Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-03
BONANZA MINES IN
SNOW CLAD HILLS
OF SIERRA COUNTY
OWNER OF SIXTEEN TO ONE
VISITS LOS ANGELES
Has Rich Specimens Of Gold Found
Buried Under Heavy Gaping OF
Lava Rock--Nature Makes
Prospecting Difficult

Ernest II. Wilson, who owns the Six
teen to One mine, new and rlch gold
producer at Allegheny in Sierra county
concluded some business affairs in Los
Angeles yesterday and left for home
last night.
The camp of Allegheny is located in
a wild section of the steep mountains
Of sierra and presents many difficulties
TO the prospector, not the least OF
which is a heavy Gaping of lava from
90 to 400 feet thick, which effectually
conceals the quartz leads. Placer MN
ing was conducted for many years ana
later crosscut tunnels were driven INTO
the sides of the steep mountains IN
search of old river beds which had
been covered by eruptions. with leg.s-
lation against hydraulic mining, the
industry ceased, but some of the tun-
nels had cut quart Lodges, which caused
activity in lode mining.
The veins of that section are small
but compact, the walls being hard ana
clean. The hanging wall is serpentlne
and the foot wall birdseye porphyry,
and the veins generally have an lncll-
nation Of So to 90 degrees to the east.
the general trend being few degrees
west of north.
Mr.. Wilson bought the Sixteen to
One, then a prospect with no ore OF
consequence in sight, year ago last
September and drove a crosscut 500
feet to the vein. He has since been
making a twenty-inch shoot of ore,
some of which is extremely rich, speci-
mems carrying as high as 50 per cent
in the yellow metal. The gold makes
in a white quartz and is beautiful
specimen ore. The rich portion of the
vein is on and near the hanging wall,
the quartz lying in ribbons and being
literally permeated with coarse gold.
Aside from the rich shoot now being
worked, the Sixteen to one has a goodly
tonnage of free milling ore which runs
$50 per ton. The mine has produced a
large amount of gold since Mr. Wilson
took charge, and has been extensively
advertised by the papers OF northern
California.
The camp Of Allegheny is five miles
from a railroad and high up among the
precipitous mountains, where the snow
lies deep for several months in the
year. Operations are continued during
the winter months. but the miners are
showed in and make no effort to get
into communication with the outside
world.
Among the prominent mines in opera
tion are the Tightner, Rainbow, North
Star, Oriental, Plumbago and Ell Do
rado, of which the North star, Plum
bago and El Dorado have small stamp
mills in operation. An lndeN 10 the
value of the ore in the district is fur
nished by the following excerpt from
the Allegheny correspondent of the
Grass Valley Tidings:
III. L. Johnson last week mortared
up 300 pounds Of specimen rock from
the Tightner mine and was enabled
to bank 10000 worth of gold bullion
as the rusult of It, The ore had been
taken from the mine during its oper-
alton prior to a year ago, and had been
kept at his dwelling for admiration
and exhibition. The robbery of the
Rainbow mill Of specimens and ANAL
gam recently made johnson feel that
the presence of treasure in his dwell
ing might be tempting to burglars, and
he put temptation out Of the way by
gathering up the cabinet and mantel
pieces, paper weights and door stops,
and subjecting them to the bucking
board and pestle and mortar"