The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-10-28
FOREST HILL CAMP IS
STILL RICH IN GOLD
Engineer Estimates Many Miles of
Ancient River Channels in Placer
County Remain Unworked.

T. p. Rigney, mining engineer OF
Salt Lake, has returned to that city
from California, where he had been
investigating mining properties and
power projects in the interests of
eastern investors. While absent he
made a trip into the Forest Hill sec
ton of Placer county and has the
following to say of that district and
of the strike lately made on the prop
erty of Nixon & Wingfield:
Ever since gold was discovered in
the mill race at Coloma, Placer coun-
ty has been classed as one of the
leading mining counties of Califor-
mia. From the summit of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, more than 5000
feet above sea level, it extends west
erly a distance of sixty-five miles
to within twelve miles of Sacramento
with an elevation of less than 100
feet. To the east it extends to the
Nevada line, distance of about fif-
teen miles. Its width north and
south ranges from seven to twenty
five miles, and 1t extends from the
Bear river on the north to the middle
fork of the American river on the
south. The Southern Pacific railroad
northern portion of the county, there
by affording ample transportation ia
cilities, and with good wagon roads
that lead out from the various sta
tions along the line access to any
portion of the county can be easily
and quickly made.
1.-The American river with its sew
eral branches traverses the county
from northeast to southwest, and
through erosion has cut various chan
nels to great depths, in some places
1900 feet below the closely adjacent
crests of the hills.
placer county at one time was
heavily covered with a volcanic cap
ping, but erosion has been so great
since then that but little remains of
this great flow. In the early fifties
attention was first directed to the
rich placer deposits that were found
on the surface in various sections of
the county. After these rich placers
were exhausted, but not before many
millions were produced, attention
was directed to the auriferous grav-
els of the ancient river channels.
"These ricn deposits far antedate
the placer deposits, wherein the pro-
cess of disintegration and concentra-
ton of the latter is even going on
today. 1t is found that the beds of
these ancient river channels are near
ly 900 feet above the present chan
nels of the principal streams. Fro
sion has removed great portion OF
the ancient channels, but it is found
where the volcanic Gaping still re-
mains these channels and the gravel
contents still remain intact. These
deposits are opened up principally by
tunnels, number of which range
from one to four miles in length.
The production in the county from
this source of mining, which is known
as drift mining, is approximately
$70,OOO,OOO. 1t has been estimated
by those who have given it much
study and attention that the length
of ancient river channels remaining
amount to 200 miles. 1t will be seen
in drift mining still remains large.
''In all the years that placer and
drift mining have been carried on but
very little attention has been accord
ed quartz mining. While some atten-
ton has been given these veins and
lodges of gold bearing quartz, the
amount of development is very lin
tied.
1.-THE ore opened up on the Nixon
& Wingfield property lies at the con-
tact between slate hanging wall and
a serpentine foot wall. The rich ore
is from six to twelve inches thick and
lies against the foot wall. Above
this ore body is a body of hematite
several feet thick. This iron contains
but little value. Mr.. Wingfield on
his last trip out to San Francisco
took with him between $60,O00 and
$4,000 in fine gold and nuggets. If
the present showing will hold out
with further development it will
make great mine. Since the story
of the strike has come out many pros
pectors and investors have got in on
the surrounding territory with the
result that much good looking rock is
coming in daily"
Mr.. Rigney, while there, secured
for himself and associates 12O acres
of the adjacent ground lying immedi-
ately north of the Nixon & Wingfield
property. The scene of the strike is
about two miles southeast of Forest
Hill. Railroad connections on the
Southern Pacific are made at Colfax
and Auburn. Colfax lies to the
northwest distance of fifteen miles.
Auburn lies to the southwest dis
lance of twenty miles. Both routes
are over fine roads and run through
thickly timbered and watered coun-
try.