Year: 1874

~ VIC Iooh llttle Walk up
oregon Gulch Mountain, in company
Win Mr.. Simpson, of Cerro Gordo, Inyo
county, j. E. Spencer, of Lodi, San Joa-
quin county, and Capt. Geo. II. Atkins
and ?. Paulsen, of Weavervile. Arriv
ing at the seat Of operations, we found
that the Weaverville Ditch and Hvdraul-
ic Mining Company had not been idle.
but that half-a-mile of the prettiest ditch
we ever saw was completed and another
half-mie nearly graded. The ditch is
four feet wide on the bottom, six and one
half feet on top, three feet deep, and run
on a grade Of 1l.20 feet to the mile. 1t
will carry $500 inches of water this sea-
son, and after becoming settled will carry
5000 inches or more. The line is graded
seven and one-half feet wide and the ex-
cavation made close into the bank, leav-
ing not less than foot of solid earth on
the outside, which greatly strengthens the
ditch and will do much to prevent breaks
and other damage. Thus far the ground
has been of character easily worked,
much of it such that it could be spaded
Most Of the rock is of rotten, seamy
character, easily worked, and but little
blasting has therefore to be done. Mr..
Loveridge, the Company's Engineer, tells
us that the ground already worked is a
fair sample Of that which is to come, as
near as he can judge. No fluming will
be required on the line, which, when
completed, will be nearly four miles in
length, and all ditch. We were some
what surprised to find oyster shells along
the line and, supposing them to be indig-
enous to the soil, made inquiry and were
informed that Jimmy Lands and the
the other boys didn't go to camp at noon,
but lunched on the ditch.


Returning about noon to the Company's
camp at the Mountain House, our party
did ample justice-and more, too, to q
square meal which was set before them,
and which was fully appreciated. Feel
ing greatly refreshed, we again started
oat, this time in company with Mr.. d.
w. George, Superintendent of the work,
to visit the mining property belonging to
the Company.


Near the top of the divide they are en-
gagged in running cut from this they
will tunnel short distance, raise shaft,
and sluice out hole for reservoir. The
site is an excellent one and the extent to
which reservoir may be made is very
great. From this reservoir it is intended
to run the water down ravine and take
it up in pipe short distance above the
claim now being worked by Jas. Ward,
this being the place where the Company
intend doing their first mining. Eleven
hundred feet of 15-inch iron-pipe will be
required to convey the water on the claim
and 250 feet pressure will be used. Much
more pressure can be secured if needed,
but the bank being easy to cut, 250 feet
is considered all sufficient. A 4-foot
fume, of forty boxes, will be put in here,
and the dirt dumped and re dumped, and
run through three 6-foot fumes, of four
boxes each, before it reaches the bed of
gulch several hundred feet below. Under
currents and all other improvements and
appliances for saving gold will be used
extensively. SO much for the proposed
manner Of working.


The gravel deposit forming the Oregon
Gulch Mountain, we are free to assert, is
not equalled by anything of the kind in
the State. The reservoir cut, on top of
the hill, is in gravel Of similar character
and prospects equally as we'll as that being
worked by Mr.. Ward some nine hundred
feet below the summit. The slate bed
rock is more than hundred feet lower
than the level on which Ward is working
and the gravel is of the same character
and quality. If this bedrock goes in OIL
level, as it undoubtedly does, we have
here a gravel deposit Of not less than one
thousand feet in depth, of unknown
bounds-but very extcnsive-and which
prospects very rich wherever it has been
tried. AS to the prospects, from six to
ten cents is frequently found in shovel
full of the gravel, and it is a rare occur
renee to wash shovel-full without OBJ
tanning several colors. The hole, from
which Mr.. Ward has taken some ten
thousand dollars, is not SO large but that
it could have been worked in ten days
with Little Giant and a good head of
water. On the bedrock below, Mr..
Dyer has this Winter been running a
claim-using Wards water-bas already
taken $500 from his fume, and will prob
ably get as much more in cleaning the
bedrock. The piece of ground he has
sluiced off is about equal to half-aday's
work with good rig and plenty of water
1t may seem like exaggeration when we
have moved was so small and paid so
largely, but such are the facts, known to
all who are conversant with the matter
And they did not get a very large propor-
ton of the gold at that. Desiring to
know how much fine gold he lost, Mr..
Ward last Summer washed sixty buckets
of his tailings, in rocker, and realized
five dollars. Eight cents to the bucket,
in tailings, is pretty good itself. This
shows that the gold is certainly there,
and Mr.. George says he is going after it,
and has no fears as to the result. We
have never heard him speculate upon the
probable amount of pay, but with a good
rigging and plenty of water it cannot
fall much below five hundred dollars per
day, and is liable to go to thousand or
eyen hiohar