
solved by the miners in their own way.
In an ancient river bed, for instance,
it has been determined where a tunnel
has been run that the channel is alb
normally wide, and although several
rich spots have been found in which
nuggets worth from $50 to 500 each
have been discovered, drifts must be
run to find the richest portion.
Concerning a river mining PROPOSE
ton which may result in the working
Of a stretch of the American River bed
the Placerville Nugget says:
The River Consolidated Mining Company
incorporated few years ago in this city, has
me working out OF a considerable stretch Of
The American River a short distance from this
city. The company has a string OF claims
sggnegaung 5000 feet nearly two miles
located the American River between the
cam q the electric company az Rock Creek
The crevices in the bed Of the American
RIVER have been found 10 be rich in gold
oQt ana the tributary creeks at this point have
yielded gold. The rocky river bed is not a
suitable place 10 operate q dredger, but it is
CANNED that cheaper ana better method can
o. employed during the summer months. The
electric company takes 5000 inches OF water
from the river at Rock Creek and in the dry
months the water going the spillway
averages about 1000 inches. By building a
hCme TO handle this water and furnish power
cleaned up. Some work will be done on the
property frpm time TO time by the owners.
rnerheld, who are endeavoring to interest out
Size capital in the proposition
OPERATIONS AT KESWICK.
The Mountain Copper Company will
continue TO operate the large smelling
plant at keswick, Shasta County. One
furnace viii be used continuously and
the other viii be kept in reserve. None
70 Martinez. for the reason that at
Martinez the reverberatory furnaces
VIII be employed. A Redding paper says:
The force at the Keswick plant has been
materially iessenec during the last few months
put the number now employed VIII not be ma
terially reduced The FIRE IN the Iron Noun
tain mine, which has caused considerable. trouble
Tor several years past, prevents the production
oI ore on such a large scale in the early
history OF The property Mining is restricted
because Of the FIRE.
During the last two years The smelter has
drawn upon large bodies OF ore that had been
mined and stored on the old roaster grounds
This has now all been sTnelted. The stocks
are exhausted and only the mine is left TO
Draw upon There is not much hope that two
furnaces VIII ever be run again at Keswick
One viii be kept running continuously.
The Martinez plant is designed TO prepare
the way for utilizing ore in the Hornet mine
This is a mine adjoining the Iron Mountain
II has a larger body OF ore than that found in
the famous Iron Mountain. but il is OF lower
grade and must be worked a different basis
The operations at Keswick Will, in view OF
. the shortage OF the ore supply from the Iron
Mountain. be very much diminished from what
they have been in the past The three railroad
crews now running between Iron Mountain
and kesWick viii be continued, and 800 men
VIII be constantly employed at the company s
keswick and Iron Mountain property. The
authentic. Keswick people and those Of Shasta
County at large can depend upon il that these
are the conditions that will be found here and
al Iron Mountain hereafter.
The Redding Searchlight says the