The San Francisco call., 1913-08-17

Vile, so as TO enjoy the beauties OF the
entire distance by daylight
Although rising gradually to an alti-
tude of 1880 feet at Placerville, the
autoist driving from Sacramento will
pass through comparatively level
country of grazing land that only
awaits the proper conServati tion and dis
tribution of the vast water supplies of
the American and Costumes rivers and
their tributaries to become as product
i've as any in the Sacramento valley,
that is as rich as the delta of the
Nile. One of the first things that at
tracts attention on nearing Placer
Vile is the "cut" in the Sacramento
hill made by the hydraulic miners
whose work has been stopped in the
interest of the cultivators of the soil.
but which gives q good Idea OF how the
gold bearing gravel of the old river
channels has been capped" by the flow
of lava, thousands of years ago, from
some now extinct volcano. perhaps
Mount Tallac, whose snow embellished
peaks have been seen in the distance,
about 5000 feet higher up and so miles
to the east When told that the top
of the Sacramento hill was a river
bed, the visitor is apt to ask where is
the river and what made the deep can
yons like that in which Placerville has
been built
The river-the south fork of the
American river-now flows three miles
north of Placerville and at Coloma,
eight miles distant. is 1900 feet lower.
Or perhaps Ii was the Costumes,
now about eight miles south, which Is
about the same elevation as the Sac
ramento hill. although separated by
lower ground. Maybe both flowed to-
gether in one immense stream. but
-
one thing is certain, the old river was
diverted from its channel, probably
by a volcanic eruption and assures of
great depth and miles wide were cut
by the overfowing waters, whose for
mer bed was filled up with lava. un-
der which the precious gold grew like
cobwebs in deserted cellar.
This may read like a fairy tale to
those who are imbued with the old
notion that the gold was belched
from the bowels of the earth. but it
has been demonstrated almost con-
clusively from the formation in which
the gold Is found In Ell Dorado county
that X is produced by the action of
water on certain mineral salts: chrys-
talized, that is, like the spars that are
found In caverns, sometimes lodging
in other minerals that become quartz
and at other times in gravel or clay,
taking fantastic forms from the sub
stances, such as leaves or shells, upon
which it was originally deposited.
PLANTED WITH FRUIT TREES
1t is the belief OF many this
gold is more ancient than the up
heaval by which the water courses
were changed and the canyons cut
into the surrounding country is shown
by the fact that there are other nu-
merous points in the county at the
same level as the Sacramento hill
with gold deposits In gravel beds that
were also river channels. With the
exception of the Pacific mine puild-
ings on Cannon hill. there Is nothing
within sight as the tourist enters
Placervi1le to indicate mining town.
Instead the side hills are planted with
fruit trees, which are seen all along
the road for many miles, notwith-
standing the fact that most of the
best ranches are some distance from
the road.
One of the surprises for the Indiana
automobile party at Placerville is a
huge banner stretched across Main
street, with the inscription, Come to
our Bartlett Pear Show, August 2s-3o."
Each Of the 150 members of the party
was given a basket containing an as
sortment of Ell Dorado county fruit,
with a similar invitation from the
Board of Trade. This will be the first
exhibition OF the kind in Placerville
and Is intended to attract attention to
the fact that Bartlett pears constitute
the best crop of the county. Growers
in all parts OF California have been in
vited to exhibit pears. peaches and
plums, and $1,000 In cash and many
valuable silver trophies, agricultural
implements and other articles useful TO
ranchers have been offered az prizes.
There are SO many interesting fea-