USA > California > Nevada County > History of Nevada County, California; with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories > Part 47
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
capacity of the reservoir is 650,000,000 cubic feet, or a reserve for the dry season of 280,000 twenty-four honr inches. The company has invested over $2,000,000 and has taken out of the mines $2,000,000, besides deriving a small revenue from sales of surplus water. As an example of their business we give the following statement of the work done during the year ending October 31, 1878 :-
Yield of French Corral Mine. $363,975.67 173,783.79
" Manzanita
Water Receipts.
80,611.87
618,371.33
Cost of mining and water.
260,325.89
Net. $358,045.44
Of this sunt $270,748 were paid in dividends. In 1877 the company had a debt of $350,000 which it bonded, at nine per cent., payable January 1, 1885, and which it has been paying at the rate of $50,000 per year. The company has one hundred and sixty men on its pay rolls.
CHAPTER LIII.
THE MINES OF EUREKA.
Surface Mining - The Gravel Range - The Flats- Companies at Work- Eureka Quartz Mines.
MINING iu Eureka township was for a long time confined to river, ravine and surface diggings. Above Eureka South and the south fork of Poorman's creek no placers have been found, but a number of promising quartz ledges have been located and developed to some extent. The first appearance of the celebrated gravel range south of the Middle Yuba is at Snow Point, being separated from where it appears about three miles above, in Sierra connty, by the Middle Yuba river. The first surface diggings worked were those around Eureka, in 1850. These were so shallow that miners were attracted to them in great numbers, on account of being easily worked. They vielded well for a long time, and are still being worked to some extent.
The field of the most extensive mining operations in the township has been the gravel range along the flats, which have long been worked by the hydraulic process, and have yielded millions of gold. Moore's Flat, Woolsey's Flat and Orleans Flat were settled in 1851, and worked on the surface. When the hydraulic process was introduced, mining commenced herc on a large scale. Orleans Flat became worked out iu a num- ber of years, and Moore's Flat is now the only town on the ridge. At this point and from here to Snow Point, a distance of two miles, the channel lies on the northern slope of the ridge, and has a general cast and west course, having its north-
ern side exposed, while the southern lies under the hill. The easily accessible ground at Moore's Flat has been almost all worked off to bed rock. There yet remains an extent of chan- nel, as yet not determined, lying under the hill, and containing a large amount of good mining ground. The ground at Snow Point has been worked in the same manner as at Moore's Flat, and is being worked on a small scale at the present time. driven. At Woolsey's Flat the ground has been worked off to the bed rock a distance of 1,000 feet, leaving a large piece of the deepest part of the channel yet to be worked. Of late years the ground has been worked chiefly by the Blue Bank, Oriental, XIX and the Boston companies. There are at pres- ent two large companies operating here.
The Eureka Lake and Yuba Canal Company are proprietors of what is known as the Boston Mine, comprising the original Boston, Last Chance, Lightning Chance, XIX and Oriental claims. The tunnel recently constructed is 1,600 feet long. In and about this mine as many as sixty men are employed. The other is the Blue Bank, and embraces the old Bluc Bank, Scran- ton, Buckeye and Wyatt locations, 173 acres. This ground was worked for a number of years by drifting, but is now hydraulic. There are a number of mines being worked on a small scale and some quite extensively, as well as claims that are lying idle. These various locations are owned by the Eureka Lake and Yuba Canal Co., Blnc Bank Co., American Gravel Mining Co., Blue Coat Placer Mine, Blue Point Mining Co., Colombia Mining Co., Consolidated Mining Co., Cumber- land, Defiance, Eagle, Eureka Blue Gravel, Golden Fountain, Illinois, Live Oak, Moore's Flat Blue Gravel, Nevada, Snow Poiut Bluc Gravel, Watt Blue Gravel, and a number of other claims held by private parties. A new company, the Mastodon Gold Mining Co. of Nevada and Sierra Counties has been recently incorporated, with a capital of $2,000,000. The com- pany owns 480 acres on the Sierra county line, and will com- mence operations on a large scale this season.
KUREKA QUARTZ MINES.
The general characteristics of the Eureka quartz ledges resemble in many respects those of the Nevada district, the ledges being about the same size, having the same general course, corresponding with the bend of the mountains, and the country rock being a soft granite. In the slate formation, which comes in half a mile west of Eureka South, there are uuincrous large and well defined ledges, but the most of them contain little gold, and are considered of no value. In this respect there is a great contrast between the two districts, for in the slate region west of Nevada, including Grass Valley dis- trict, the ledges are noted for their productiveness. It has been the theory that ledges enclosed in granite formation were of Imt.
little value, but the Eureka leilges to a certain extent refute this theory, as do also those in the Meadlow Lake district.
Quartz locations were made in 1854, and four mills were erected by 1838. The Iowa Mill, eight stamps; Sweet's Mill, eight stamps; California Mill, eight stamps, and the National Mill, six stamps. These mines were worked a few years with varying success and then were allowed to lie idle. In 1855 Large operations will be carried on here, when a deep tunnel is : there was a revival of interest in the quartz ledges of this is- triet, and quite a number of locations were made. The Brch- ville Mine, on the south fork of Poorman's creek, was opene I in 1867, and a five stamp mill was erectel at a cost of $1,090. Two levels were opened by means of tunnels, and an aggregate of $34,758 taken out, averaging from $4 to $30 per ton. An neline was then sunk one hundred and twenty feet, showing a fair ledge of three feet. But little work has been done since 1870. Good hoisting works, costing $4,500, are at the mine. The Rocky Glen Mine was located in 1867, and was opened by tunnel, developing two distinct ledges, both of which have been worked to the surface, yielding $200,000. A ten stamp mill was erceted, but for lack of means no incline has been sunk.
Wisconsin Quartz Mine, on south fork of Poorman's creek, was located in 1851 by H. H. Sweet, and workel by him until 1857, when it was attached for outsi le debts. Up to this time the yield had been $180,000. The company that then obtained possession erected a mill and took out $50,000. Sweet com- menced a suit and again obtaine.l possession of the mine, the other parties moving their mill to Washoe. The mine has since lain idle on account of a lack of capital. The Jim lelge is on Little Cañon creek, and was first workel in the summer of 1866, and a mill was erceted that fall The Grizzly ledge. in Devil's cañon was developed by the Eagle C'o. in 1867. by means of tunuels, and a ten stamp will erecte.l. In 1854 the National ledge in the same neighborhood was located aula six stamp mill built, which was burned in 1859. The Eireka Mine. just south of Eureka, was provided with a ten stamp mill in 1506. by Black & Young. It was opened by tunnel in Iso7.
There are other mines in Eureka township, more or less developed, among which are the Banbury, Star. Golden Age. Gohlen Eagk, Mountain Queen, Gaston Rilge, Liberty, Cannon & Garthe, Mohawk, Eclipse. Booth and others.
CHAPTER LIV.
THE MINES OF GRASS VALLEY.
Placer Mines-Quartz Mines The Features of the Grass Valley Dere- Idaho-Gold Hill-Empire-Eureka-North Star-Allison Ranch Jew York Hill-Massachusetts Hill- Haartery Norambigua Lone J.aus Meuston Hill Oxborn Hill-Other Mines.
PLACER MINES
THE first mining on Wolf enek was done in IS4S. as boats
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
been previously related, and in 1849 Boston Ravine and the creeks and ravines about Grass Valley were worked in a small way. From that time on the placers about the city were worked with excellent results. It was estimated in January, 1855, that up to that time the product of the placers was as follows :-
Pike and Humbug Flats $ 900,000
Grass Valley Slide 500,000
Boston Ravine .. 100,000
Rhode Island Ravine. 35,000
Eureka Slide 100.000
Wolf Creek 1,200,000
Centerville Ravine 200,000
Kentucky Ravine. 50,000
Lola Montez, Kate Hays and other diggings 500,000
Total.
$3,585,000
In 1870 there was quite a revival of energy in placer mining, owing to the success of the Hope Gravel Mining Company on Alta Hill. In the month of June, 1854, the Grey Eagle Com- pany located a small piece of ground on Alta Hill just east of Grass Valley Slide, the company being subsequently known as Alta Company, No. 1. In April, 1856, Alta Company, No. 2, located claims adjoining them on the west. On these claims a shaft was put down about 210 feet, steam being used for hoist- ing and pumping purposes. The channel of an old river was found, which was very rich, and was worked successfully till 1860, abont $300,000 being taken out. The Rock Tunnel Company owned claims to the west of this company and spent a number of years tunneling and searching for the channel, but without suceess. The Hope Gravel Mining Company was organized in San Francisco, early in 1865, and at once began operations on Alta Hill. After some unsuccessful work, the company found the channel in 1869, and erected the necessary machinery.
The success of this effort induced others to work, and for several years Alta Hill and Randolph, or Bunker Hill, were worked by Alta Companies Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, Hope Com- panies Nos. 1 and 2, Altoona Company, McSorley & Company, Gilhamn, Macauley & Company, H. Q. & E. W. Roberts, Frank Torpey & Co., Wehster & Co., Picayune Co., Hays, Johnston & Co., Brown Bros., Baltic Co., Dartmouth Company, Sazerac Company, and Reese & Depew.
Buena Vista Hill and the Town Talk mines, east of Grass Valley, have been very extensive and rich hydraulic elaims. The Shea, or Enterprise, the Independent and the Town Talk, have all been rich claims, and were worked for a long time, cement mills being sometimes used to facilitate the extraction of the gold.
The leading placer mine at present is the Godfrey Gravel Mine, on Alta Hill. The claim embraces 240 acres, and in it are employed from thirty to forty men. An eight stamp mill, formerly used by the Hope Company, is on the ground for crushing the cement. Reuben Thomas is working just north of Grass Valley, using a four-inch nozzle, and running through flume and tunnel into Wolf creek.
QUARTZ MINES.
The first discovery of gold quartz in California was made on Gold Hill in Grass Valley, in June, 1850, but no excitement was produced and little attention was paid to it. A few days later a ledge was discovered on Massachusetts Hill, but this also failed to attract attention. In October of the same year, according to common report, a man named McKnight, who had come from Newtown and canuped on the summit of Gold Hill, discovered the Gold Hill ledge, which eropped out at a place called the "elbow," displaying an average width of two feet. This discovery set the miners wild and thousands flocked to the spot and filled the hills with prospectors. Ignorant of the nature of quartz ledges and the method of working them, the miners laid out square surface claims, as had been their custom in the placer mines. Specimen pieces were taken from the croppings and pounded in hand mortars, yielding about $500 per ton. Early in 1851, Halstead & Wright built the Stockton Mill in Boston Ravine, procuring the machinery in Mexico. It had two mortars with a pestle worked by steam, and was used to crush the Gold Hill rock. The price for reducing a ton of quartz was $50, and miners were paid $12 per day.
The inexperience of the miners and the crudeness of the early machinery led to so many disastrous failures, that quartz came into disfavor, and but few had the faith or perseverance to continue working the ledges. The final success of these few led others to embark; the knowledge gained by experience and introduction of new andgreatly improved machinery all tendered to the advancement of the quartz interests, until Grass Valley stands deservedly without a rival as a successful gold quartz mining district. The Empire, Eureka, Allison Ranch, Gold Hill, Massachusetts Hill, North Star, Idaho and others, have produced over $45,000,000 since the accidental discovery of the ledge on Gold Hill, in 1850.
The Grass Valley district is thus described by Prof. Silliman :---
"GENERAL GEOLOGICAL CHARACTER OF THE GRASS VALLEY DISTRICT.
" The gold bearing rocks at this place are mostly highly metamorphic schists or sandstones passing into diorite or green- stone syenite. These greenstones seemingly crystalline, are probably only highly altered sedimentary rocks, containing a large amount of protoxide of iron with sulphuret of iron. In
some parts of the district, slaty rocks occur, more or less talcose or chloritie in character, masses of serpentine also abound, forming at times one wall of the quartz veins. This serpentine is probably metamorphic of the magnesian rocks last named. The red soil, seen almost everywhere in the Grass Valley district, has its origin from the peroxidation of the iron con- tained in the greenstones and dilorites, and set at liberty hy its decomposition.
" The line of contact between the gold bearing and metamor- phic rocks of Grass Valley and the granites of the Sierra Nevada is met on the road to the town of Nevada, ahout a half mile hefore coming to Deer creek. The talcose and chloritie slates are seen to the north, in the direction of the Peck lode, and in the slate districts of Deer creek.
"The dip and strike of the rocks in the Grass Valley region is seen to vary greatly in different parts of the district. Fol- lowing the course of Wolf creek, a tributary of Bear river, it will be observed that the valley of this st eam-which is Grass Valley-as well as of its principal branches, follows in the main the line or strike of the rocks. In the absence of an accurate map of the region, it may not he easy to make this statement evident. But all who are familiar with the chief wines of this district, will recall the fact, that the course of the veins in the Forest Springs location, at the southern extremity of the district, is nearly north and south-north, about 20° east -- with a very flat dip to the east, while at the Eureka mine, on Eureka Hill, ahout four miles to the northward, the course of the vein is nearly east and west with a dip to the south of about seventy-eight degrees. Again, commencing at North Gold Hill and following the course of the famous vein which bears the names of Gold Hill, Massachusetts Hill and New York Hill, we find the veins conforming essentially to the southerly course of the stream with an easterly dip. The North Star, on Weimar Hill, has likewise the same general direction of dip. Near Miller's ravine, at El Dorado mill, Wolf creek makes a sudden bend to the left, or east, leaving the Lone Jack, Illinois, Wisconsin and Allisou Ranch mines to the west. All these last named mies are found to possess a westerly dip, showing the existence of a synelinal axis running between the base of New York Hill and the mines having westerly dips last named, along which probably the veins will, if explored in depth, be found "iu basin." The dip at Lone Jack is about 30° west, at Allison Ranch it is about 45° west. Just below the Allison Ranch miue, Wolf creek again makes a sharp turn to the left, nearly at a right-augle, and then resumes its former course with the same abruptness. A mile lower down, where it strikes the Forest Springs locations, we find the Norambagua inclosed in syenitic rocks, dipping at a very low angle to the east; a dip seen also at still less angle in the Shamrock. yet further south. There is probably a saddle or antielinal axis
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
below the Allison Ranch mine, due to the elevation of the syenitic mass, which it seems probable, sets in at the sharp bend in the stream, before alluded to, and where the ravine trail joins it. The stream probably runs pretty nearly in the basin of the synclinal.
"The rocks on the east side of Wolf creek, and above Forest Springs locations, dip westerly. Such is the case at Kate Hayes and with the veins on Osborn Hill. The middle branch of the creek sweeps around to the east, forms its junction with the north fork, and the veins explored there near its upper waters, as at Union Hill, the Burdett ground, Murphy vein, Lucky and Cambridge, all dip southwest or south, conformably to the Idaho and Eureka, and at a pretty high angle. The Eureka vein going west faults in the Whiting gronnd, and having previously become almost vertical has, west of the fault, a northerly dip at a high angle. At the Coe ground, this northerly dip is also found at an angle of about 50°. At Cincinnati Hill, the vein dips southerly, in a direction exactly opposite to that of the North Star, there being a valley between the two, and a saddle or anticlinal between Cincinnati and Massachu- setts Hills.
" These facts, which by a more detailed statement could be easily multiplicd, seem to warrant the conclusion that the course and dip of the Grass Valley veins is especially conform- able to that of the rocks, and that the streams have, in general, excavated their valleys in a like conformable manner.
OF THE GOLD BEARING VEINS OF GRASS VALLEY.
.
" The quartz veins of Grass Valley district are not generally large. Two fcet is probably a full average thickness, while | On the other hand, in the Cambridge and Lucky mines, having some of the most productive, and those which have given, froin the first, a high reputation to this region, have not aver- aged over a foot or possibly eighteen inches in thickness. There are some exceedingly rich veins which will hardly average four inches in thickness, and which have yet been worked at a profit, while at the same time there are veins like the Eureka which have averaged three feet in thickness, and the Union Hill vein over four feet. The Grass Valley veins are often, perhaps usually, imbedded in the inclosing rocks, with seldom a fluccan or clay selvage or parting, although this is sometimes found on one or both walls. The walls of the fissures and the contact faces of the veins are often seen to be beautifully polished and striated.
" The veins are, as a rule, highly mineralized, crystalline and affording the most unmistakable evidence of an origin from solution in water, and afford not the least evidence of an igneous origin. Calcedonic cavitics and agatized structure are very conspicuous features in many of the best characterized and most productive of the gold bearing veins of this district. These indisputable evidences of an aqueous origin arc scen in Massa-
chusetts Hill, Ophir Hill, Allison Ranch, Kate Hayes and Eureka.
"The metallic contents of the Grass Valley veins vary extremely, some carry but very little or no visible gold or sulphurets, although the gold tenor is found in working in mill to be satisfactory, and the sulphurets appear on concentrating the sands from crushing. This is the case in the Lucky and Cambridge mines, for example. But in most cases, the veins of this district abonnd in sulphurcts, chiefly of iron, copper and lead, the sulph ureted contents varying greatly in the same vein- zinc and arsenic are found also, but more rarely. The most noted example of arsenical sulphurets being in the Noram- bagua and on Heuston Hill; lead abounds in the Union Hill lodes ( as galena), and the same metal is found associated with the yellow copper in parts of the Eureka mine. The gold, when visible, is very commonly seen to be associated with the sulphurets-this was particularly the case in Massachusetts Hill, while in Rocky Bar and Scadden Flat, on the same vein, the gold is found sometimes in beautiful crystalized masses, binding together the quartz and almost destitute of sulphurets. Mr. William Watt informs me that in working some seventy thousand tons of rock from Massachusetts Hill vein, the aver- age tenor of gold was about $80; but at times this vein was almost barren, while again the gold was found in it so abnnd- antly, especially where it was thin, that it had to be cut out with chisels. It is matter of notoricty that in the Gold Hill vein (continuation of the vein in Massachusetts Hill) portions of the lode were so highly charged with gold that the amount sequestered by the miners in a single year exceeded $50,000. a tenor of about $35 to $60 gold to the ton, the precious metal is seldom visible. In the Eureka, where the average tenor of gold in 1866, was $50 per ton, it seldom exhibited what may be called a "specimen " of gold.
" The structure of the veins in Grass Valley varies, in differ- ent portions of the district, especially in respect to the distribu- tion of the pyrites and of portions of the adjacent walls. Eureka Hill, the veins possess a laminated structure parallel to the walls enclosing portions of the diorite or talcose rocks, forming closures or joints in which the vein splits casily. On these surfaces of cleavage minute scales of gold may often be detected by close inspection. The sulphurcts are also seen to be arranged in bands or lines parallel to the walls. In many other cases, this kind of structure is found to be wholly absent, while the sulphurets and gold appear to follow no regular mode of distribution. In a few mines the sulphurcts are arranged very distinctly in bands or zones, parallel to the walls, forming " ribbon quartz." This is especially distinct in the Noramba- gua, where, as beforo mentioned, tho sulphurets are arsenical, and the gold very finely disseminated.
" The average tenor of the gold in the Grass Valley veins is believed to be considerably in excess of what is found in most other portions of California. In Allison Ranch, Massachusetts Hill, Rocky Bar, Ophir Hill and Eurcka, this average has probably reached $50 to the ton. In many other inines it has been considerably less, but on the whole, $30 may not be far from the general average tenor of the whole district; meaning, of course, the amount actually saved by milling operations.
" The loss of gold is very various, but is probably nearly always greater than owners are willing to confess, if indeed they know, which is doubtful. It is certain, in one well-known mine, my own samples of quartz sands, and sulphurets from " pans," assayed respectively $23 and $57 per ton-a result which was later confirmed by the researches of another very competent mining engineer quite independently. In other cases, as at Eurcka and Norambagua, iny own researches show the loss in the tailings to be very small, not exceeding seven dollars to the ton in the latter and less than that in the former. " The gold in many of the Grass Valley mines is very easily worked, being clean, angular and not very small, hence it is readily entangled in the fibre of blankets, together with a con- siderable portion of sulphurets, naturally leading to the methodl most commonly in use in Grass Valley for treatment of the gold ores.
" THE GRASS VALLEY METHOD OF AMALGAMATION .- What may properly be called the "Grass Valley mode" consists in the use of heavy stamps, seven hundred or a thousand pounds. crushing usually two tons, sometimes two and a half tons of ore cach in twenty-four honrs-through screens not exceeding No. 6, rarely so fine. Amalgamating in battery and copper aprons are usually united. In some ruills, mercurial rittles are placed in front of the discharge, but more commonly the whole body of crushed stuff is led at once over blankets, which are washed out every few minutes into tanks where the free gold and sulphurets are allowed to collect preparatory to being passed through the " Attwood amalgamators." These siump'e machines are designed to bring the gold iuto thorough contact with mercury contained in little vats sunk in the surface of an inclined table, over which the stuff is fed to the vats in a regu- lated manner by a stream of water, while iron blades slowly revolve in the vats to cause a mixture of the sands and quick- silver. By this apparatus, at the Eureka mill ninety per cent. of all the gold is obtained which is saved from the ore. Beyond the amalgamators, the sands are carried over amalgamatic copper sluices, and are put through various ore saving pro- cesses with a view especially to concentrating the sulphurets These processes vary much in different mines In some mil's especially the Ophir, much more elaborate mechanical appa- ratus has lately been introduced with what results still remains to be seen. It is certain that if the method of treat-
189
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
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