Year: 1859

up Deer Greek, on Saturday =
1t was during the summer of 1887
that the attention Of quartz miners
was first called to the existence of
gold bearing lodes in this vicinity
The first discovery of quartz was
made by accident. A good-for-nbs
thing half-wit by the name OF Beach,
rambling over the hills, happened to
espy piece of rock oil the top of a
mountain, and constitutional weari-
ness as well as idle curiosity brought
him to his launches to examine it,
Gold was seen in the rock and soon
after, number of tons having been
crushed from the lead discovered
near the spot and found rich. pros-
pectors began to rush in to the hith-
erto tenantless locality: In one year
from the discovery by Beach proba-
bly two hundred men had tried the
hills in all directions in sGarEh of
quartz, and one year ago one hundred
and fifty tnen found employment in
the vicinity of the place of the first
discovery during most ofthe summer
months. Now, however, the number
from various causes, has dwindled
down to about forty, who are mostly
employed in getting out quartz for, or
working in the Oriental mill, under
the supervision of Mr.. Paul.


More than dozen leads have been
opened in the Monte Sana district,
none of which rank as No. in rich
ness, if we except perhaps the Le-
compton, which varies from 6 to so
dollars to the ton. The Quartz being
mostly of low value requires skill,
experience and judgment to make it
pay. Mr.. Paul being an old miner
from Lake Superior, and having been
wise enoBgh to procure one of How
lands rotary batteries. as well as to
adopt the best modes of amalgama-
ting, has succeeded in running out the
two other mills which had been erec
ted on the creek, and at this time the
Oriental is doing smashing business
at the rate of 20 tons in ga hours
One of she other mills at the time OF
our visit was being removed to the
Old Wyoming lead about mile be.
low town.


The Oriental has an engine oi
twenty-five horse power and drives
twelve stamps The amalgamatina
apparatus is succession of mercuri
allied copper plates over which the
pulverized quartz is borne from the
battery by water. Blankets succeed
the plates, which are taken out and
washed occasionally, and the sand
caught is ground by an arrastra to &
fine paste or ihdd which is run
through amachine of Mr.. Paui's owr
invention which allows slow dis.
charge of the mud upon screel
shaking horizontally and plentiful
supply of water. The gold falls
through the screen upon a mereurial;
lied plate and is collected there
About two tons out of fifty crushed
in the battery is ground in the arrasi
ira and yields by the last process
enough to add another dollar per tor
to the proceeds of the rock crushed.
The Oriental mill commenced ope.
rations in January 1853. and in one
year and nine months it has beer
running has crushed it is estimated
sixty thousand tons of rock. The
owners are managing judiciously
purchasing interests in the lead,
round about, and doing everything
on an economical plan. A railroad
a mile in length connects the Orien
tai mill with the principal leads
above, on which a small mule is con.
stantly employed drawing carloads OF
rock.


In no place has politics been more
closely connected with mining than
in this locality, and in no case has
blind Fortune been more true &c
names. The Lecompton lead is the
most popular of all. Then comes the
Buchanan, Cass. Douglas. &c The
Cass, since the celebrated letters OF
our prime minister on naturalization,
begins to peg "ut. A lead called the
"Lime Pointer" is far up on the
mountain side and .'out of reach"


The Lee mpton runs across noun
tain in the bend of Deer Creek and is
worked at the ends by nine tunnels
and in scientific style. Tile lode runs