USA > California > Del Norte County > History of Del Norte County, California : with a business directory and travelers guide > Part 10
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LUMBER RESOURCES --- ELK RIVER MILL.
Coast. The lumber is there worked up into boxes to fill transient orders, the boxes made in the Crescent City fac- tory being principally stock. Very little spruce from this mill is placed on the market as lumber, almost the whole of it being used in the manufacture of boxes.
As the box factory in San Francisco is connected with that at Crescent City and owned by the same company, a brief description of it will not be out of place here. It is situated on the block bounded by Beale, Market and Main streets. The building occupies nearly a whole block, be- ing 300 feet long and 45 feet wide, and has entrances from Beale and Main streets. It is three stories in height. Upon the first floor the rough lumber is cut into suitable condition for box material, and it opens ont into a large yard where an extensive supply and great variety of lum- ber is kept. This floor contains a steam engine, three planing machines and nine circular saws, besides other smaller machinery. In this department a large force of men are employed. If an order for a hundred cracker or shoe boxes is received, they could be put through the machinery on this floor in about two hours, and be ready for delivery an hour later.
An order for a lot of boxes first goes from the office to the foreman of this floor; he estimates the number of feet of lumber required to fill it; the order is then passed on to a man in the yard, who selects the lumber; thence with the lumber to two others, who edge off the boards; thence the boards go along to the planing machine, thence to three men who cut them into proper lengths with a circular saw; thence to the men who re-saw, or split them into thinner boards, by means of self feeding re splitting machines; thence they are piled upon the elevator and sent up to the second and third floors.
· Upon these floors the parts of boxes are first placed, the ends by themselves, the sides also, and are then nailed together and stored away, or delivered to order from slides
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
running out into Main or Beale streets. Ten or fifteen thousand boxes are kept constantly on hand. About 75 men are employed.
The nail bill of the establishment amounts to over $500 per month. Until quite recently boxes were nailed by men, a rapid nailer constructing 100 per day. But the inventive genius of the age has come to the aid of the box manufacturers, and they now have nailing machines, each of which do the work of six men.
The shooks sent down from the factory at Crescent City are put together by these machines. The box trade is constantly increasing, and probably in a few years will warrant the enlargement of both factories.
The Smith's River Mill is situated twelve miles from Crescent City, on the banks of Smith's River. It is run by water power and is capable of cutting 5,000 feet per day. All of the lumber cut by this mill finds a ready sale in home markets.
The Big Flat Mill, owned by the Big Flat Gold Mining Company, was built for the purpose of sawing lumber for use in the mine, and is situated on Growler Gulch, Big Flat. Logs are hauled down the gulch and up a skid road. The lumber is carried to the diteh by an endless wire-rope elevator, run by an undershot water wheel.
In addition to the above named mills, there are three small mills near Happy Camp which saw lumber for home consumption, each cutting about 5.000 feet per day.
We have had the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age; and we have now entered upon the Wooden Age. And it is an interesting subject to calculate the length of time the forests will last at the rate they are being consumed at the present time. It has been asserted that it will be but a few years before the builders of the nineteenth century will be forced to find some other ma- terial for building purposes. This may be true of certain portions of the country, but it can hardly apply to Del
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LUMBER RESOURCES.
Norte. There is enough timber in this county to keep a dozen large mills at work for a thousand years. The only things necessary to make this the most important lumber- ing point on the Coast, are a good harbor, a liberal investment of capital, and more enterprise on the part of its citizens. The annual production of lumber in Del Norte county is at present about 11,500,000 feet, and there is no reason why it should not reach ten times that amount.
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CHAPTER VIII.
THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF DEL NORTE COUNTY.
GOLD.
Gold mining in Del Norte county has been steadily and successfully pursued since 1851, and it is at present the most important of its industries. The placer diggings on Smith's River and on the Klamath, the black sand on the ocean beach, and, more especially, the extensive hydraulic mining carried on in the region of Happy Camp, all dem- onstrate everywhere in this section the presence of gold in paying quantities.
Happy Camp is the only section of the county that has yet received any benefit from capital. A large amount of money has been invested in Happy Camp mines, and they are now being worked on a profitable basis. Most of the mines there have been worked for years, and have always yielded a good return for labor and enterprise.
The most important mine in the Happy Camp District is that of the Del Norte Hydraulic Mining Company, S. S. Richardson, Superintendent. The diggings of this mine are situated a mile above Happy Camp, on a large flat. A ditch over ten miles long, and five feet wide at the bottom, conducts water from Elk Creek to the mining ground. This ditch has proved very expensive to the owners. Owing to the light and porous nature of the ground through which it passes, it requires continued
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MINERAL RESOURCES --- GOLD.
" puddling " to keep it from leaking; and it frequently breaks down during the winter season. The outlay of capital in the Del Norte Hydraulic Mine has been about $50,000. A small saw-mill has been erected on the com- pany's ground, for the purpose of sawing lumber for their own use. About 25 men are employed in this mine.
The Happy Camp Mine, Ferguson & Frazier, owners, is situated upon Chaney's Flat, a large flat that has an unbroken gold-bearing deposit of hundreds of acres. The owners have a full head of water, and employ 12 men, piping all the gravel, boulders, etc., through their sluices that the water will carry off. The company also own a small saw-mill.
The other important claims are the Wingate Hill Hy- draulic Mine, owned by Temple and Childs, work 12 men; Bunker Hill Hydraulic Mine, owned by Temple & Chilis, employ from 5 to 10 men; China Bank Hydraulic Mine, owned by J. K. Reeve, employs from 8 to 12 men ---- has a valuable saw-mill; Muck-a-muck Hydraulic Mine, works from 5 to 18 men, Besides these mines, there are various river bar claims, worked and owned principally by China- men.
There are several mines in the vicinity of Happy Camp now lying idle, which only need capital to make them paying properties. Near Happy Camp, and on Indian and Clear creeks, a million dollars might be profitably in- vested in mining. Point Lookout, an old mining locality, was several years ago worked with various success by many parties. Indian Flat, another old mining locality, is situated on the other side of the Klamath and almost directly opposite Point Lookout. Between it and Muck- a-muck Flat, a distance of six miles, is a continuous range of gold-bearing gravel deposits, extending at some points several miles back from the river. When capital shall be brought to bear upon these localities, rich returns are almost sure to follow.
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
Various places on the different forks of Indian Creek long since abandoned by those who had to depend upon their own strong arms to wrest the gold from the hard cement and adamantine rock, can be made to pay well by the use of improved machinery, and under the supervision of practical miners.
The gold mining districts comprising Big Flat, Haynes Flat and French Hill will prove to be the richest in the State, should they ever be properly developed. The Big Flat is the richest of these localities, and miners have worked there more or less since 1854. Owing to the dif- ficulty of procuring water with which to work the vast gravel deposits of Big Flat, comparatively little gold has been taken out there of late years. In 1877 Harry Har- vey, H. Mulkey and Captain Fauntleroy located claims there. Messrs. Mains and Hickock also had claims there.
In 1878 the Big Flat Gold Mining Company, commonly known as the Boston company, bought forty acres of ground from John Mains and worked during the first win- ter with the gulch water, and the following spring they commenced a ditch, seven miles long, from Hurdy Gurdy
Creek. The ditch was soon completed to Growler Gulch, at which place they commenced mining during the month of March, 1880, at the same time continuing the ditch from that place to the ground bought from Mr. Mains. They used a No. 5 Giant, running about 1200 inches of water.
For a time all went swimmingly. The Big Flat Com- pany's principal place of business was at San Francisco. but it also had an office in Crescent City. Work at the mine was apparently prosecuted with great vigor. and the community were confident that the Big Flat Gold Mining Company were rolling in wealth, and fortunate was the man who got a position in the mine. But observant peo- ple after a while noticed, that it required several clerks to sweep out the office and read the newspapers at Crescent City; that these same clerks seemed to have little to do
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MINERAL RESOURCES --- GOLD.
and plenty of time to do it in; that they spent most of their leisure time (about 23 hours out of the 24) in buggy riding, pool playing, and other pleasant but costly diver- sions ---- all this indicating that their official business was either very small, or that it weighed lightly indeed upon their high-toned shoulders. Visitors to Big Flat also in- sinuated that, like " our friends, the Bermudians," the Big Flat Company had one "boss" to every laborer. The rumors and suspicions thus set afloat were confirmed when pay-day rolled around and the men were informed that there was no money in the treasury to pay them for their labor. Work was discontinued at the mine, and a settle- ment was effected with the men by which they received 75 per cent. of their wages. But this was not the end. The affairs of the company grew from bad to worse, and finally the whole property, not excepting even the office furniture, was attached by several indignant creditors, who slowly awoke to the fact that they had been " sold again."
Of the present condition of the concern ---- whether the mine will be abandoned to the creditors, or whether more money will be advanced by the Boston share-holders ---- but little is known. Certainly it is the opinion of a ma- jority of the practical miners of the county that a well- directed expenditure of capital at Big Flat would open up a rich mining district, and yield large returns on the in- vestment. But to accomplish such a result, there must be more laborers than officers; labor and capital must be ap- plied to the best advantage. About $100,000 have already been expended at Big Flat, and an outlay of a few thous- ands more would put the mine in good working condition.
The Mountaineer Mine, near the Big Flat, is supposed to be very rich ground. 1t is intended to complete a ditch, part of which has been dug, from Jones' Creek to the mine The ditch will be five miles in length.
The Haynes Flat Mine is owned by a Boston and San
I
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
Francisco company. Work was commenced on Haynes Flat in 1877. About three miles of ditch and flume were built. but through a failure on the part of the company to advance the "needful," the work was discontinued and has not since been resumed.
The French Hill Mine has been worked to some extent for fifteen or twenty years. It is owned by a San Fran- cisco company, Like the Big Flat Mine, it has met with financial difficulties, and the property was recently attached by creditors. It is understood, however, that an arrangement has been made whereby the debts of the company will be paid and work resumed.
There are other placers on Smith's River, which have been worked for years. and at times have yielded large amounts of gold.
Besides these gold deposits, there are several well-de- fined leads of gold-bearing quartz, and the black sands on the ocean beach are heavy with fine gold.
W. B. Mason and Jos. Connor own a gold-bearing quartz ledge on Myrtle Creek, and other flattering prospects of the same nature have been found.
The Bald Hill Quartz Mine is situated in the Bald Hills. about twelve miles north-east of Crescent City. It has been worked more or less for twenty years, but the parties prospecting it having limited means did not give it a fair test. Some very rich specimens have been found in spurs of this ledge. The Del Norte Gold Mining Company own the mine. The shares of the company are all held by gentlemen of Crescent City.
The beach mines are worthy of a more extended notice, for they are destined to form an important feature in the future interests of Del Norte. when the inventive genius of Edison or some other great mind discovers a method of separating the gold from the sand. The existence of vast deposits of gold bearing sands on the sea coast of Califor- nia. Oregon and Washington Territory has been a matter
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MINERAL RESOURCES --- GOLD.
of notoriety for a quarter of a century. The wealth of these deposits is fabulous. In 1852 there was great ex- citement in this State about Gold Beach or Humbug Mountain, in Southern Oregon, between Rogue River and Port Orford. The supplies for these mines were nearly all procured from the wholesale houses of Crescent City, and many accounts were given of the richness of these mines. In fact, so great was the rush of miners to this new locality, that it was feared the placer mines of this part of the State would become depopulated.
The largest deposits of gold-bearing or black sands are in the vicinity of Humboldt Bay, Gold Bluff, Klamath River and Crescent City. At Gold Bluff miners have been working for twenty years. The Gold Bluff mine is now the most extensively worked beach mine on the coast, the Gold Beach mine having been abandoned years ago.
In 1850, when this portion of the coast line was still in undisturbed possession of the Indian tribes, a party of adventurers traveled from Trinidad up, seeking for the mouth of the Trinity River, which, instead of being in reality an affluent of the Klamath, was supposed to have a separate mouth. One of the party was J. K. Johnson, now a resident of Crescent City. At a favorable spot on the beach they saw glittering particles of sand, and on examination found them to be gold. Gathering some of this gold, they went back to Trinidad. to procure pro- visions. On their return, however, they found nothing but a bed of gravel, a change in the direction of the surf having carried away or covered up the glittering treasure. After this discovery ensued the so-called "Gold Bluff excitement." The first mining claim was taken up the same year by Bertrand & Nordbamer. The sands were worked with sluices, the gold being caught in riffles sawed ' in a plank, loaded with quicksilver. From that time to the present the Gold Bluff beaches have been steadily worked, the highest amount taken out in any one year
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
being $25,000 for the lower claim, about one mile below the upper bluffs.
One claim on the beach four miles from Crescent City has also been worked for several years. The return per ton of sand is very meagre, and the tailings prove by a careful assay to be nearly as rich in the precious metal as before washing. Attempts have been made to separate the gold from the sand by various processes with machin- ery, and by chlorination and boiling, until finally nearly all parties working these mines have returned to the old process of sluicing. Only a moity of the gold is obtained by this process, but the work pays a profit. The value of these sands is greatly increased by the quantities of plati- num they contain, which is now wasted, owing to the imperfect manner in which the gold is obtained. The various processes hitherto tried have been unable to accomplish anything more than by the process of sluicing, and the beach mines of Del Norte will continue to expose temptingly before us their riches, until some inventive Yankee discovers a process for extracting the gold from the sand
The opinion has been held by some that this beach gold comes from the bottom of the ocean, but a majority believe that the gold comes from the bluffs along the coast, and that the action of the sea working night and day is the great natural separator. And it has been remarked that when the direction of the wind is such that the surf breaks square on the beach, it rolls up quantities of course gravel, and no black sand is visible; but that, when it cuts the beach at an angle, the gravel is washed into heaps in cer- tain spots, and in others black sand is deposited, more or less rich in gold.
From a paper read before the California Academy of Science, Jan: 5, 1874, by A. W. Chase, the following in regard to this subject is taken :
" Many ideas have been advanced as to the probability
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MINERAL RESOURCES --- GOLD.
of gold in quantities, and course in character being found beyond the lines of surf, predicated on the fact that it in conjunction with black sand has been said to have been brought up from the bottom by the leads of sailing vessels, and I believe an expedition was fitted out to obtain the sand by means of a diving bell or some such apparatus, which did not result favorably.
" Two or three facts can be taken in consideration here to form an idea on this subject. The first is that the gold evidently comes from the bluffs. This no one can doubt after once viewing them. The second, that after " caves" the gold obtained is much coarser in character. The third, that it is only after a continued succession of swells that cut the beach at an angle that the rich sands are found. When the surf breaks square on, let storms be ever so heavy, it simply loads the beach with gravel. The fourth, that no one witnessing the power of the surf can doubt that it must have an immense grinding force. From these facts, I am inclined to believe that the gold follows the first two or three lines of breakers, and will never be found in paying quantities beyond."
The black sand is very heavy, but the gold obtained from it is so light that when dry it will float on the surface of water, Besides gold, the black sand contains many other varieties of minerals. Prof. Silliman, in his "Notes on the Mineralogy of California, Utah and Nevada," men- tions a great variety of minerals as composing the black sands of Butte county, California. It is probable that all or nearly all of these will be found in the black sand of the ocean beach. As there are large deposits of chrome iron in Del Norte county, it is probable that chromite forms a portion of the black sand of this county. Prof Silliman mentions syenite as the matrix from which most of the minerals he enumerates came, and Mr. Chase, in the paper above quoted, states that it is a common factor in the gravel here. On microscopic examination, besides the
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
gold and magnetic iron ore, the sand will be seen to con· tain minute and brilliant red particles, and other translu- cent particles will be seen. Prof. J. D. Dana, to whom a specimen of the sands were sent, says: "The red grains in the sand are ganet. It is probable that the deposit of sands dates partly from the close of the Glacial era; that is, the time of melting of the ice in the early part of the Champlain period, when floods and gravel depositions were the order of the day; and partly from the latter part of the Champlain period, when the floods were but par- tially abated, yet the depositions were more quiet."
SILVER.
There are several ledges of silver-bearing quartz in the county. In fact, nearly all the gold-bearing quartz con- tains some silver, and the copper and chrome ores contain more less silver. Time will demonstrate that there are silver mines here unequalled elsewhere on the coast.
COPPER.
The copper leads and beds in this county are well-defined and extensive. Copper ore was discovered in 1860 in the north-western part of the county, on the Low Divide. When these mines were discovered there was a great excitement and rush for claims, everybody ignoring the rule that it requires money to successfully operate in cop- per mining.
There are five good copper mines in the Low Divide District, viz: the "Hanscom," "Occidental," " Alta," " Union " and " Monmouth," all located on fine leads.
From 1860 to 1863 there was shipped from the " Alta " and " Union " mines about 2,000 tons of good copper ore, containing a large percentage of gold and silver. Owing to the high price of labor and transportation at that time,
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MINERAL RESOURCES --. SILVER, COPPER, CHROME.
the mines did not pay to work, the price of copper also being very low. Wages for miners were from $75 to $100 per month and board; freight from the mines to Crescent City, $10 per ton; lighterage, $2.50; freight to San Fran- cisco, $10; drayage and wharfage in San Francisco, $1; making on account of transportation from the mines to San Francisco, $23.50 per ton.
At this present writing all this has changed. Wages · for miners are about $40 per month and board; freight per ton, $6; freight to San Francisco, and wharfage, $4; making the cost of transportation $10. The ore is very rich, its mrrket value per ton in San Francisco being $50 or $60. Fifteen thousand tons of copper might annually be exported from these mines. For several years past they have remained idle, the owners lacking the necessary means or the enterprise to work them.
.The Condon Copper Mine, at Big Flat, is the only cop- per mine in the county that has recently been worked to any extent. It is supposed to be the richest copper ledge in the State. Mr. Condon, the owner, has sunk a shaft about 40 feet deep and 50 feet back in the hill. The ledge is from 15 to 20 feet wide, and grows wider as it goes down. While the shaft was being sunk a cave was broken into in the middle of the ledge which was about 15 feet square, and was on all sides rich with decomposed ore, leaving what remained almost pure copper.
CHROME.
The chrome mines of Del Norte county are situated on Low Divide Hill, in Low Divide District, and in the vici- nity of the copper mines. Attention was first directed to the chrome ores in 1868; claims were located, opened, and worked in 1869. The Tyson Smelting Company, of Baltimore, Md., shipped annually from 1869 to 1873, 1,500 tons of this ore. The total expense per ton, inclusive of
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HISTORY OF DEL NORTE.
shipment to Baltimore, amounts to about $21. The ore averages 40 per cent. From 1873 to the present time the shipments have been irregular and light, and but little work has been done in the mines, the amount annually taken out averaging about 600 tons.
IRON.
The Low Divide District is one vast body of mineral wealth. Not only does it contain enormous quantities of eopper and chrome, but immense deposits of iron ore, of various grades and elasses, are found there. Iron ore is found in various parts of the county, but the bulk of it is situated in the Low Divide District, where the chrome iron mine of the Tyson company is situated. These iron ores have been tested by scientifie men, who have all pro- nounced them as of very high grade. Besides the ehro- mic there are deposits of the red and brown hematite, and the magnetic iron ores. Notwithstanding the fact that this vast mineral wealth lies at their very doors, waiting to be brought to the surface, the people of Del Norte do not seek to enlist the aid of capitalists to open the mines and build furnaces; indeed. the outside world is in almost total ignorance of the existence of these ores in Del Norte county ; all owing to the lack of enterprise and business tact on the part of the business men of the county. Per- adventure, if the Seven Sleepers were in the mining region of Del Norte, they would never be woke up by its " enter- prising " citizens.
From the best information I have been able to obtain, it appears that but one attempt has ever been made to at- tract the attention of iron manufacturers to this locality. In the spring of 1874 Mr. Wm. Sublette, of San Francisco. spent two months prospecting with the view to ascertain the real extent of these iron deposits, and the facilities which exist for their profitable working. Mr. Sublette
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MINERAL RESOURCES --- IRON, COAL.
returned to San Francisco thoroughly satisfied that the deposits are inexhaustible, and that they can be worked cheaper, and, consequently with more profit than in any other locality on the Pacific Coast. He believed that these resources are bound to make Del Norte county the greatest iron producing section in the West. As the re- sult of his investigations he announced that he found iron of all the various grades in abundance, with plenty of limestone necessary for fluxing purposes. Ample water power can be obtained on Smith's River, and the timber for charcoal is limitless. The iron ores are situated within twelve miles of Crescent City, which would be the shipping point. Mr. Sublette estimated that a company working on its own capital could lay down. a tram-way from their furnaces to tide water at Crescent City, and deliver the pig iron there at a cost of about one dollar per ton. Transportation from Crescent City to San Francisco would cost about $3 per ton, making the entire cost of transportation only $4 per ton. Sydney coal, for blasting purposes, can be laid down at Crescent City for $7 or $8 per ton, by the cargo. Mr. Sublette endeavored to secure the necessary capital to work these mines, but failed to do so, and nothing has since been done in the matter. The value of these mineral deposits cannot be overestimated. From the time the first furnace was erected, a new era of prosperity would dawn for Del Norte.
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