The San Francisco call., 1905-04-02
IS PROMISED
IN BUTTE MINES
Quartz Lodges Beyond the
Feather Are Favored.
PICTURESQUE OIL DISTRICT GOING

- - ~ -
The prospects for general awak-
ening IN quartz mining in the eastern
paIt Of Butte County during the COM
ing summer, from Bangor and Rack
erby UP the ridge 10 Forbestown and
Strawberry Valley. are good. Copper
ore has been discovered on Payne's
Peak. between Browns Valley and
. BANGOR. The interest extends TO the
country east Of the Feather River.
There are scores OF lodges about
Browns Valley. so says the Oroville
. Register, that are worth prospecting.
.Wyandotte Valley is in the same re-
gion. seven miles southeast Of Oro-
yille. Operations there have been re-
sumed in the Spring Garden mine. The
Register says in part:
Al Rackerby preparations are going on look
ing toward & lively summer. Reckerby is
really old EsnsonVille and IS about the nNeliest
camp on the stage road between MsIysville
and La Porte. Il has been the winter head
Quarters for many miners from the Gibson
willie ridge country and there has been more
o. less pocket hunting done this season.
Rackerby has long been one Of the richest
camp lies Just over the line IN Yuba County,
but some Of the best auTlferous territory ex-
tEn1s north ana west into Butte county
Around the Ebel Bros. and Winery ranches
OF the Swedes Flat road between Nyyandotte
and Rackerby. some considerable prospecting
Is being done this winter and IL is reported
rhsf Albert Hansen has made a very prom
isinE discovery.
. Higher up the ridge is Forbestown. once
ooe Of the most important bullion producing
camps il Butte County. Since the shutting
down OF the Gold Bank the camp has been
deader than the proverbsl door nail. and for
some months past II has looked as II Forbes
town would have 10 get of the map far
as mining camp Is concerned. Lately there
hss been rift IN me dark clSuos that SHOWS
q silver lining This Is due to the visit Of
outside mining men who. It Is understood.
eRin open up some Of the other properties on
= large scale. For a while the only property
that has been working is the Bek mine, which
is milling some pay quartz.
There is also said 10 be something in store
Cor the quartz ledge country 10 the north Of
Strawberry Valley where ID. B. Mcintosh has
been operating all winter and also around
Aorth Star. The mild winter and early spring
are fsVoring all these foothill camps, and the
stmmer Of 1905 promises 10 be very lively
one all along the ridge.
PULLING DOWN DERRICKS.
one of the most picturesque fea-
stures in mining for oil in California
was the invasion ot the residence dis
trict Of Los Angeles by the defricks,
pumping jacks and all the apparatus
Of the sort that has been used in ex-
tracing mineral fuel oil from build
ing lots in the City of the Angels The
depression in the oil market is re-
ducing the area of the oil producing
limit in Los Angeles. There is almost
a total lack of market for the oil TAX
en- from Los Angeles wells. About
sixty derricks on Westlake street are
10 be torn down under contract with
one contractor. and the property will
be used exclusively as city lots. for
which it is much more valuable under
present conditions. This is probably
the beginning of q general movement.
The Los Angeles Times, under the
heading of The Passing of the City
Oil District" has the following:
Residences are going up more and more
IN the oil district and here can be seen. what
probably can be seen in no other city in the
world hundreds OF houses occupied as homes
with oil derricks and tanks in back and front
These conditions are not favorable however,
10 the growth OF residence districts, and with
the gradual passing Of the city oil fields there
viii be new home tracts opened.
Several Of the companies have decided 10
retire entirely from business. while others
may continue with reduced force. Ii is be-
1ieved however. 10 be only a question Of
few years when the oil fields within the city
limits viii be largely a thing Of the past.
Notwithstanding that there is an annual con-
sumption of oil in Los Angeles County alone
far exceeding 2. 0o0. 600 barrels ar the least
calculation and it is growing all the time
The effect of mining discoveries on
is about TO supply another chapter of
history. The new Nevada camps have
some railroad facilities already. with
snore in view. Gold discoveries are
The cause in that instance. but borax
Is also a factor in railroad cOnstruc-
ton. The T. NJ. Smith Borax Com
pany has completed a survey for 100
miles, beginning at Soda Lake, on the
line of the Salt Lake Road and run
i1ing in the direction of the Goldfeld
and BullfrOg sections. John Ryan,
superintendent and general manager,
says that the road is needed by the
Smith company, which is producing
about 100 tons of boraX a day from
the new mines at Ash Meadows. The
new road will pierce the entire min
eral region toward which it is sur
veyed.
Good times would seem to be re-
turning to Tombstone. The Los An
geles Herald reports that the news is
al favorable. The big pumps are
throwing out about 1000, 600 gallons
Of water every tWenty-four hours and
the measurements show that the wa
ter is lowered in the district at the
rate of fifteen to twenty feet a month.
PUMPING OUT TOMBSTONE.
Work is rushed in cutting out a station on
tne 500 Level, and one Of the pumps from the
-" VIII then he moved 10 that station and
the work of handling the water facilitated
Lh~ --a,.ssa@lsienF expects 70 resume sinking in
the SHAFT as soon as this pump Is installed
ana ines hope to sink 10 a depth OF 1000 feet
y ithout putting in additional pumping spps-
rstus. When the 1000 level Is reached a large
pump that is nov on hand will be placed on
this Jewel and in addition q one that has
been ordered.
A new strike has recently been made in the
Silver Thread IN the drift which runs into the
old Empire ground which promises TO be quite
extensive in size and which carries no small
values in gol6 and silver. Regular Shipments
are now being made from Thread Al The
Lucky Cuss work since that mine was recenflv
started up has developed considerable ore 4
large bOdy OF ore, the extent OF which is net
known vet, has been discovered AT tie con-
fuence CT the East Side and Lucky Calss veins
81 the Emerald there has been opened %
Rood-sized body OF high-grade lead ore
Some excitement was caused during