USA > California > Nevada County > History of Nevada County, California; with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and manufactories > Part 49
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192
HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
THE NORTH STAR MINE.
This ledge was located on Lafayette Hill, in 1851 by a num- ber of Frenelnuen, called the Helvetia and Lafayette Co. It was remuneratively worked by them until the fall of 1852, when six-elevenths of it were purchased by Conaway & Pres- ton, who then owned a twenty-four stamp mill on Boston Ravine Flat, which had been erected the previous fall. A joint stock company was formed under the name of the Helvetia aud Lafayette Mining Co., and the mine was worked until 1857, when owing to heavy expenditures the company became involved, and the mine was sold by the Sheriff to E. McLaugh- lin. The mine was sold in 1860 to J. C. Coleman, Edward Coleman and others for $15,000, and the name was changed to North Star. Under the new management a vast amount of work, involving heavy outlays, was douc, and during the first five years 26,000 tons of rock were crushed, and liberal dividends were paid. In 1867 the mine was the deepest then in the dis- trict aud was being worked with good suceess at the 800 foot level. Seventy men were employed about the mine and mill. The claim embraced 2,100 feet on the ledge, which ran in green- stone, with an average pitch of 27°, and a thickness of from one to six feet. Up to January, 1867, the net receipts had been over $500,000, and the monthly profits were reported at $12,000. On this representation the mine was sold to San Francisco capitalists for $450,000, of which $250,000 were paid, aud the remainder was to have been paid from oue-half of the net profits. The receipts of the first two months not coming up to the representations, the sellers released the com- pany from further payments. In October, 1868, a rich vein tour feet wide was found in the 1040 foot level, and the mine for several years yielded largely. In 1871 the mine was being worked on the 1200 foot level, and still paid dividends. This continued a few years longer, and then the mine failed to pro- duce dividends, and is now lying idle.
ALLISON RANCH MINE.
This inine is at Allison Ranch, two and one-half miles south of Grass Valley, and for a time was the richest in the State. In 1852 John and William Daniel were working placer claims at this place, and in 1853, while digging a tail race, they uncovered the ledge, but as quartz ledges were then under a cloud, no attention was paid to it. In 1854 Michael Colbert and James Stanton bought an interest in the claimus. During the same year the ledge was again found, and the ground in that vieinity proved to be exceedingly rich, the miners failing, however, to attribute it to the true cause, the presence of a rich quartz ledge. One day in the fall, two of the partners traced the ledge a short distance, but lost it and became dis- couraged. They all eeased work for the day, cxeept Colbert
and Stanton, who found the ledge and took out about a ton of rock. An extensive slide of earth during the night covered the ledge and a portion of the rock that had been thrown out, and work was resumed in the placer claims. The action of the fall raius upon the exhumed rock diselosed the fact that it was studded with free gold. This pile of quartz, together with
Experienced quartz miners gave it as their opinion that owing to the peculiar situation of the ledge and its abrupt pitch it could not be profitably worked. Cou Reilly, an experienced quartz miner, was of a different opinion, and was employed to open the ledge. He erected a water wheel and sank a shaft on the ledge to a depth of eightcen fect, taking out enough gold to erect a mill and machinery, no assessment having been made on the stockholders. A crushing of eighteen tons in October, 1855, gave $6,000, and in December sixty-two tons yielded $23,000. Iu 1856 the first perpendicular shaft was sunk sixty- five feet to the first level, and in the following year sixty-seven feet farther to the second level. The ledge consisted of decom- posed quartz, running in granite, and pitehing at an angle of +5°. From 1855 to October, 1866 the mine was worked by a foree of two hundred men, and 46,000 tons yielded $2,300,000, of which $1,200,000 were divided among the six shareholders. It was the practice of the partners to divide all the surplus earuings, and leave no working capital, and the consequence was that when it became necessary to make some quite exten- sive improvements no money was on hand. It was agreed to assess each of the six shares for $3,000, but some of the owners failed to pay, and in October, 1866, the pumps were removed and the mine allowed to fill with water. At this time the ledge had been worked only to the depth of +65 fcet, and there was every reason to suppose that the richness of the ledge would continue.
In April, 1869, preparations were made to open the mine again, and the ineline was continued downwards. At the dis- tanee of 486 feet the main ledge was found to be three feet thick, aud rich in frec gold. The Cariboo ledge, supposed to be a feeder of the main ledge was then being worked, and turned out some exceedingly riel roek, $17,000 having been taken from it up to November, 1869. Work was continued on the ledge by about one hundred men, but the mine never eqnaled its former production, and is now countel as one of the past glories of Grass Valley.
The Sonth Allison Ranch Mine is a location on two ledges about one-half mile below the old mine. It has been worked for several months by a San Francisco Company. It has a tunnel 300 feet long, and an ineline is down sixty-two feet, on | a ledge varying from six inches to two feet. Hoisting works
have been erected over the incline, and machinery for a mill ie on the ground.
NEW YORK HILL MINE.
fragments that had been forked out of the toms, amounting to | John Larimer took out $200,000, Joseph Wilde $100,000, Fricot about oue and one-half tons, was crushed and yielded about $375.
This ledge lies on New York Hill, two miles south of Grass Valley. It was worked by several parties for a number of years. : & Co. $300,000 and I. Sykes $30,000. In 1867 $114,000 and in 1868 for five months $60,000 were taken out, making a total yield up to that time of $804,000. In May, 1868, the New York Hill Co. was incorporated, and owing to inismanagement it was sold by the Sheriff to George F. Sharpe for $10,874.37. For a long time the mine lay idle, and the mill was destroyed by fire in 1872. The mine is being worked by the New York Hill Mining Co., and is being developed on the ninth, tenth and eleventh levels. No stoping has been done between these levels, and the ore taken out while running the levels has more than paid the cost of the work. A dividend of $9,250 was paid in February, and the indications are that this mine will soon be one of the strong dividend mines of the district.
MASSACHUSETTS HILL MINE.
This hill lies abont three-fourths of a mile southwest of Grass Valley, and was the sceond npon which quartz was dis- covered. A few days after the discovery on Gold Hill in June, 1850, quartz was also found here, but no attention was paid to it until after the second discovery in October.
Massachusetts Hill was worked at an early day to the water evel by several parties. Delano & Co., who were extensively interested on the hill, sold out in 1851 to Dr. J. C. Delavan, an agent of a New York company, known as the Rocky Bar, this company supplanting the Sierra Nevada Co. Delavan, as agent of the new company, erected a small mill on Wolf creek at the base of Massachusetts Hill. This mill was a sytem of wheels running in a circular box, crushing the rock on the prin- ciple of an old-fashioned bark mill. It proved a failure. Mr. Delavan was succeeded as superintendent by a Mr. Whitney. totally inexperienced in milling and mining matters. He was Son sueceeded by Mr. Seyton, who opened the mine and took out a large quantity of goll. But being extravagant in his persona habits, the company received none of the proceeds of the mine, and Seyton was discharged in 1856. hissuccessor being Michael Brennan. In June, 1855, the company took out a large quan- tity of ore which averaged seventy dollars to the ton. The name was changed to the Mount Hope Co., an incorporated concern, Brennan, a member of the original company. having been sent out from New York as Superintendent. In sinking on a stringer he took out enough gold to pay the stockholders a dividend of one per cent. ou a million dollars. Elatel with his success, he built the Rocky Bar Mill, put on expensive min-
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
ing machinery, and sunk the celebrated Brennan shaft, which last piece of work cost over thirty thousand dollars. [This shaft is now used for hoisting purposes by the Rocky Bar Co., and for pumping by the Massachusetts Hill Co.] Brennan worked the stringer down to a depth of about two hundred and sixty feet, finding it on the whole a very unprofitable job. In achilition to the investments made on Massachusetts Hill, he had ereeted machinery on New York and Cineinnati Hills, both of which enterprises proved failures. He had borrowed large sums of money from Andre Chavanne, giving Mr. C. a mort- gage on the property. At last, driven to desperation by a com- bination of business reverses, and in a morbidly insane mood, he committed the crime of murder and suicide, as has been pre- viously related.
In December, 1857, Cbavanne, who had purchased judgment against the Rocky Bar Co., came in possession of the property -- about two months before Brennan's death. After Brennan's demise, Chavanne worked the mine unprofitably until April, 1858, when the Massachusetts Hill Co. leased the pumping and l.oisting machinery, wbieh had been used by Brennan on the Pratt shaft. This company, consisting of William and Robert Watt, Joseph O'Keefe, and the late John Judd, whose eele- brated elaims adjoin those of the Rocky Bar Co., and are on the same ledge, commenced work in the latter part of 1855, under a lease from Joseph Woodworth. In November, 1856, the company purchased Mr. Woodworth's interest on Massa- chusetts Hill for $20,000. They had struek the ledge in April, ' 1356, and had had their mine drained by the Mount Hope Co., under contract from Brennan, paying for drainage at the rate of one dollar and one-half per ton of quartz from the time of striking the ledge to leasing the machinery from Chavanne. Their levels being worked ont, and the machinery proving in- competent to do the required work at a greater deptli, opera- tions were suspended in this portion of tbe mine in September, 1858. The company then commenced operations in the north- ern portion of their ground, on Boston Ravine Flat, sinking a shaft, and pumping the mine by horse power. Worked suc- cessfully here till May 1859. This year the company leased the Brennan shaft from Chavanne, and commenced the expens- ive work of connecting their mine with the shaft, consuming nine months in running tunnels, opening up new levels, and putting on machinery-completing this extensive job in Feb- ruary, 1860. During the remainder of this year, and up to Jannary, 1862, when the mine became flooded, an average foree of one hundred and sixty inen was daily employed. While negotiations were pending for a renewal of the Chavanne lease, and while preparations were being made to ercet larger pumping machinery, the Mount' Hope Co., of New York, brought suit against Chavanue for possession of the Rocky Bar mine and mill. This proved for a time a severe blow to
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the interests of Grass Valley, as work was suspended by the Massachusetts Hill Co., and a large force of laborers was thus thrown out of employment. Owing to the tardiness of litiga- tion, the Massachusetts Hill Co. remained comparatively idle till June, 1833, when (Chavanne having beaten the Mount Hope Co.), the lease was renewed, and preparations were at onee made for ereeting machinery at a cost of $30,000. In November, 1863, the Massachusetts Hill Co. commenced taking out ore, and have worked almost constantly for several years, employing an average daily force of two hundred and fifty men.
In April, 1864, the Massachusetts Hill Co. struck the ledge in the bottom of the Brennan shaft, at a point but a few feet from where Brennan hopelessly abandoned work.
The ground was worked out in 1866, having been take up in square claims, and not by claims located along the ledge. The ledge varied in size, pitch and quality of quartz, yielding enormously at times, and again not paying the expenses of ex- traeting the ore. The ledge was worked to a perpendicular depth of 275 feet, and over two miles of tunnels were run. During the last three years, on an average, one thousand tons were taken out monthly, and the daily expenses were one thous- and dollars. The gross yield of the mine was over $3,000,000.
HARTERY MINE.
This ledge is situated on Missouri Hill, near Allison Ranch, and was located in 1853 by Thomas Hartery and others, the elaims embracing nine hundred feet. The mine was worked to a perpendicular depth of one hundred feet along the entire ledge, paying well and regularly. In 1857 Hartery, who had pur- chased all the mine, ereeted a mill at an expense of $20,000, put on extensive hoisting and pumping machinery, and so in- volved himself that he failed in 1858. William Loutzenheiser and Edward MeLaughlin attached the property, and after eom- ing into possession leased it to George Lord & Co., who com- menced a tunnel to drain the mine. They abandoned it, and Loutzenheiser and Mclaughlin completed it to a length of 1700 fect. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1860. Previous to Hartley's failure the mine yielded $200,000, and subsequently $50,000 more were taken out. For a long time the mine has lain idle, being worked a little occasionally, but has recently been leased by the Surprise Min- ing Company for five years, who are preparing to work it ex- tensively.
NORAMBAGUA MINE.
This ledge is at Forest Springs, one mile below Allison Ranch, and was located by James Whitesides, P. H. Lee and others in, 1850. But little work was done on it until 1852, when P. H. Lee took charge and prosecuted the work energetically unti.
1859, during which time it paid liberally. The vein does not execed an average width of twelve inehes, but has proven im- mensely rich at times. In 1860 a drain tunnel was commenced which was completed in 1869, being 1,100 feet long and tap- ping the ledge at the depth of 250 feet. It was purchased by A. C. Peachy and others, for $100,000 in 1866. In 1870 it fell into the hands of Stoddard and Campbell, who secured a patent in 1873, but have done little work on the mine.
LONE JACK MINE.
This mine is situated on the east side of Wolf Creek, about one mile south of the city, and was located in 1835 by Moulder and Bunch. In 1856 they ran a tunnel five bundred feet, striking the ledge at a depth of fifty feet. During 1856-7, Lee and Simpson bought interests, and in 1858 put on machinery. The Lone Jaek was incorporated in 1858 under the name of the Missouri Gold Mining Company, and afterwards became the property of the Forest Springs Company. The mine was worked to a perpendicular depth of about 250 feet and yielded over $500,000, but has had little work done on it for a number of years.
HEUSTON HILL MINE.
This ledge was located in 1853 by the three Heuston bro- thers, G. H. G. Stackhouse, George A. Montgomery and others, and is situated two miles southeast of Grass Valley. It was worked until 1855 with great success. The mine changed hands a number of times until it came into the possession of John Trenberth and others in 1861, who erected machinery for deep working. The ledge has a north and south eonrse, pitch- ing to the westward at an angle of about 35°, and was workel on the ineline over 250 feet. After working a number of years and taking out over $500,000, the owners ceased active opera- tions, and since then the mine has been idle most of the time
OSBORN HILL MINE.
The Osborn Hill ledge was first located early in 1851 by Charles H. Osborn and others in square claims, whieb were bought by the Grass Valley Mining Company, consisting of John A. Collins, William Crosett and Harrison Seott. The mine was opened iu 1852, and yielded largely from that tine until 1857. The company erected expensive machinery, redue- tion works, etc., and became involved in debt, and the property was held by mortgage until 1864, when it was purchased by Joseph Woodworth. A splendid fifteen stamp mill was then erected, at a cost of $22,000, and work was pushed ahead with vigor. A tunnel 2,000 feet long was completed, and the mine worked two hundred feet on one incline and still deeper on another. In December, 1866, the mine was sold to W. H. Hooper, Thomas Jones, S. W. Lee, Robert Smith. John Smith, A. Delano, William Campbell and Alexander Stoudland for
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
$30,000. The Osborn Hill Mining Company was incorporated in 1868, and the shaft was sunk 650 feet and drifts started on each level, none of which have been run more than 300 feet. The company obtained a patent in 1875 for 2,321 feet. No work has been done for the past four years, although about $400,000 have been takeu out since the mine was first opened.
OTHER MINES.
The mines above described are the ones that have been the most noted and productive ones. Besides those mentioned there are scores of others that have been worked or prospected with good results, some of which are only in want of sufficient capital to put them on a dividend basis. The more prominent of these are the Bullion, Prescott Hill, Lafayette No. 2, Cassidy, Chief of the Hill, Scadden Flat, Swiss-American, Peabody, Knight of Malta, Great Western, Ajax, Irish-American, Grass Valley, Stockbridge, Seven-Thirty, Green Mountain, Bright, ( 'incinnati, Union Jack, La Crosse, Lucky, Homeward Bound, Branch Mint, Coc, Sebastopol, Ford & Reilly, Fahy, IXL, Inkerman, Shanghai, Sehofield, William Penn, Bryan, Rose Hill, Wisconsin aud Illinois, Daisy Hill, Lone Tree, Perrin's, Dromedary, Orleaus, Combination, Spring Hill, Phoenix, Grant, Bowery, Rocky Bar, Greenhorn, Fair Play, Wheal Betsey, Boston Ravine, Myers' Ground, Allison Ranch Ford, Shamrock, and many others.
Besides the Idaho, Empire, New York Hill aud Surprise, the most promising mines at present being worked are as follows:
IRISH-AMERICAN .- This company owns the Vulcan, Venns, Central, Smith and Findley and the Irish-American claims, and is working on the Vulcan ledge. The shiaft is down 190 feet and has eut two ledges. Steam hoisting works have just been completed, aud the sinking of the shaft will be con- tinned and will no doubt develop a most valuable mine. The company owns a patent for 59 acres. Martin Ford is the prin- cipal owner.
CENTENNIAL .- This mine has a shaft down 425 feet, from which a south level runs 470 feet. A new shaft has just been completed 400 feet south of the old one. One hundred loads of rock this spring yielded $8,000 at the Orleans mill.
SEBASTOPOL .- This is a mine that was worked in 1858 by William and Robert Watt, John Judd and Benjamin Ma- cauley, who ran a drain tunnel 1000 feet on the ledge, and sank an incline 150 feet below the tunnel level. Work was sus- pended to allow the owners to work the Massachusetts Hill inine, and the Sebastopol has been idle ever since. It has been recently purchased by James Bennallack and others, who liavc removed the machinery from the Bullion minc and arc devel- oping this one.
MARYLAND .- This claim adjoins the Idaho on the east and is supposed to be an extension of the same ledge. A tunnel has been driven 675 fcet to the vein, and drifts run a short dis- tanee east and west. Hoisting and pumping works will soon be erected by the Maryland Company, which owns 2,000 feet on the ledge and hopes to develop a second Idaho.
ROCKY BAR .- This mine has a drain tunnel and an incline down 475 feet, and work is being done on the third and fourth levels. The general average of the quartz is $32 per ton. A new ten stamp mill has just been completed.
ALASKA .- This mine is two miles southeast of Grass Val- ley, and has been worked to some extent and is now being worked on the tribute system.
ALPHA .- This ledge is on the north side of Wolf creek, parallel to the Idaho. It has been worked more or less for years by means of shafts sunk at various points on the croppings with invariably good results. A level has been started from the present ineline, which is down 120 feet and has hoisting works over it. The five stamp mill at the Godfrey gravel mine has been purchased and removed to this shaft. The ledge av- erages eighteen inches in thickness and shows considerable free gold and sulphurcts.
OAKLAND .- This mine is on Wolf Creek, just north of the old Allison Ranch mine. A shaft is down to a depth of 160 feet, and over 200 feet of drifts have been run. This location was made in 1877, and embraces 1500 feet, and lias hoisting works over the shaft.
TRIBUTE .- This mine was formerly known as the Black Lead, and was worked two or three years, some fifteen years ago, and yielded over $100,000. Last year the Tribute Company purchased it. Steam pumping and hoisting works are over the incline, which is down 270 feet. Ten men are at work in the minc.
BEN FRANKLIN .- This is a mine on Osborn Hill, that was worked some in the past. Work is now being prosecuted, and the shaft is down 190 feet, from which the second level is being run.
PACIFIC CONSOLIDATED .- This is an old ledge relo- cated in 1876, and has a tunnel 200 feet long and a drift 90 feet in length. The location is covered by a patent for 3,000 fret.
Other mines in which work is now being done are the Jndd and Casey, Bulldoser, King's Hill, Pacitic, Washington, Great Republic, and Lone Tree, besides a number of others that are being worked on a small scale or being prospected.
CHAPTER LV.
THE MINES OF LITTLE YORK.
Hunt's Hill-Quaker Hill-Sailor Flat-Red Dog-Chalk Bluff-You Bet- Little York-Lowell Hill-Remington Hill.
HUNT'S HILL, QUAKER HILL AND SAILOR FLAT.
THE " blue lead " was discovered on Hunt's Hill, in 1852, by a man named Hunt, on the north side of Greenhorn creek, and at an elevation of two hundred feet above the bed of the creek. Until 1855 claims were fifty feet square, but at that time a meeting was called to organize Hunt's Hill District, at which the size of a claim was declared to be one hundred feet front and to run back to the center of the hill. Under the new law the Eastern, Gouge Eye, Alpha, Camden, Sebastopol, Maine, Morrison, Jenny Lind and McCharles claims were located. These claims have been extensively worked, and have changed hands, some of them many times. McLeod & Spalding now own the McLeod elaim, formerly the McCharles. These claims had been abandoned in 1858, and were relocated in 1873, by Malcom McLeod. The Jenny Lind Co. became involved in 1858, and the elaim lay idle until 1864, when a new company with the same name was formed. It is now owned by Marsh & Tulley, and also embraces part of the old Morrison claim. The Eastern and Maine claims, containing eighty-seven acres, are now held by A. G. Turner. The Gouge Eye, Camden and Alpha claims were patented in 1874, and afterwards sold to John McAllis for $25,000. It is known as the Camden Mine and contains one hundred acres. It has eight hundred feet of bed rock tunnel, with flume and undercurrents.
Next to the Camden is the Quaker Hill Mine, owned by Sargent & Jacobs. This is an extensive claim of 1,053 acres, and reaches from Greenhorn to Deer creek. Some $350,000 have been expended in working this claim, and the yield has been about $700,000. For want of sufficient fall the claims cannot be worked by hydraulic process to within two hundred feet of the bed rock. A double shaft has been sunk. and through this the gravel is elevated to the surface, and is erushed in a cement mill. which has a capacity of sixty-five tons in twenty-four hours. From thirty to fifty meu are employed about the mill and mine. There have been, in all. for cement mills on these claims, that have crashed about 20.000 tous. averaging 86 to the ton. The claims are supplied with water from two ditches, running from the head waters of Greenhorn creek, and aggregating twenty miles in length. They are owned by Sargent & Jacobs The owners are Hon. A. A. Sargent and William F. Jacobs, George F Jacobs is the Superintendent.
The Morrow claims at Quaker Hill, owned by & C. Jordan. embrace ninety-eight acres, and are worked by hydraulic
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HISTORY OF NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.
process. The depth to bed rock is 350 feet. $3,000 were spent in developing this mine which has 2,800 feet of iron pipc. The total yield has been some $120,000. Fifteen men are employed about the mine. The Wind Up claim was located at Quaker Hill in 1878, and embraces 160 acres of ground. A tunnel to be one thousand feet in length is nearly completed, and will cost about $3,500. The claim will be worked by drift- iug.
The Sailor Flat district was located in 1857. A shaft was sunk to the bed rock at a depth of eighty feet, and a tunnel was run into the hill a distance of eight hundred feet. For various reasons the ground was but little worked until 1874, when it was sold to the present owners, since which time it has been advantageously worked. The claim contains 290 acres, and is worked by drifting in summer and by hydraulic process in winter. A ditch four miles long, with a capacity of five hundred inches, belongs to the claim. The owner is R. D. Culbertson.
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