Year: 1874

The season is now far enough advanced
for something of Judgment to be formed,
as TO the probable success Of the mining
interest in the various parts of The county,
and from all we can gather the result of
the seasons operations promises to equal
the most sanguine expectations Of those
engaged in this pursuit While we have
been unable to obtain the gross amounts
taken out ofthe large claims, we have
still learned sufficient to warrant the as
sertionl thai the Yield of the Trinity mines
will exceed that Of any former season we
have had for many years-even when a
much larger number of men were en-
ployed in this pursuit. Two clrcnm-.
stances have com bined to produce this re-
suit. The season has been favorable in
the large amount Of rain and snow which
has fallen, and in nearly all the heavy
claims mining has been carried on with
the new appliances first introduced here
couple of years ago. The seasons are not
under our control and it may be years be-
fore we are blessed with another so favor
able to the pursuit of this industry, but in
the general introduction and use of the
improved machinery with which mining
is now carried on, this section has taken a
step forward which will insure success in
future years TO fully as great an extent as
it has in the present one when all attend
ant circumstances are considered.


1t has been fairly demonstrated this
year that by the use Of large pipe and gi-
ants, great extent of mining ground
heretofore deemed worked out and value
less, can be made to pay remunerative
wages. Ground which has beer worked
over where the main lead was found, gen
orally proved proftless for further work.
ing by the slow processes formerly in use,
but, when there is no difficulty in the way
of obtaining dumping ground, with a
fair supply of water the rejected parts of
such claims are rich enough to yield good
returns as mining will henceforth be car
ried on. The Trotter g. Smiley claim, on
Smiths Flat, may be cited as Illustrative
Of this fact. Smiths Flat paid well when
worked by the common hydraulic for a
number Of years. But as the distance
from the dump" was extended while tho
bank showed a constantly increasing
depth, the cost Of digging long and deep
bed rock bitches at comparatively short
distances apart, and the slow manner in
which the top dirt was swept off, left the
gross returns at a low figure, while ex-
penses increased from year to year and
in the end left no margin for profit.
! Claims of this character, had, of course,
to be abandoned, and could be purchased
at nominal figure. Yet all such aban-
doned claims are valuable just in proper
ton to their extent. The ''giants do the
work Of halt dozen hydraulics, the work
of cutting costly bedrock bitches is re-
dueed to less than half. And more i'm
portant item is that the danger TO life and
limb is trivial in comparison to what it
was in other years.


Taken altogether the prospects of our
county for the future have frightened
greatly within the past year, and we can
look confidently forward for this state of
affairs TO continue. The increased gold
| yield of the season cannot fail to have a
stimulating effect upon all branches of in
dustry dependent upon tho successful
prosecution OF mining, and the success of
the new enterprises inaugurated during
to encourage others to embark in the
same channels. The outlook for our
county is certainly most favorable.