USA > California > History of California, Volume VI > Part 42
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376
UNFOLDING OF MINERAL WEALTH.
Southward the deposits diminished in quantity and quality. Mariposa county could still boast of valuable
in 1845, had in 1855 over 75 votes. It was overshadowed by Jamestown, the American camp of 1849, which in 1850 aspired to the county seat, and in 1855 had a vote of 300. Northward lay Shaw Flat, once claiming 2,000 inhabi- tants; Springfield, on Mormon Creek; Gold Springs, noted for its pure gold; Saw Mill Flat, where the bandit Murietta had his headquarters a while; Co- lumbia, which in 1855 polled 974 votes; Yankee Hill, noted for its nuggets, had in 1856 some 400 miners. Jackass Gulch of 1848, was one of the richest. Most of these settlements lay on Woods Creek, which is said to have yielded more gold than any stream of similar size. There were also Brown Flat, Mormon Gulch, and Tuttletown of 1848-9, Montezuma, Chinese Camp, started with Chinese labor and the headquarters of Mongolians, once having 300 votes, Jacksonville, Yorktown, the last three of 1849, Poverty Hill, Algerine, Curtis- ville, Sullivan's, and Humbug. On the Tuolumne Stevens, Red Mountain, Hawkins', Indian, Texas, Morgan, Don Pedro, and Rodgers were the largest bars in 1850, and still of note in 1855. Southward extended Big Oak Flat, with Garrote 1 and 2. A feature of the county is Table Mountain, a mass of basaltic lava on an average 150 feet thick from 1,200 to 1,800 feet wide and some 30 miles long, which once pouring down the deep bed of an ancient stream, forced the waters aside, and in cooling assumed the serpentine shape of the channel. Meanwhile the ejected waters wore away the banks on either side and left the lava in isolated prominence. Five years passed ere the miners were led by streaks around to discover that the bed of the filled river was immensely rich in coarse gold of a high quality, especially in the Sonora region, for the section extending into Calaveras was less rich. The excite- ment concerning it arose in 1855, when one claim of 100 feet square was found to have yielded $100,000, and journals vied in presenting glowing estimates. S. F. Bulletin, Oct. 19, Dec. 1-5, 17, 1835; Jan. 21, 28, Mar. 5, July 26, 1856; Nev. Jour., Nov. 2, 1855; Alta Cal., Nov. 1, 10-12, 21, Dec. 24, 1855; Jan. 21, Feb. 3, Mar. 16, Nov. 26, 1856; Sac. Union, Oct. 29, 1855, etc. Claims were taken up all along the base and ou the summit, with consequent con- flicts, and tunnels driven in close succession, some reaching a layer of pay dirt several feet in thickness, which produced $20 or more to the pan, others obtaining little or nothing to compensate their costly efforts. Tunnels were also numerous along the auriferous belt, whose rich veins revived the droop- ing prospects of many a camp. The best yield was at Soulsby, but James- town and other points boasted valuable ledges. Bours stumbled upon a vein yielding 50 per cent of gold. Sac. Transcript, Feb. 1, 1851. Surface placers, while long sustained, passed in 1855 largely into hydraulic claims, supplied by a number of ditches. The Columbia and Stanislaus were over 40 miles long, and the Tuolumne Big Oak Flat canal was begun in May 1856 for a 75-mile course, costing over $20,000. S. F. Bulletin, Jan. 7, Dec. 5, 1856; Alta Cal., July 9, 1853; May 17, 1855; Dec. 30, 1856; Sac. Union, Nov. 7, 1854; Apr. 16, 1855; Tuolumne Directory, 25, 54, 74, etc. These assisted to maintain a yield which in 1856 was estimated round Sonora alone at from $40,000 to $60,000 weekly. Caldwell's claim at Shaw Flat gave 289 ounces in two days, and Read's 40 Ibs in four days. A claim at Middle Bar yielded 30 ounces daily, and at Columbia 4 Ibs per week. Id., June 6, 1855, etc .; Alta Cal., Jan. 29, 1853; Jan. 4, 1854; May 2, 1855; Apr. 7, Sept. 22, 1856; S. F. Bulletin, Dec. 3, 1855; Mar. 7, Apr. 4, 1856. See also these journals, passim, for local and general accounts. A portion of the Tuolumne wealth extended into the val- ley country of Stanislaus, where bars were worked for years upon the Stanis- laus and the Tuolumne, particularly round Knight Ferry and La Grange, or French Camp, for a time county seat, and very flourishing in 1854-5. San Joaquin county had a similar sınaller streak of mining along its eastern bor- der. For particulars, see above general references; and Alta Cal., Dec. 23, 1852; Jan. 19-21, 1853; Feb. 18, 1854; Dec. 22, 1855, etc .; S. F. Bulletin, Apr.
377
SILVER REGION.
surface layers along the Merced and Bear Creek, which attracted a considerable number of diggers, particularly below Horshoe Bend on Merced River, and near Quartzburg; but on the Mariposa, Chow- chilla, Fresno, and San Joaquin they diminished to small proportions, disappearing in Tulare county. Beyond this they were again discovered in 1853, and led to the brief Kern River excitement of 1854-5. Bank and gravel claims also faded, with a correspond- ingly decreasing demand for hydraulic methods. The chief wealth of the section consisted of quartz; and although the mother lode tapers rapidly, it still makes a good display in Mariposa, dividing here into two veins which a number of mines opened. This county is entitled to the distinction of the first discovery of such veins in California, on Fremont's grant, in 1849; but development was obstructed, not only by the early obstacles hampering this branch, but by liti- gation and lack of energy. Kern River revealed several ledges of value, and above there the Sierra Nevada disclosed a large number, especially of silver, extending into Tulare county and southward ; but being less accessible and rich, they had to bide their time. The real silver region lies on the eastern slopes of the Sierra and beyond, in Alpine, Mono, Inyo, and San Bernardino counties, each containing some gold, which in the last named is found also in gravel;36 but lack of wood and water tended here to discourage early efforts. 37
4-5, May 10, July 24, 1856; Sac. Union, Nov. 4, 1854; Mar. 12, June 18, July 28, Sept. 27, Nov. 5, 1855. Eastward, the auriferous bodies passed into Mono county, beyond the Sierra Nevada, but the limited placers round Mono- ville were soon exhausted, and elsewhere the prospect was poor. Quartz was, however, in due time to produce activity here. Monoville possessed a ditch of 20 miles.
36 For allusions to Alpine and Mono, see Amador and Tuolumne sections, to which they belonged in early years.
37 In Mariposa county, which at first included Fresno and Merced, the shal- low, spotted placers were of smaller extent than in Tuolumne; yet the rich discoveries made at times sufficed to attract diggers. Instance reports in Pac. News, May 25, June 4, Ang. 23, Oct. 28, 1850; C'al. Courier, Oct. 5, 1850; S. F. Picayune, Nov. 26, 1850. In Nov. 1851, Bear Valley created an excite- ment by the report of six persons obtaining $220,000 in four days. At Bear Gulch near Quartzburg, some Mexicans were said to have taken out a
378
UNFOLDING OF MINERAL WEALTH.
The junction of the Sierra Nevada with the Coast Range, both at the north and at the south, brought
similar amount. Martin's Narr., MS., 54-5. In Drunken Gulch and at Cunningham's rancho near Princeton new ground was opened in 1854, and at Snelling's on the Merced, a river which supplied many profitable races. The section between Horseshoe Bend and Washington Flat was producing largely in 1856, and at Red Banks $20 a day was obtained, yet some made from $100 to $200, mostly in pieces of from 25 cents to $20. Hornitos yielded by lumps, partly of decomposed quartz. Mariposa Creek, worked since 1851, was paying $3 to $1 a day in 1856. Chowchilla, Fresno, and San Joaquin rivers had each their placers. Coarse Gold Gulch, which though prominent in 1851, declined under Indian hostilities; Fine Gold Gulch rose later; Root- ville revived under the name of Millerton, and Indian Gulch, Mounts Ophir and Bullion, Agua Frio and Mormon Bar flourished a while. Jamestown, Junc- tion Bluff, and Coulterville stood in high repute. Many details are given in Mariposa Chronicle, Dec. 8, 1854, etc .; Id., Gaz., June 27, 1873, etc., with reproduction of early records; Alta Cal., Jan. 16, 1852; Mar. 1, 13, 1854; Apr. 16, Oct. 1, 1855; Jan. 7, 26, July 12, Sept. 13, 22, Oct. 12, Nov. 4, 29, Dec. 27, 1856; S. F. Bulletin, Jan. 7, 12, 19, Aug. 5-7, 29, Sept. 13, 20, 26, 1850; Dec. 5, 1854; Oct. 1, 17, 20, Nov. 13, 1855; also 1856, passim. Bank diggings and gravel claims were limited, and consequently tunnelling and hydraulic works, with few ditches. Alta Cal., Mar. 26, Sept. 28, 1856. The valley section, later formed into Merced county, shared in its north-east part in placer min- ing. The veta madre tapers off in this region, and divides on Fremont's grant into two veins, Pine Tree and Josephine, upon which a number of mines opened in course of time. Princeton was the centre of another group opened in 1852, which at first yielded $75 per ton. The first discovery of California quartz veins was made on Fremont's grant in 1849, the reddish samples yield- ing 2 ounces to every 25 lbs, as Taylor testifies. Eldorado, i. 110-11. Sub- sequent developments by others showed 6 or 8 lbs to 50 lbs of rocks, and $2,500 to 100 lbs. Pac. News, Sept. 7, 1850; Sac. Transcript, June 29, Nov. 29, 1850. On Maxwell Creek a bowlder of 124 lbs was literally striped with gold. Alta Cal., July 15, 1851. According to J. Duff, in Mariposa Gaz., Jan. 17, 1873, a quartz-mill, the first in Cal. with steam-engine, was brought by him for Fremont and planted near Mariposa as early as August 1849, but this should probably read 1850; see later about quartz-mills; four other mills were erected in 1850, two by J. Johnson, and the others by Capt. Howard and by I. R. Morris for Com. Stockton. Palmer, Cook, & Co. took charge of Fremont's claim, and uniting with a London company made large profits. The first week's crushing yielded $18,000. Sac. Transcript, Jan. 14, Feb. 14, 1851; June 29, 1850. One party sold a vein at Burns for $55,000. Frémont's agent was accused of swindling English capitalists by representing purchased quartz as coming from his Mariposa lead. Morn. Globe, Aug. 19, 1856. Litigation in- terfered with development on this estate; elsewhere rich croppings continued to be found, as at Hornitos and Johnson Flat. Near Mariposa the yield was in 1856 reported at $43 per ton. Pac. News, May 15, Oct. 4, 1850, and Picayune, May 15, Sept. 7, 1850, allude to numerous lumps from $4,500 downward. The poorest quartz veins yield $120 per ton. Alta Cal., Jan. 3, Feb. 20, 1854; Dec. 13, 1856; Sac. Union, Feb. 5, 28, May 4, 1855; S. F. Bulletin, Jan. 7, Aug. 25, 1856, etc .; Hist. Fresno Co., 87-9, 187, etc .; Hist. Merced Co., So, etc. Southward no placer deposits of any note were found till 1853-4, when Kern River revealed specimens, including lumps, one of 42 ounces, which soon pro- duced the Kern River excitement. This was wholly overdone, for the de- posits proved limited in extent. A few parties made from $16 to $60 daily, others were content with $5 to $8, but the majority failed to obtain satisfac- tory returns. The quality was also inferior, assaying only $14 per ounce. The discovery was made by immigrants. Bakersfield South. Cal., June 8, Nov. 23, 1876, etc .; South. Cal., Dec. 7, 1854; Fresno Expositor, June 22, 1870;
379
LOS ANGELES AND SAN DIEGO.
the auriferous strata nearer to the ocean, although in greatly attenuated form. It was this approximation in the south that led to the first discovery of gold in California, in Los Angeles county, as explained else- where. After being long neglected for the richer slopes of the Sierra, this region again received atten- tion, and with improved methods the limited placers were made to yield fair profits. The chief result was the revelation of valuable quartz leads, extending into San Diego county, upon which a number of mines opened in later years. Northward the coast counties presented only slight scattered indications of gold, which, however, unfolded in Santa Cruz, along the San Lorenzo, into a limited placer and quartz field, and later attracted a certain attention in Marin county. Beyond this another barren expanse intervened till the approach once more of the auriferous Sierra Nevada became apparent in the rich earth and rock of Trinity and adjoining counties. Yet the central coast region was not devoid of mineral wealth. It contained some coal, the leading quicksilver mine of the world, and other metals, consonant with the solfataric nature of the determining range, the proper
Havilah Courier, Sept. 8, 1866; Sac. Union, Dec. 1854-May 1855; Alta Cal., id., and scattered items in later numbers; Hayes' Angeles, ii. 102-8, 258, 272; Id., Mining, v. 122-42 There had been a rush in 1851 to Kern. Alta Cal., July 22, 1851. The deposits led to more encouraging quartz lodes, at Whiskey Flat, later Kernville, Keysville, Havilah, etc .; for which mills began to be erected. While not extensive, the veins have proved rich, some assaying at 16 cents per lb. S. F. Bulletin, Dec. 26, 1855; Alta Cal., Oct. 20, 1855; Mar. 31, 1856, etc .; Hist. Kern Co., 101, 110-13, 151. High in the Sierra were more extensive indications, chiefly of silver, whereof Tulare county had her share, but being less rich and accessible they had to bide their time. Above the water line the ores were easy to reduce, but not so the main sulphureted bodies below. On Clear Creek, in Tulare, the veins were from 2 to 6 feet thick. East of the Sierra the regular silver district was about to unfold in Inyo county in Panamint Mountains, near the main deflection of the Amar- goso at Mojave desert, and at Lone Pine along the west base of Inyo Mts, the latter with much gold, and assaying $100 to $300 per ton. The lack of wood and water together with hostile Indians were here serious obstacles, which applied also to San Bernardino county, wherein the continuation of these leads extended. Here a limited placer field with gravel was found at Lytte Creek, which awaited ditches for thorough working. Soule penetrated to the Amar- goso iu 1850, found rich specimens, formed a company, but spent money in vain. Stat., MS., 3-4. Others tried and failed. Sac. Transcript, Nov. 29, 1850; Hayes' Mining, v. 111-22; Alta Cal., Aug. 26, 1852; Sac. Union. Jan. 18, Oct. 12, Nov. 14, 1855.
380
UNFOLDING OF MINERAL WEALTH.
development of which pertains to the period covered by my next volume. 38
38 In 1851 several slight excitements were stirred up by prospectors in the coast region, and in Los Angeles the old San Fernando field was reopened. Sac. Transcript, Feb. 14, 1851; Hayes' Mining, v. 110-20; Janssen, Vida, MS., 221. In 1854 Santa Anita received a rush; the gravel claims of San Gabriel Canon were then worked with moderate success, encouraging the construction of ditches, and subsequently quartz was developed of promising quality, the region round Soledad Pass revealing silver. Alta Cal., Feb. 19-22, 1854; Dec. 29, 1856; Sac. Union, Jan. 10, Mar. 28, Apr. 18, May 9, 1855; Hayes' Mining, v. 116-20, 143, et seq .; L. A. Ere. Express, May 29, 1872. In 1856 Sta Catalina Island was found to contain veins, which it was in later times proposed to open. S. F. Bulletin, June 12, 1856; L. A. Herald, Dec. 23, 1874. San Diego also gave indications which in later times led to the opening of several veins. Alta Cal., March 19, 1855; Hayes' S. Diego, i. 94. North of Los Angeles the prospect faded, with small indications in Sta Bárbara and Ventura, S. F. Bulletin, Oct. 15, 1855; and with very limited developments in later years in S. Luis Obispo. Hist. S. L. Ob. Co., 248-53. In Santa Cruz, however, both ledges and placers were revealed which gave employment to a small number of men. The padres are supposed to have known of their existence, but kept it secret. In 1851 Anson discovered placers on Guada- lupe Creek, but yielding only $3 or $4 a day, they were neglected till 1853, Placer Times, June 27, 1853, when remunerative spots were found also on S. Lorenzo Creek. Alta Cal., July 29, 1853. Trask, Geol., pointed to auriferous signs from Soquel to Point Año Nuevo. In 1854 a rich bowlder was found on Graham Creek. In 1855 Gold Gulch on the San Lorenzo yielded from $3 to $10 a day, and lasted for several years. Quartz was also found, and a large number of companies took up claims; but the first promise was not sustained. Hayes' Mining, 399-403; Sac. Union, July 21, Nov. 7, 1855; S. F. Bulletin, June 19, 1856. Attempts were also made at beach mining. In Monterey county a ripple was created by a placer at Pacheco Pass, which for a brief period yielded from $5 to $9 a day. Sac. Transcript, Feb. 14, 28, 1851; S. F. Picayune, Jan. 26, 1851. In 1855-6 San Antonio Creek attracted attention with a yield of $3 to $5 a day, and occasional richer developments; also Cow Creek. Sac. Union, March 23, June 20, Nov. 17, 1855; Apr. 23, 1856; Alta Cal., Mar. 21, 1855. Feb. 7, Apr. 21, 1856; Hist. Mont. Co., 95; S. F. Bulle- tin, Feb. 7, 1856. Rumors of placers near the southern end of S. F. Bay, even around Oakland and Mount Diablo, floated at one time. Sac. Transcript, June 29, 1850; Sac. Union, Feb. 7, 1856; Hittell, Mining, 27; and San Francisco had indications on Telegraph Hill. Annals S. F., 417-18; leakages from miners' bags caused once or twice a scramble at the plaza, Taylor's El- dorado, ii. 60-1; and Bernal Heights gave food for vain excitements in later years. In Marin county a little mining was done in later years. Hist. Marin Co., 288, 311, 378-82; and on the Russian River some indications lured to unsuccessful attempts. T. M. Smyth obtained a little dust from Dry Creek. Russian R. Flag., Jan. 22, 1874; Alta Cal., Sept. 20, 1853; Apr. 6-7, 1855; Sac. Union, May 30, 1855; signs at Bodega, Hist. Sonoma Co., 29-38; and in Colusa. Colusa Co. Annual, 1878, 46. Equally feeble were the prospects in Mendocino, but in the adjoining Trinity county the auriferous Sierra Nevada again revealed itself.
CHAPTER XV
GEOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL ANATOMY OF THE MINES.
1848-1856.
PHYSICAL FORMATION OF THE CALIFORNIA VALLEY-THE THREE GEOLOGIC BELTS-PHYSICAL ASPECT OF THE GOLD REGIONS -- GEOLOGIC FORMA- TIONS - INDICATIONS THAT INFLUENCE THE PROSPECTOR- ORIGIN OF RUSHES AND CAMPS-SOCIETY ALONG THE FOOTHILLS-HUT AND CAMP LIFE-SUNDAY IN THE MINES- CATALOGUE OF CALIFORNIA MINING RUSHES-MARIPOSA, KERN, OCEAN BEACH, NEVADA, GOLD LAKE, LOST CABIN, GOLD BLUFF, SISKIYOU, SONORA, AUSTRALIA, FRASER RIVER, NEVADA, COLORADO, AND THE REST -- MINING LAWS AND REGULATIONS -MINING TAX --- DISCRIMINATION AGAINST FOREIGNERS.
THE largest and most important section of California, between latitudes 35° and 41°, may be divided into three geological as well as physical belts, beginning at the main axial line drawn from Mount Shasta through the leading summit peaks of the Sierra Nevada for nearly 500 miles. The limit of the first belt would be a line 50 miles westward along the edge of the foothills, touching at Red Bluff and Visalia. The next belt, of equal width, would be bounded by the eastern edge of the Coast Range, and the third belt by the coast line.1 A fourth belt may be added, which, extending eastward from the Sierra summit, falls partly within Nevada, and covers a series of lakes, arid depressions, and tracts marked by volcanic con- vulsions. South of the great valley, where the united ranges subdivide into low and straggling elevations,
1 Prof. Whitney, upon whose Geol. Survey of Cal., i. 2 et seq., I base these observations, makes the belts 55 miles wide, and adds a fourth, eastward from the Sierra crest. The zonal parallelism of the metals in these belts was first observed by Prof. Blake.
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382
ANATOMY OF THE MINES.
this belt supplants it with vast deserts, the topography of which is as yet obscure, like that of the confused mountain masses of the northern border.
The second and third belts embrace the agricul- tural districts, with the broad level of the California valley; yet they contain a certain amount of mineral deposits. Solfataric action is still marked in the Coast Range, especially in the hot springs of the Clear Lake region. Its rocks are as a rule sandstones, shales, and slates of cretaceous and tertiary formations, with a proportion of limestone, granite being rare except in the south. The metamorphism of the sedimentary beds, chiefly chemical, is so prevalent as to render the distinction of eruptive rocks difficult. Most striking is the vast transformation of slates into serpentines, and partly into jaspers, the combination of which in- dicate the presence of valuable cinnabar bodies. In the sandstones of these cretaceous formations occur all the important coal beds so far discovered. The tertiary strata, chiefly miocene of marine source, but little changed, begin properly south of Clear Lake and assume importance below Carquinez, where they appear much tilted. South of latitude 35° bituminous slate predominates in the shale overlying the coarse sandstone, and contains deposits of superficial asphal- tum, with promising indications of flowing petroleum. Below Los Angeles the rocks acquire more of the crystalline character of the Sierra Nevada, and in the Temescal range, with its granite, porphyry, and meta- morphic sandstone, tin ore has been found. Along the San Gabriel range gold exists; but while pliocene gravels are frequent enough along the Coast Range, . the metal seldom occurs in paying quantities.
The gold region is practically confined to the first belt, along the west slopes of the Sierra Nevada, in- tersected by nearly parallel rivers, and broken by deep cañons. An intrusive core of granite forms the cen- tral feature, which becomes gradually more exposed and extensive, till, in latitude 36-7°, it reaches almost
383
GEOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL.
from crest to plain. The core is flanked by metamor- phic slates of triassic and jurassic age, much tilted, often vertical, the strike being generally parallel with the axis of the range, and in the south dipping toward the east. This so-called auriferous slate formation consists of metamorphic, crystalline, argillaceous, chlo- ritic, and talcose slates. In the extreme north-west it appears with though subordinate to granite. Grad- ually it gains in importance as the superimposed lava in Butte and Plumas counties decreases, and north of the American River it expands over nearly the entire slope; but after this it again contracts, especially south of Mariposa; beyond the junction of the ranges it re- appears in connection with granite. To the same for- mation are confined the payable veins of gold quartz,2 chiefly in the vicinity of crystalline and eruptive rocks. They vary in thickness from a line to twoscore feet or more, and follow a course which usually coincides with that of the mountain chain, that is, north-north- west with a steep dip eastward.3 The most remark- able vein is the extensive mother lode of the Sierra Nevada, which has been traced for over 60 miles from the Cosumnes to Mariposa.4
The slate formation is covered by cretaceous, ter- tiary, and post-tertiary deposits, of which the marine sedimentary, chiefly soft sandstone, made up of granite débris, occurs all along the foothills, conspicuously in Kern county. The lava region extends through Plumas and Butte northward round the volcanic cones headed by mounts Lassen and Shasta, whose overflows have
2 The quartz occurs in granite, and in the Coast Range, but rarely in pay- ing quantities.
3 The richer streak along the footwall, or in the lower side of the lode, is often the only payable part. Sometimes a lode contains streaks of different qualities and appearance. According to Marcon, Geol., 82, the richest veins of California are found where sienitic granite and trap meet. Branches and offsets often cut through the slate beds at considerable angles.
4 It runs south-east, while veins in the Sacramento valley turn more nearly north and south. Its dip is 45° to the north-east. The white quartz is di- vided into a multitude of seams, with gray and brown discoloration, and with small proportions of iron, lead, and other metals. The accompanying side veins contain the rich deposits. Blakeslee. The width may average 30 feet, the thickness from 2 to 16 feet, though deepening to many rods.
384
ANATOMY OF THE MINES.
hidden the gold formation of so large an area. The wide-spread deposits of gravel are attributed to a sys- tem of tertiary rivers long since filled up and dead, which ran in nearly the same direction as the present streams, and with greater slope and wider channels. Eroding the auriferous slates and their quartz veins, these river currents spread the detritus in deposits varying from fine clay and sand to rolled pebbles, and bowlders weighing several tons, and extending from perhaps 300 or 400 feet in width at the bottom to several thousand feet at the top, and from a depth of a few inches to 600 or 700 feet. The whole mass is permeated with gold," the larger lumps remaining near their source, while the finer particles were carried along for miles.6 The most remarkable of these gravel currents is the Dead Blue River, so called from the bluish color of the sand mixed with the pebbles and bowlders, which runs parallel to the Sacramento some fifty miles eastward, with an average width of a quarter of a mile.7 The depth of detritus averages three hun- dred feet, and is very rich in the lower parts, where the débris is coarser and full of quartz. Although the so-called pay dirt, or remunerative stratum, lies in allu- vial deposits nearly always within ten feet of the bed- rock, and frequently permeates this for a foot or so in the slate formations, yet the top layers often contain
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