Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-17
North California Teens
With the Greatest
Activity
OLD CHANNELS GIVE
UP YELLOW METAL
Copper Camps in Arizona Look
Prosperous-Tombstone
Doing Big Things


nopah, Bullfrog and other mining cen
ters. II might be well to stop and
consider what is actually being done In
the golden state of California in the
mining industry. The output of gold
for the past fiscal year Is placed in
round numbers at $2O,OOoOoo, which far
exceeds the combined output of the
yellow metal in all Nevada.
one feature of mining in California;
in fact, one of great magnitude, is
dredging for gold. When announce
ment is made that at jun Pup or at
Tincannup ore that runs $4O0 ton is
strealking a ledge. the rush with pike,
pistol and burro is on, but when 1t is
said that on the Feather river and on
the American, the Yuba, Calaveras,
klamath and Trinity rivers, where
companies are now employing forty
three dredgers and four others are
being constructed, and that between
S2,500000 and $3,0O0,000 has been in
vested in these machines and over ST.
100000 additional capital has been paid
out for the land which has been bought
for the purpose of dredging, opinion
may we'll be divided as to where gold
is really found.
The chief operations are being con-
Quoted on the Feather river. where
twenty-eight dredgers are at work,
and on the American river, where
eight other machines are running. An
expert estimates that there are not over
100000 acres of land in the state avail
able for dredging for gold. This is
probably an underestimate, as it has
been recently proposed to dredge the
terraces in the neighborhood of Oro-
vile, and it is believed that large areas
of auriferous land in other counties can
be profitably worked with dredgers
without injury to the navigable streams
or the agricultural lands.
Estimates have been made that twen-
ty-six corporations engaged in dredg
ing expend from $4,000 to $4,000 a month
for supplies and labor for each machine.
1t is estimated that 1t will cost the
dredging companies 5000, 1000 for la
Dor and supplies to work the 100000
acres assumed to be available for dredg-
in the business expect to obtain a cor
responding amount in dividends. These
figures show the enormous extent and
value of the industry Some agricul-
tural land is being temporarily If not
permanently destroyed; but large pro-
nf tn 10 i-
either now covered with the debris of
hydraulic mining or is unsuited for ag-
ricultural purposes.
Venture Hill Copper
Those of Los Angeles who are in
terested in the Venture Hill copper
mines near jerome, Arz., have been in
formed that last week an outfit and
force of men was sent to the property
of the company, where the workings
on that property will be cleaned out
and Strengthened preparatory to con-
tinuing development work. The late
heavy rains have caused a number
of caves in the different tunnels and
shafts, which it will take several days
to clean up, when development will
Immediately follow. The Venture Hill
is located just south of the Cleopatra,
and is acknowledged to be one of the
most promising properties in the
Jerome district.
Cleopatra Copper Outlook
90
Cleopatra copper mine at Jerome there
is something new to tell of the richer
ores encountered, and that the COM
pany is developing rapidly a large and
being demonstrated in the winze being
sunk from the Winingham tunnel
From this winze miners continue to
take ore that increases in value as
depth is attained. The work is now
down to a depth of thirty feet and has
gone through twenty-five feet of pay
ore. Not a pound of waste has gone
over the dump from this twenty-five
feet of work.
The drifts from the Dillon tunnel are
filling with mineral as progress is
made and it now looks as if a few
more feet would bring both into solid
ore
Quicksilver in Oregon
The Oregon Mining Journal reports
that more attention is given to the
production of quicksilver in Oregon
than at any previous time. In a review
Of the situation the Journal says in
part:
The 1attering showing made by re-
cent retorts of ore from the cinnabar
mines of the Meadows quicksilver dis
trict of Jackson county, near Trail.
has caused a revival of interest in the
mining of mercury in this (Medford)
section, Eighty pounds of mercury to
the ton are produced. A small plant
has been erected for development pur-
poses mainly. The retort has capac-
ty of 14O0 pounds of ore per day.
There are a half score of cinnabar
mines in the Meadows district, all of
IL. Al