Year: 1866

No single pursuit is now occupying so much the
attention of the press and the people as quartz
mining The interest manifested is not confined TO
this coast bat extends to the East. The au-ferous
quartz veins looked upon permanent source
of wealth, and the great success attending their
development during the past year has given new
impetus to the business. Their extent is boundless,
and for years to immense field will be


open to the prospector, while the area in which


mines are proftably worked will be continually in
creased The Mercantile Gazette and Prices Cur


rent in its mining review has the following in


regard to the advancement of this kind OF mining.


.Of the early history of the business in this
State-of its struggles and failures, relieved by but
few cases of success-it is not purpose at this
time to speak. Enough that the pursuit has scr


vived these disasters and is to-day on a firm and


prosperous footing, with very little to cause apper


tensions of its failure That there VIII continue
to be cases of failure and loss hereafter as there


have heretofore been. in the prosecution OF tins


business must be expected. In every calling par


ties viii be found unwilling to comply with the


obvious requirements to success even when wei


understood Incapacitv cupidlty, folly and fraud,


cannot be wholly guarded against. The IniirmItles


of human nature will display themselves in the


quartz mining well as in every other pursuit,


there being, moreover other causes of failnre and


agents Of defeat inherent this business, and which
will often Illustrate the best devised plans and care


fully executed operations. II Is not to be denied
that with all the improvements made and know
ledge gained this branch OF mining Is in many in
still attended with trouble and uncertainty


though not with more. perhaps than Is incident to


most other pursuits in their earlier stages esPecl


ally when undertaken in a new country. However
this may be- one thing is certain the business as
general thing is now being made TO pay and IN
many casses very largely. Where entered upon
with judgement and conducted with prudence the
examples of failure bave been comparatively few
for several years past and with increasing expert


it is but reasonable to infer that the chances
for viii lie all the while improving.


We have always contended that quartz mining,
when intel'igenty and prudently pursued was as
safe as any other business and that the great cause


of failure the want of prudence and knowledge
by those who embarkedin it. The growing opinion
that the business is safe and the yield will be per
manent, has had the excellent effect of destroying
to some extent the spirit of speculation Mining
used to be looked upon as game OF cards, and
men invested money just they risked it upon the


turning of card. The paper above quoted
gives the following cheering picture of quartz
mining:


The expensive and vexations litigation that
hung over 50 many claims, alarming capitalists
more than all other causes combined, has been
pretty well disposed of. The day of useless and
extravasant expenditure, well eXtravagant !
expectation Is also we'll nigh over. In embars ing /
in quartz milling aud mining something of the /
economy and discretion manifested in other affairs


is exhibited aud certain rather than excessively |
large returns ave looked for. With these wise /
changes have OF course come better results. sue
cess has taken the place of failure, and profit has
uret;y generally been substituted fer loss. In fact
these reforms have led TO such advancement in /
practical operations that quartz can be worked /
with gain that the miman could not few years /
ago afford 10 pass through his batteries for all it
contained Thousands Of tons of rock are now /
being worked with profit that would not then pay /
cost of hauling from the mine TO the mill. Five /
and six dollar rock in favorable localities, Is now /
considered a very good thing: whereas the mining 4
enterprises first ini tated were based upon the I
suppo>iton that the quartz would pay from forty +
to sixty dollars per ton, many OF the estimates (
designed as the basis oi business operations beng
much higher. With water power and favorable I
surroundings money now be made crushing /
quartz from which not mora than four dollars per +
ton can be extracted. The average cost of crush /
ing and anal gamating this State Is now about two
dollars per ton some mills performing these OPP
eratons for less than one dollar.


The reduction of the cost Of working, the i'm


provement in the processes and the confidence in


the permsnency OF the quartz mines are encourag-
ing for Butte county. Quartz lodges are abundant
from the Summit to the foothills and throughout


their entire extent prospectus are greatly en-
couraged.