USA > California > Tuolumne County > A history of Tuolumne County, California : compiled from the most authentic records > Part 31
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GEOLOGY AND MINING.
The Rawhide Ranch Mine is also located on the Mother Lode. Discovered by Hodge and Williamson, it was, in 1876, after several years' prospecting, sold to a New York company for $75,000. The new owners set to work to de- velop it properly, quite a town (Rawhide) springing up in the vicinity. A first-class twenty-stamp mill was put up, and other expensive improvements were introduced at great cost. In two years they had sunk 320 feet on the vein, finding it 25 feet thick at that depth, and lying between slate and serpentine. Suspending operations at that time, nothing of importance has since been done, only one man being employed.
From this mine have come specimens of the so-called "telluride " ore, which is a compound of tellurium with gold, lead and possibly other metals, and which is very valuable, being worth many thousand dollars per ton. It is also found in other localities in this and adjoining coun ties.
Two miles west of the Rawhide is situated the Chaparral, or Labetoure Mine. C. Labetoure & Co. commenced de- veloping the property in 1862, building a five-stamp mill, which was profitably operated for years, working their claim imprudently enough, withal. Pockets amounting to nearly a quarter of a million dollars were taken out of this company's ground, either from the main or neighboring veins. The course of this vein is at right angles to the Rawhide vein, and it shows well at a depth of 120 feet. The present 20-stamp mill has never been profitably run.
(The subject of " Tellurium " ores has been investigated by chemists, in consequence of the discovery in Colorado of comparatively large quantities of these compounds. The tellurides with which miners are mostly concerned are two in number, one containing tellurium with gold principally, the other being composed of the elements tellurium, gold,
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HISTORY OF TUOLUMNE COUNTY.
lead and silver, associated with one or two other metals, which exist in it in less proportion. In order that these two tellurides may be easily identified by the miner and prospector, it may be remarked that these two compounds melt at a low temperature, and on cooling crystallize into hemihedral forms, which circumstance, together with the additional fact of their assuming a grayish color, is proof sufficient to establish their identity. By the use of the proper fluxes, gold may be made to appear to the naked eye, its reduction taking place without much difficulty. Placed in a crucible, with carbonate of soda, the reduction is complete, affording the full proportion of the precious metal on the application of heat. The process of reduction has been said to result in the loss of the contained gold; but this is not so, unless the heat be urged to an undue degree. However, there is no doubt but that the process of reduction of very rich telluride ores is to be best per- formed in those works which are specially fitted up for the purpose.)
The Little Gem Mine, situated near Jamestown, and owned and operated by W. N. Harris, Esq., furnishes a good example of what prudence and business capacity may accomplish. The ten-stamp mill on this mine was erected in 1879, the expense being met by the proceeds of rich ore which was pounded out in a hand-mortar during that time.
The vein is parallel to and 200 feet distant from the Mother Lode. The middle of the vein is the richest, afford- ing many fine specimens, while the sides are of medium milling quality. The history of the Little Gem is a record of success.
Commencing at the main fork of the Stanislaus, there are, between that stream and the south fork, the Tennessee Mine, discovered by Jones and Woodman in 1860, situated on Rose Creek Ridge; the Star Mine, a mile further up the
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GEOLOGY AND MINING.
creek, a property of some value, but whose ore was too base to admit of free milling; the Tiger Mine, adjoining the Star, and owned by the same proprietors, with a three- foot vein, first-rate prospect, and provided with a five-stamp mill; the U. S. Grant Mine, on which a quarter of a million dollars was said to have been spent in exploring, but which was then abandoned; the Riverside, located by Keltz and Keil in 1857, and which is being worked at various inter- vals, chiefly in exploration, but a very valuable property, something neglected. A twenty-stamp mill, well appointed, stands by, having done good service in working the rich rock of this vein.
The above mines, together with several others of less prominence, are on the north side of the south fork. Cross- ing the fork, we come to the Keltz Mine, 1,500 feet above the river. This discovery was made by Keltz in 1862, and an offer of thirty thousand dollars was reported; but too conscious of having a good thing, he preferred to hold on. Under the conduct of Keltz, Brodigan and Sharwood, various shafts have been sunk, developments made and im- provements introduced. The mine now has a twenty- stamp mill, an aerial railway, and a shaft 220 feet in depth showing a three-foot seam. But little is now being done at this mine, two or three men only being employed in extracting ore, which they do on tribute.
A short distance south of the Keltz is the Hazel Dell, a contact vein between slate and granite-a feature that has been supposed to be of the greatest value, but whose promise is not fully carried out in this region. Located in 1863, the ore has run from eight to one hundred and fifty dollars per ton. The present owners are Boston men, who have abandoned the works temporarily or permanently.
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HISTORY OF TUOLUMNE COUNTY.
The Shanghai claim, east of Columbia, has supported the working of a ten-stamp mill for years, but of late the ma- chinery has been removed.
About Tuttletown there are a large number of mines that have some time held permanent places in mining affairs. The pocket lodes have proved very rich indeed, the deposits found in particular instances reaching thirty thousand and even fifty thousand dollars. The leads are in slate, neighboring the limestone range.
The Patterson Mine has been worked with favorable re- sults at odd times for about twenty-five years. It is now owned by D. T. Hughes & Co., who recently purchased the property for the sum of $9,500 and other valuable con- siderations. There is an old twenty-stamp mill on the ground, with other appurtenances. The veinstone consists mostly of a magnesian limestone (dolomitic, perhaps), carrying a considerable percentage of sulphurets, whose richness is very variable.
It has been an axiom with metallurgists that cubic sul- phurets were nearly worthless; but this dictum must give way before the evidence of the discoveries at Tuttletown. There, pyrites, fair cubes of large size, exist, which are thoroughly permeated or interlaced with filaments and sheets of gold; and these rich sulphurets exist to some ex- tent in the Patterson and Eames Mines. But the fact should not be lost sight of that they have not been found to exist largely. Mr. Eames was led into his extravagant outlay of his own and other men's money and labor through a trifling "find " of rich pyritous matter; and no doubt other conceited " scientists " will follow his example, to the injury of the mines and people of Tuolumne.
A half mile or so from Tuttletown is the Atlas, formerly the Waters mine, now owned but not operated by a com- pany of San Francisco speculators, calling themselves the
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Atlas Gold Mining Company. They have an immense de- posit of lime and magnesia carbonate, carrying an infini- tesimal amount of free gold contained in little stringers and threads of quartz, and having a large percentage of exceedingly poor sulphurets, worth probably twenty dollars per ton, or less. . Owing to the extent of the deposit, the mine would be valuable if the vein matter had an average richness of two dollars and a half ; but this it does not seem to have. And, indeed, the concentrations will not pay for working in even the cheapest way. The Atlas is an example of a sulphuret mine-one of the many whose working has been attempted in Tuolumne, but never with success. The only way to realize profit from sulphurets is to gather them up from the concentrators and keep them for sale and shipment to San Francisco. The closest, best manager who ever operated in sulphurets in Tuolumne, failed to make it pay, even with the best appliances, a good mine and eight years' experience.
The Atlas people had neither mine, experience nor skill, consequently they failed. They have, however, a beautiful mill, ornamental, if not useful, containing 10 stamps driven by steam, and having concentrators and other apparatus, making it the best mill in the county.
Thus far the attempts made to utilize the sulphuret de- posits at Tuttletown have been signal failures.
The Golden Gate mine, a mile south of Sonora, on the bank of Woods' Creek, is the only milling vein that has been largely worked in that vicinity. Formerly the rock carried free gold in considerable quantity, but later the only supply of gold was contained within the iron pyrites ("sulphurets"), which exist to the extent of two to three per cent. of the vein matter. Ledge four feet in thickness, ten-stamp mill rather well fitted up, with tramway, concen- trators of divers sorts, and much experimental apparatus.
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Having only sulphurets to extract gold from, and they re- quiring roasting, Mr. H. G. Wetmore, the present Super- intendent and part proprietor, erected an excellent rever- beratory four-hearth furnace, with a soapstone bottom, and also put up chlorination works. But with all these acces- sories he found it impossible to make it pay; $70,000 were extracted, to get which $80,000 had to be expended. Last year the mine shut down, to begin again with greater ad- vantages.
Further down the creek, near Bell's mills, is a very curious deposit of steatite, white, semi-translucent; soften- ing to the aspect of clay, when exposed to the slackening influences of air and moisture. It is several hundred feet wide and a good part of a mile long, and of large depth, having been sunk on to a depth of 80 or 90 feet. This queer deposit contains unlimited amounts of fine looking pyrites, cubic, and of light color and light specific gravity (absence of copper), the whole furnishing a subject of speculation to miners and experts for the last thirty years. At times it has been thought and stated that therein existed vast and inconceivable wealth. A drawback exists in the fact that these sulphurets only assay about two dollars per ton. Aside from this fact, it is truly a bonanza.
The Hyde mine is an apparently valuable claim, lying upon the land of Moses Hyde, Esq., about six miles dis- tant from Sonora. It is as yet but little improved, the explorations consisting of a tunnel some three hundred feet in length, striking the ledge at a depth of a hundred feet from the surface, and from which drifts have been run upon the vein about one hundred feet. Several holes have been sink upon the top of the vein, one in particular penetrating to the drifts mentioned. The vein is of an average thick- ness of six feet, and contains rock which assays in places $50 a ton, or more.
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GEOLOGY AND MINING.
A one-stamp Kendall mill has been put up, and was run for awhile with fair results, but now both mine and mill are idle, though the rock put through has yielded, it is said, $35 per ton, without regarding the sulphurets.
Mr. Hyde informs the writer that the average rock in certain of the chutes will assay as high as $100 per ton.
The best known of the mines at Soulsbyville are the Soulsby, the Platt, the Hobbs & Hall, the Pennsylvania, the Live Oak, the Draper, the Gilson, the Coles & Soulsby, the Wheal Perrin, and the Churchill mines. Of these but two-the Soulsby and Coles & Soulsby claims-are now being worked. Incomparably the greatest of them all, and a mine which would be of importance in any mining region in the world, is the great Soulsby Mine.
Ben Soulsby, Jr., has the honor of having discovered this famous lead. It happened while the young man was en- gaged in sheep-herding and prospecting in that vicinity. Locating the lead, it was soon after that Mr. Soulsby dis- posed of an interest to C. L. Street, Esq., now of Sonora; and the firm of Street & Soulsby worked the mine with good success for a while. Such was the richness of the vein at the surface that in one week sixty-five pounds of gold was extracted. Later in its history it was purchased by B. Davidson, Esq., who sunk the north shaft. Still later, the property was transferred to the English Company which still retains it.
The operations of the present owners have been conducted with the best judgment and a high degree of prudence. Under the former management of Mr. Richard Johns, a very large sum of money was expended for permanent im- provements, everything being in shape for the easy and profitable extraction of ore. The several gentlemen con- nected with the management of the mine-R. Johns, W. Sharwood, and John Leechman-have evinced remarkable
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judgment and foresight in their work. Throughout its career the company has been extremely fortunate in its employés, all of whom have been eminent in their various departments.
The ore from this vein is usually a purple-hued or white quartz, containing free gold to the extent of $100 per ton in some of the richer chutes, together with auriferous pyrites, also notably rich. The vein is nowhere of great thickness, its usual size being about a foot, and occasionally three times that. The country rock is granite; but singu- larly enough the vein is found inclosed in slate of a very compact texture below the depth of sixty feet.
The underground works are very extensive, including as they do two shafts, the deeper of which is over 600 feet, and a system of levels for each succeeding hundred feet.
Repeatedly it has been supposed that the mine was ex- hausted; but further judicious explorations discovered valu- able deposits, and a " boom" again and again resulted. At present there is a report of rich discoveries having been made, and this, it is to be hoped, is true, for the good of Soulsbyville, whose almost sole dependence is this mine.
The mine is equipped with the best and most complete hoisting works, pumping apparatus, etc., in use in this county. The two shafts, situated at a distance of several hundred feet apart, are each provided with hoisting works, and the pumps of the great size needed. Either steam or water power can be used, at pleasure, for running the various machinery, there being hurdy-gurdy wheels driven by water under a head of 300 feet or so, and in case of drought or accident, three powerful steam-engines stand ready to be attached to the stamps, the pumps, the hoisting reel, and the air compressor. Everything, therefore, is conducted and arranged in the most efficient manner. A great part of the work below ground is done by contract,
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that system proving the most profitable, both to the owners and the miners.
As in the case of nearly all of the mining companies of this speculative age, it is impossible to secure the true statements of the yield of this mine. Such being the case, the figures given in most cases being unreliable, it has been deemed best to omit any estimate or guess at the production of nearly every claim. In this connection it is remarked that the total yield of the Soulsby Mine is variously stated at from $600,000 to $3,000,000.
The Pennsylvania, the Hobbs & Hall, and the Platt mines, all lie to the southward of the Soulsby, and some of them upon the same vein. Although these mines are now idle, and have been so for years, it is represented that they are not exhausted by any means, but that work has ceased from various causes, particularly from the presence of water in quantities too great to be controlled without the erection of pumping apparatus of great cost. It is to be hoped, and expected too, that in time capital may be in- duced to assist in the work of extracting the decidedly rich rock which is thought to still exist in them, and in their neighbor, the Gilson or Raymond Mine.
Both the Wheal Perrin and the Gilson claims deserve · future attention, inasmuch as promising deposits of valu- able sulphuretted ores have been discovered in both of them. In the latter a tunnel 700 feet long was iun, years ago, with a shaft 125 feet deep in connection with it, ex- posing an ore chute eighteen inches thick, a continuation of the same vein on which the Soulsby, Johnson & Brad- bury, Pennsylvania and Platt mines are situated. A ten- stamp mill was formerly in operation upon this mine, and it, in times past, has turned out considerable money. The same is true of the neighboring claims between it and the Soulsby.
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GEOLOGY AND MINING.
Southeast some half mile is the Live Oak mine, em- bracing 1,500 feet of a ledge of pretty good rock, which at a depth of 80 feet, is a yard wide, paying about $10 per ton in free gold, and in addition, containing a considerable percentage of sulphurets, which assay $440 per ton.
A mile or so above Soulsbyville is the claim of Coles & Soulsby. Discovered many years ago, and located and re- located many times, it eventually fell into the hands of the present proprietors, Messrs. J. L. Coles and Ben Soulsby. These gentlemen have within a year or two sunk two shafts, connected them by drifts, and explored the mine suffi- ciently to demonstrate the existence of very valuable ore. The vein exists in pretty hard granite, and contains "horses" to a great extent, near the surface, it being in fact entirely split up and mingled with the country rock. The quartz is hard, of a purple cast, contains a very high proportion of sulphurets of the richest description, besides yielding free gold to an uncommon extent. Certain lots have been worked, which yielded $60 per ton by arastra process. These figures would have been immensely increased had the sulphurets been saved.
There is no mill on the mine. The pumping and hoist- ing works, driven by water power, miracles of ingenuity in their way, were built upon the ground by Mr. Soulsby.
Of the above mentioned claims, work is being done on but one, the Soulsby, where perhaps twenty men are em- ployed, and semi-occasionally a little is done upon the Coles & Soulsby. To an unprejudiced observer it would seem as if a greater degree of activity should take place in that region, there being several claims of known value which are not being worked, besides a number the indica- tions of which promise great wealth.
Around Summersville little has been doing in quartz for many years, though at one time the village was the center
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GEOLOGY AND MINING.
of a considerable business in that line. In former days the Eureka mine was worked with success, its main shaft attaining a depth of 700 feet, but its mill has now fallen, the clang of the stamps has ceased, and with its decay the village too has suffered, until now the place is the acme of quietness.
Cherokee, formerly celebrated for its rich placers, which supported a large population in the palmy days, and later on assumed credit for its neighboring quartz veins, is now nearly deserted. A few Italians and Chinese only inhabit the place and no work is being done upon the veins.
The Easton claim is situated at Arastraville, where the country rock is granite. There is a shaft 100 feet deep, with 80 feet of stopes, exposing three distinct veins of first- rate rock, rich in gold-bearing sulphurets and free gold. Much of the mineral is said to assay $85 to $100 per ton. No machinery is in use except a horse-whim. This is the most promising mine in the vicinity, and may be the best new claim in the county. No efforts are being made to de- velop it, the desire being to sell out; $30,000 is said to have been offered, but $50,000 was demanded.
The Confidence mine, three miles north of Soulsbyville, was discovered in 1853. Little work was done toward de- veloping it until 1867, when it came into the possession of Holladay, the stage man, who instituted a thriving order of things. The present 40-stamp mill, driven by an en- gine of sufficient size, was built, with hoisting works com- plete, and an air compressor for the Burleigh drills. A year was spent in these improvements, when the mine com- menced yielding largely, paying the owner half a million dollars net, from a gross yield of $800,000 or so. Thus the Confidence came to occupy the front rank in the list of Tuolumne's quartz mines, being equalled only by the Soulsby in extent and income.
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HISTORY OF TUOLUMNE COUNTY.
In 1878 Holladay sold out to Messrs. Davis, Baker and Hamilton, who, employing William Simons as Superinten- dent, continued work with good results. At present the mine is idle, but it is worked spasmodically, with probably indifferent success.
The lode has a course N.W. and S.E., is variable in width, averaging may be three feet betwen the walls, but occasionally rising to fifteen feet. The ore is free milling, containing but little sulphurets, and is worked by the usual battery-and-sluice amalgamation process, with subsequent concentration of the sulphurets. Arastras have been in use to treat the tailings, but with what success has not been stated.
The greatest depth attained is 800 feet. From the work- ing incline run six levels, from 400 to 1,800 feet each in length, furnishing the most extensive system of under- ground workings in the county. The gross out-put has been something over a million dollars, it is said.
Up on the North Fork of the Tuolumne River, and in Spring Gulch, are situated a number of important mines. The chief of these are the New Albany, Grizzly, Bonito, Consuelo, Starr King, Spring Gulch, Buchanan, Hunter, and Lewis mines. Most of these have been and still are regarded as valuable. Some have been developed, the New Albany shaft reaching a depth of 800 feet. It has a good ten-stamp mill, and other corresponding improve- ments, but has never paid. The owners for eight years came up in the handsomest manner to the payment of assessments, but finally gave it up.
The Grizzly also has a mill (20-stamps, water power), has got down 400 feet, and is said to have a good vein; but is now idle. So, too, are the Bonito and Consuelo; each of which have had a 20-stamp mill, and have expended some money in developing.
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The Starr King is now being worked by its owner, Mr. Leechman, of the Soulsby Mine. It has a five-stamp mill, and is regarded as a fine property. The Spring Gulch Mine, three miles from the New Albany, has been explored about 500 feet deep, the vein being ten feet wide in some places. It has a ten-stamp mill over a mile from the mine, run by water power.
The Hunter Mine, for a long time owned by W. G. Long, Esq., recently was sold to an Eastern company, who commenced work thereon, but shortly after ceased. What their ultimate action will be is not known.
The Lewis Brothers have a mine in the " Rig Basin," which they have held on to for a long time, working it in a homeopathic sort of way occasionally. Their rock is good. The writer has seen average or under average lots of it that assayed $60 per ton; part of this fine gold, part in the galena and arsenical pyrites along with it. Although these gentlemen cannot be said to have exerted themselves much in improving their property, yet there comes the unavoida- ble reflection that their course of action has been as useful to the people of the county, and far more honorable in every way than the course which has been followed by Eastern and San Francisco "capitalists" (imaginary) who have so largely "invested" in Tuolumne's mines, but whose line of action has generally been to fleece all who are un- wary enough to trust to their honesty. Hence we may con- clude that it is better to trust to the sure enterprise of residents, who are honorable, if not wealthy, than to base fictitious hopes upon the promises of speculators whose record, as a usual thing, is that of scheming swindlers.
Down at Groveland there are one or two locations that have been of note in the past, as well as some newer ones that have been known of late.
The Mount Jefferson is a sulphuret lead, 20 feet wide
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HISTORY OF TUOLUMNE COUNTY.
between the walls (in places), which has been explored to a depth of 250 feet. It has a steam mill (ten-stamps) with a small chlorination works. It has been worked at various times for several years. Now , a new trial is to be made with a good prospect of success.
The Mormon Mine has been worked for the last twenty years, and, like the others, is in the slate belt.
Mr. Ben. Hunter has recently discovered a lead that promises to prove of value. From it he has extracted forty tons of rock which paid him twenty-two dollars per ton. In addition there are sulphurets to a large extent in it. Mr. H. is constructing hoisting works, etc., to properly explore his property.
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