USA > California > Nevada County > History of Nevada County, California; with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories > Part 48
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ment just sketehed seems imperfect (as it undoubtedly is), it is the method which has hitherto yielded the large returns of gold for which Grass Valley has obtained its well-deserved renown. As the development of the district goes forward, cases will occur of veins coutaiuing gold in a state of very fine division, to which other methods of treatment must be applied. Such examples indeed already exist, and the problems which they offer will he met by the use of other systems of amalgama- tion- or by suitable modifieations of the existing system.
" VALUE OF THE SULPHURETS .- The sulphurcts occurring in the Grass Valley district are unusually rich in gold-some of them remarkably so. Iu quantity they probably do not on an average amount to over one per cent. of the mass of the ores, although in certain mines they are fouud more abundant. For a long time there was uo better mode known of treating them than the wasteful oue of grinding them in pans and amalga- inating. In this way rarely was sixty per cent. of the gold tenor saved. After many abortive efforts, at length complete success has been met with in the use of Plattner's chlorination process. Mr. Deetkin, now connected with the reduction works of the Eureka mine, is entitled to the ercdit of having overcome the difficulties which formerly prevented the successful use of this process in Grass Valley, a more detailed description of which will be found in our notice of the Eureka mine.
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"LENGTH AND DEPTH OF PRODUCTIVE ORE GROUND .- Of the length of the productive portion of quartz veins and the depth at which they commence to become productive, Grass Valley offers some instructive examples.
"The North Star vein, on Weimar Hill, has been proved pro- duetive on a streteh of about one thousand feet, while the tenor of gold has gradually increased with the depth, from an average of twenty dollars in the upper levels to nearly double that in the lower levels. The limits named are rather those of explor- ation than the known extent of the productive ore. In the vein on Massachusetts and Gold Hills, on the contrary, the distribution of the "pay " has been found much more eaprieious, being at times extremely rich and again with no apparent reason yielding scarcely the cost of milling. The Eureka mine offers the most remarkable example, however, of a steady increase from a non-paying tenor of gold near the outcrop to one of uncommon produetiveness. An opinion has found advocates, and has been perhaps generally accepted by most writers on the subject of gold bearing quartz veins, that they were richest near surface and in depth became gradually poorer. There is nothing in the nature of the case, as it seems to me, to justify such a generalization, more than there is to sustain an opposite opinion. If we accept faets as a guide, we find in California that the deepest mines, for example, Hayward's Eureka, in Aınador, 1,200 feet, North Star, 750 feet on the slope, Princeton, in Mariposa county, 800 feet, Eureka (Grass
Valley) 400 feet. Allison Ranch, 525 feet, etc., as a rule have had an increasing tenor of gold. If the Allison Ranch, the Princeton mine, and sonie others appear to be exceptions, the answer is, we may reasonably expeet the same variations of produetiveness in depth which are known to exist in linear extent. The Princeton after an excellent run of good ore, became suddenly poor, at a depth of over six hundred fect, in 1865; but I am informed by Mr. Hall, the present superin- tendent, that the good ore came in again in a short distance. Mr. Laur, the French engineer, whose papers of California mines is often quoted, cites the Allison Ranch mine in evidenee of the theory of a decreasing tenor of gold in depth, but it is in proof that since the date of Mr. Laur's visit (1862-3), this mine has been at work on ores which have yielded over one hundred dollars value, its present suspended activity being due to causes quite unconnected with the intrinsie value of the miue. The rich "chimneys," or productive zones of ore ground, are known to be of various extent in quartz veins, from a few feet to many hundreds of fect, and it is impossible to assign any valid reason why we may not expect the same chauges in a vertical direetion which we find in a horizontal. As the ore bearing ground or shoots of ore have iu many, if not in most cases, a well-determined pitch off the vertical, it is self- evident that a vertieal shaft, or ineline at right angles to the vein must, in deseending, pass out of the rich into poor ground, at certain intervals, and it is perhaps due to an ignorance of this fact that miners have abandoned sinking because they found the " pay " suddenly cease in depth, when a short distance more would probably bring them into another zone of good orc. The experience of every gold mining distriet offers examples in illustration of these remarks. In quartz veins containing a considerable amount of sulphurets, it is evident that the out- croppings should offer much better returns to mining industry than will follow after the line of atinospheric decomposition has been passed, because above this line nature has set free the gold formerly entangled in the sulphurets, leaving it available for the common modes of treatment, with the added advantage often times that the partieles of free gold formerly distributed through a considerable section of the vein, are found concen- trated iu a limited amount of ore. It is easy to reach the eon- clusiou in such cases, that the tenor of gold in the vein is less in depth, after the real average tenor is reached, while in fact it is neither greater nor less; but the metal is uo longer avail- able by common methods of treatment."
THE IDAHO QUARTZ MINE.
The following description of this, the leading gold mine of the county or State, was prepared by Mr. Edward Coleman, the President and Superintendent, The mine is situated about one and one half miles easterly from Grass Valley. It was dis-
covered in the bed of Wolf Creek, at an early day of creek or placer mining, and located May 9, 1863, by Thos. J. Pegg, A. B. Dibble, W. S. Byrne, H. D. Cady, Jas. B. Mason, Gco. D. McLean, A. B. Brady, S. D. Leavitt, Jos. O'Keefe, P. Lyda, C. Pralus, Meyer Cohn, A. Pralus, C. Chabreux, G. W. Dixon, E. W. Maslin, F. Braumburt, J. K. Byrne, Wm. Loutzenheiser, Wm. Young, Thos, Findley, Peter Johnston, C. C. Clarke, E. Fellers, John Webber, Jacob Morris, M. P. O'Connor, Jules Fricot, S. Ripert, Chas. Verdelais, and Frank G. Beatty. But little attention was paid to it for a number of years, more than the neeessary work being done to hold it from being "jumped ;" and as the quartz taken from the vein during these annual workings was of quite a low grade, and the vein small, no effort was made to open up the mine in a systematic manner until the summer of 1865. Early in the summer of that year work was commenced in the creek, with a view of following the croppings as far as possible, but in this they were disap- pointed, as the croppings could uot be traced more than 175 feet from the western boundary of the company's claim. The quartz seemed to be poor, as no gold could be seen and but little sulphurets, but as the ledge appeared to have permaneney, and on sinking a"prospecting hole as far as possible without ma- chinery, the quartz so improved in character that the company felt justified in commeneing work on a larger seale. With this object in view a twelve-inch pumping and an eight-inch hoist- ing engine were set in place, and on the 5th of July, 1865, a perpendicular shaft, 4}x9 feet in size, was commenced on the south bank of the ercek, about 290 feet from the western boun- lary line. This shaft was located so as to strike the ledge 150 feet from the surface. It was sunk to the depth of 120 feet through hard blasting rock, and at that point a eross-cut was run into the foot-wall , and a small ledge was struck eight fect from the shaft ; but as it was only a few inehes in size, and not showing any gold or sulphurets, it was passed by as being of no account. But in the after working of the mine it proved to be the main ledge.
The cross-ent was continued beyond this point about 50 feet. without any further encouragement. Up to this time the compauy had expended $19,496.50, but from the imperfections of its organization, it being only a eo-partnership, and the collection of the pro rata of the expenditures restiug in some degree upon the ability of the partners to pay, but as often upon their whims or notions, and as the debts had accumulated to several thousand dollars, without any means of foreing each one to bear his portion of the burdens, the managers eoucluded that it was best to close the work down uutil a more satisfac- tory organization could be had. Accordingly, in March, 1866, all work was stopped and remained closed about eighteen months. Iu September, 1867, a more complete organization was effected by the iucorporation of the eompauy, under the
190
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
name of the Idaho Quartz Mining Co., with a capital stoek of 5310,000, divided into 3,100 shares, each share representing one foot on the ledge, and its principal place of business Grass Valley. The officers for the first three months were :- John C. Coleman, President; William Young, Vice President; M. P. O'Counor, Sceretary; Thomas Findley, Treasurer; and Edward Coleman, Superintendent.
Work was again commenced by continuing the shaft still deeper. At about 140 fect from the surface, the fissure was struek, but there was no quartz, there being a few inches of elay matter where the ledge should have been. The shaft was continued down to 300 feet from the surface, without meeting with any encouragement. At this point a drift was run west, and 108 fect from the shaft the ledge was struek, showing gold quite ficely, the first twenty loads paying $29 per load, and after a few months of exploration, it was decided to erect a fifteen stamp mill. This work was eommeneed in the summer of 1868, and was completed and put to work in October of that year. The first annual meeting was held on the second Monday in December, 1867. The officers elected were Edward Colc- man, President; William Young, Vice President ; Thomas Findley, Treasurer ; M. P. O'Connor, Secretary; Edward Cole- man, Superintendent. At the annual meeting held on the second Monday of December, 1868, the Superintendent reported that the expenditures for the previous fifteen months, or siuce the incorporation of the company, had been $69,098.63. This expenditure hall been met by assessments to $19,053.25 ; from rock taken from the mine and crushed by outside mills, $31,- 557.01; by company's mill, $13,977.79; and by balance due on mill, $3,510.58. The mill and altering the hoisting works building cost $15,729.46, and the buddle for saving sulphurets cost $2,037.99. It may be noticed that the full amount of monies paid by the stockholders for the development of the mine and placing it on a dividend paying basis has been from the commencement of work in 1865 to the incorporation of the company the sum of $19,496.50, and since incorporation $19,- 053.25, in all $38,549.75. After striking the ledge in the 300-foot level, the shaft was continued down, but no quartz was developed in the shaft until it was down 520 feet from the surface. At this point the ledge formed and the shaft was con- tinned to the 600-foot level, where drifts were run both east and west. It was now considered a very valuable piece of mining property. Explorations were continued, and caeh month added to its value and permanency, and it now took the lealing position of the mines of Nevada county, if not of the State. In 1871 a new shaft was commenced, about 150 feet cast of the old que. This shaft is 6x20 feet within timbers and supplied with eages and all the modern mining appliances. In the summer of 1872, hoisting engines of the most approved style were put up in conuectiou with this shaft, and have been
working ever since with but little repairs. Also, in this year the fifteen stamp mill was enlarged by adding twenty stamps more, thus making a thirty-five stamp mill, with all the improve- ments necessary for crushing rock and saving gold. The improvements made this year eost $102,222.52, and in addition to this large expenditure, the yield from the mine, with fifteen stamps crushing, gave the company a surplus of $162,750 in dividends for the year, after paying the necessary expenses of working the mine.
The main shaft is down 991 feet perpendicular, or 1,116 feet on the incline. This shaft will probably not be sunk any deeper, as the pay chute is found to dip east quite fast, and the distance to drive from the shaft through barren ground to strike the pay inereases every level. Hence, in the 1,000 level, and 325 fect from the shaft, an incline has been sunk on the dip of the pay chute, to work out all the ore below that level. The Idaho is an east and west ledge, with a dip south of from 71° to 52°. Its foot-wall is serpentine rock and its hanging wall a metamorphic. The size of the ledge varies from one to five or six feet, giving an average of from three and one half to four feet. The quartz has paid very regularly, as may be seen by the books of the company, which show that the first dividend was declared in Jaunary, 1869, and since that time to the present, a period of 135 months, there have been declared 127 monthly dividends, thus showing that only eight months have been passed in over eleven years without a divi- dend, and two of those were passed by causes over which the mine had no influence, a statement which, perhaps, cannot be repeated by any other mining company in the State, or in the United States. One particular feature of the system of work- ng this mine is that all the quartz is taken out and crushed as the stopes are carried forward, and no pillars or blocks of what is considered barren quartz are left standing, it being deemed more profitable to work everything rather than take the chances of leaving auy quartz that might possibly pay.
Of course, in a mine that has been worked so extensively as this has and for so long a period, a great deal of ground has been worked out, aud still there is a large extent which has never been touched ; and as there is no known eause why this should not pay as well as that which has already been worked, it is but reasonable to anticipate a prosperous future for this truly valuable property. The ineline commencing at the 1,000- feet level is now down 270 feet from that level, and is still being. sunk. In the working of this mine power drills have been introduced quite successfully, and at present there are five National and three Ingersoll in use. These drills are worked by compressed air, the compressor being on the surface and the air conveyed underground in six-inch gas pipes, The com- pressor was made by Robert Allison, of Port Carbon, Pennsyl- vania. It is a Duplex'National, and cach air cylinder, as well
as the steam cylinder, is eighteen inch diameter and forty-two nch stroke. This air compressor is situated in the hoisting works building. In this building there are also two direct acting hoisting engines, 14x60, to hoist the cages, and in addi- tion to these, a pair 10x20 hoisting engines, with gear wheels. The steam for these engines and compressor is supplied from four boilers, each boiler fifty inches in diameter and sixteen feet long.
Adjoining the hoisting works is the blacksmith shop, a large building, 40 x 60 feet. Within this building are six forges, where all the blacksmithing for the works is done, and as there is a machine shop connectel with the works, but little repairing is done away from the company's establishment. Situated about half way between the hoisting works and the mill are the pumping works, erectel within a fire proof brick buil ling. The engine is 20 x 42, and provided with a Myers' cut-off. The engine and gear wheels were manufactured at the Rislon Iron Works, and are of the most durable character. The bob was inade at the Company's shop, and ample for any strain which the engine can impart to it. The cost of the pumping works, iucluding the building, was $44,951.11.
The mill building is 96x 128 feet. It contains fifty stamps (fifteen new ones being added in 1878) of 850 Ibs. each, and making seventy-two drops per minute. The system of saving gold is by passing all the pulp as it is dischargel from the battery over blankets, and the gold and sulphurets being so much heavier than the other material will remain on the blankets. The blankets are washed every twenty minutes, an l the washings are passed through an Atwool amalgumstor, where the gold is brought in contact with quicksilver an I t'iere remains. The sulphurets pass off aml are caught in a Cornish buddle. Below the blankets are Eureka rubbers an ! copper plates, and the work done in this mill is consi lerel to be as effective as any in the State. The power to drive this machinery is provided by one 20 x 42 inch engine, and one 18 x 42, steaming from four boilers fifty inches by sixtoou fee :. The cost of the mill, with its several a.lditions and improve- ments, was $78,977.99. Since the commencement of the work there have been taken from the mine 251,661 tons of quar:". up to the last annual report in December. 1579. This gave a yield of $5,707,834.33, or 822.28 per ton. Of this amount there has been expended the sum of $2.773,112.59 for milling and mining, or $11.1 per ton; for improvements an ! the pur- chase of property, 8231.521.74; and 82.703,200 in dividen is, or $872 per share. This being a return for an original expen li- ture by assessments of only $38,519.73, or less than $1250 p. share.
The company own 3.100 feet on the vein, besides & surfaces location of about eighty acres. Its present working forve is 246 men, and its officers are Edward Coleman, President, John
191
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
Polglase, Vice-President , John C. Coleman, Treasurer; Geo. W. Hill, Secretary; Edward Coleman, Superintendent. In connec- tion with the above described property the company owns a water diteh to supply water for amalgamating, fire and other purposes, requiring about forty inches, or 580 gallons per minute. The diteh is about twelve miles long, and eost $13,738.84. In the winter mouths water is taken from Wolf ereek, but carly in the summer it is taken from Little Decr ereek, and later in the fall water from Main Deer ereek has to be brought into nse to supply a sufficieney for all purposes.
GOLD HILL MINE.
was made, and the elaim calls for one thousand feet upon the ledge.
This mine has been celebrated for the large amount of gold which at various times since 1850 it has returned. It has had more than its share of the vicissitudes attending gold mining, but its history has not been recorded. At times the quartz has been knit together with gold which scemed to be distributed in this portion of the Massachusetts Hill vein in pockets. Those best able to know assert that there is a continnous communica- tion in quartz between tbe workings on Massachusetts Hill and Gold Hill, leaving, apparently, no doubt of the identity of the Vein. Mr. Attwood, who worked tbe Gold Hill mine for a length of time, informed the writer that at times tbe quartz was completely barren or contained less gold than would return the costs of mining in one thousand tons, which, without any assignable reason, would again yield an almost fabulous product. Vast sums in " specimens " are known to have been stolen by the miners during the run of these bonanzas, in spite of all vigilanee. It was this mine that supplied the quartz for the so-called Gold Hill mill, memorable and venerable among the quartz mills of California. It is a popular belief that Gold Hill, during the fourteen years of its history prior to 1865, had returned not less than four millions of dollars in gold bullion. From September, 1865, until September, 1866, this mine was idle.
This mine is explored by an inclined shaft, wbich deseends south 863º east (magnetie) to a depth, on the slope, of tbree hundred feet. For the first one hundred and forty feet this shaft dips at an angle of forty-five degrees, until it strikes the vein, which it follows for one hundred and sixty feet more at an average dip of twenty-eight degrees. There is an adit or drain tunnel at the deptli of ninety feet from the mouth of the shaft. The former explorations of this mine appear to have been extremely unsystematic and irregular, producing the impression to an experienced eye that the ups and downs which have attended it may be, in part at least, chargeable to want of skill and good judgment on the part of those who worked it.
The older workings above two bundred and twenty-four feet are mostly filled up or inaeccssible, and no trustworthy tradi- tion of them is preserved.
At two hundred and twenty-four fect depth on the incline is . a drift running nortberly one hundred and fifty-nine feet from the shaft; at two hundred and thirty-five feet depth is another drift ruuning south three hundred and seventy-seven feet from the shaft; and at two hundred and cighty-seven fcet is another, south eighty-six and a half fect, and north fifty-nine fcet. Course of the vein and ore very erooked. In the two hundred and twenty-four foot drift north the vein is irregular, all the drifts below varying in size from a mere stringer at points near
This mine is on Gold Hill, where the first quartz discovery | the shaft to six fect at one hundred and eight feet from it-but split into two parts with a mass of bedrock between-making an average of about two and a half feet of quartz. Over this drift it is believed the ground is mostly unbroken to the surface north of one hundred and eiglit feet from the shaft. The end of this drift is pretty wet. The two hundred and eighty-seven feet drift north sbows stringers of quartz having bodies at times of considerable extent, and averaging about fifteen inches, the walls of the vein being from five to cight feet apart. No stoping has been done in this drift, which is very wet. South on the same drift, passing a block of twenty-five fect of ground from the shaft, believed to be of no value. Tbe vein curves in irregular, mixed with perhaps eighteen inches of quartz, and some stoping has been done, averaging tweuty inches from the bottom of the vein. About twelve feet from the end of this drift, or two hundred and seventy-five feet from the shaft, there is a fault, called by the miners, a "eross course," beyond which there is no vein matter, so far as explored, the hanging wall of the vein baving dropped on the foot wall, / which retains its position. This fault is nearly northwest and soutbeast, and dips steeply at about seventy degrees. It eon- tains no ore, being a mere seam, and the end of the drift is dry.
This was the condition in 1865 when the mine was stopped. In 1867 the working of the mine was resumed but was of short duration, as the rock failed to be remunerative.
THE EMPIRE MINE.
One of the mines that in the past added largely to the yield of gold from this district was the Empire, now practically worked out. The ledge lies on Ophir Hill, one mile southeast of the eity, and was located by George D. Roberts and others in 1850. The ledge was purchased in 1851, by Woodbury, Park aud others, who owned a mill where the Sabastopol mill was afterwards built. Although the ledge yielded liberally, the owners failed the following year, owing to mismanagement. The miue was sold at auetion, one-half to John R. Rush, and the other balf to the Empire Co., consisting of C. K. Hotaling, James O'Neil, B. B. Laton, Fred Joncs, Silas Lent, James H. | produced $4,600,000 and paid $2,134,000 in dividends.
Wilcox, Thomas Barnstead, W. W. Wright, James Beauchamp, Richard Groat and John E. Southwick. The Empire Co. bad built a mill on Wolf ercek a short time before making tbis purchase, and in 1854, Rusb sold his interest to the company for $12,000. The mine was worked with good success until 1864, yielding $1,056,234. In July, 1864, Captain S. W. Lee and A. H. Houston bought up the stock of the company, and commenced working the mine in September. About two months were eousumed in draining the mine, and tben the work of opening it was eommeneed in earnest. A new twenty stamp mill was erceted, and this, with the other machinery, drain tuunel, etc, cost $250,000. In 1867 a one-half interest in the inine was sold to Cronisc, Lake, Horner and others, of San Francisco, for $125,000. The mill and hoisting werc destroyed by fire September 20, 1870, entailing a loss of $140,- 000. A new twenty stamp mill was tben erected, also hoisting works. This mine continued to yield largely for a number of' years, and large dividends were paid. In 1877 a new company was formed upon the expiration of the old ebarter.
THE EUREKA MINE.
This was another of the famous gold producers of the dis- triet, aud was situated just across Wolf creek from the Idaho. It was located in 1851, and was worked at intervals by vari- ous parties until 1857, but most of the rock failed to pay for erushiug. It was then purchased by Frieot, Rupert and Pralus, and the first erushing made by them yielded but four dollars to the ton. From 1857 to 1863 the mine was worked to the perpendicular depth of fifty feet, during wbich time a large quantity of ore was taken out, none of it paying largely, and some of it failed to pay expenses. Becoming satisfied that tbe mine was a good one, the shaft was sunk lower, and the rich- ness of the ledge was fully demonstrated. In October, 1865, the mine was sold for $400,000, and the Eureka Company was incorporated. During the next two years the mine yielded $1,200,000, aud continued to pay large divideuds for a number of years. The company erected boisting works and a twenty stamp mill at a cost of $60,000. At fifty feet from the sur- face, the quartz paid $15, and increased to $28 at one hundred feet. The vein ran nearly east and west, and dipped to the south at an angle of 78°, varying in thiekuess from three to twelve feet. During the year euding September 31, 1871. tbe mill, which then had thirty stamps, crushed 18,550 tous, viekling $567,349, or about $35 per ton, of which $360,000 were paid in dividends. The company in 1869 secured a patent for 1,664 feet on the lead and twenty-three acres of surface ground. In 1873 the pay lead was exhausted, or lost, and several years were spent in exploring new ore bodies with the bope of find- ing it again. In 1877 the mniue was finally abandoned. having
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