Nevada County CA Archives History - Books .....Mines Of Nevada Township 1867
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Book Title: Bean’s History And Directory Of Nevada County, California

THE MINES OF NEVADA TOWNSHIP.

BANNER MINE.

 This mine, doubtless one of the best in the State; is situated about three
miles southeast of Nevada, in the slate formation. It was first located in
March, 1860, by Jeffery, Rolfe, Within gton, and others, under the name of the
Douglas Company, and a shaft sunk to the depth of seventy feet, at a point six
hundred feet north of the present works of the Banner Company, The Douglas
Company suspended operations in May or June, 1860, and some of the members
leaving for Washoe soon after, the work was never resumed by that company. The
mine was subsequently located by Robert and J. Q. A. Bowley, and a tunnel
commenced; but the work was again, suspended, and the ledge again re-located by
Pressey and others, under the name of the Liberty Company. The first crushing
taken out by the latter company yielded only four or five dollars a ton, but the
owners persevered and took out another lot of rock which paid about twenty
dollars a ton. This established the reputation of the ledge, and early in 1865
it was purchased by Messrs. Tisdale, Kidd, Tilton and Stiles, for $15,000. About
the time of the purchase the Bowleys commenced a suit for the ledge, and
obtaining an injunction from the Court, the work on the mine was suspended for
some months. The case was compromised in November, 1865, by Kidd and the other
owners purchasing the Bowley claim. Since that time, the mine has been worked
with little interruption, yielding, up to February 1867, 5,000 tons of ore,
which has averaged over twenty dollars a ton. Steam hoisting works were erected
in the winter of 1865-66, and a mill the following summer—the former costing
$9,000 and the latter $18,000. The mill has ten stamps, of 650 pounds each,
eleven Knox pans, and works about fifteen tons of ore every twenty-four hours.
The ore being composed almost entirely of sulphurets, is difficult to reduce,
and the amalgamating machinery in the mill has been remoddeld several times, in
order to adapt it to the working of the ore. The mine is opened by an incline
shaft, twelve feet in width and six in hight, having three compartments, in the
middle of which is the pump and stairway, with a car track on each side. The
incline has been sunk to the depth of 240 feet, and the work of sinking is kept
up without interruption. Three levels have been run at different depths, in both
directions from the shaft. The upper north level has been run 210 feet, and the
south level sixty feet; the middle north level is 190 feet, and the south 200
feet; while the lower level is now about 100 feet each way from the shaft, and
is still being run. The width of the ledge will average about four feet, its
course is nearly north and south; and it has an easterly dip of about forty-five
degrees. While the average yield of all the rock taken from the mine has been
twenty dollars a ton, that from the incline in the last sixty feet run has paid
thirty dollars, showing an improvement in the quality of the ore with the depth.
In the fall of 1866 Captain Kidd sold his interest in the mine, amounting to
five-twelfths, for $62,500, which is at the rate of $150,000 for the whole. The
mine is now worked under the superintendence of William L. Tisdale, who owns
five-twelfths of the property, the other owners being Charles Marsh, who has
two-twelfths, and W. C. Stiles, D. A. Rich, A, E. Head, C. A. Land and D.
Crittenden, who have a twelfth each. When the mine was purchased from Pressey,
it was christened the "Star Spangled Banner," but is popularly known as the
"Banner." Of the ore afforded by this mine, some 3,000 tons have been reduced at
Stiles's mill, in Nevada, which has yielded better returns than the company's
own mill, until quite recently, The Banner has not been worked as long nor
explored to the depth and extent of some others, but taking into account the
size of the vein, and the improvement in quality of ore with the depth, we know
of no mine in, the State that has a greater prospective value.

CALIFORNIA MINE.

  The mine is situated on the south side of Deer creek, below Nevada, and is on
the same ledge as the Gold Tunnel—the first quartz vein discovered and opened at
Nevada. The Illinois claim, also on the same ledge, lies between the Gold Tunnel
and California, The latter location was made by Graham, Stone and others, early
in 1851, and comprises 1,500 feet, commencing 600 or 800 feet from Deer creek,
and running south. In the summer of that year the owners made a contract with
Frothingham and Hull of San Francisco, for the erection of a mill to crush the
rock. By the terms of the contract, the owners of the mine were to furnish the
rock at the mill, and to pay sixteen dollars a ton for crushing. The mill was
commenced about September, 1851, under the superintendence of Warren B. Ewer,
now editor of the San Francisco Mining Press, and was completed and started up
some time during the following winter. The rock yielded very large returns,
though it by no means came up to the extravagant expectations of the owners of
the mine. The writer of this remembers hearing one of them complaining that a
lot of rock, which had just been crushed, only paid thirty dollars a ton. Half
that yield would now be considered excellent rock. The fault of what was
considered a small yield was attributed to the mill; and with the little that
was then known of amalgamating, it would have been strange, indeed, if half the
gold had been saved. During the spring and summer of 1852 a considerable amount
of rock was crushed at the mill, from the California, Illinois and other claims
in the neighborhood, but the stamps were idle the most of the time, and the next
season the engine of the mill was taken off and used for a saw mill. A year or
two later, the site of the mill was sluiced off by miners, who are said to have
made a snug sum from the gold lost by the process the quartz was then worked.
After this the ledge was considered of little value, the original owners
disposed of their interests, which were subsequently bought up by Horace Ferre,
who was satisfied that the mine would eventually become valuable. It was worked
for some months by David Hunt, in 1857, and by other parties in 1863, the yield
of the rock varying from $10 to $60 a ton. About the beginning of 1866, Ferre
made an arrangement with J. M. Pattee, the agent of the Eagle Company, of
Hartford, Connecticut, for the erection of hoisting works and the opening of the
mine in a systematic manner. The hoisting works were completed and the .work of
sinking an incline shaft commenced in the summer following, and a fine, mill has
since- been added, the whole costing about 885,000. The mill has tea stamps, of
750 pounds each; and is capable of reducing about twenty tons of rock in
twenty-four hours. The pulp, after leaving the batteries, runs over copper
plates, after which the suiplrurets are concentrated by means of Bradford's ore
separators. The free gold being saved in the batteries and on the plates, the
sulphurets will be worked by the chlorinizing process. The mill, together with
the hoisting and pumping machinery, is driven by an eighty-horse power engine,
and the rock as it comes from the mine in the cars is dumped in front of the
stamps. Every thing connected with the works has been constructed with the view
of convenience and economy. The incline is fourteen feet in width, has three
compartments; with tracks for the cars on each side and the pump and a stairway
in the middle, and has been sunk to the depth of 248 feet, being about 170
perpendicular, and seventy-five feet below the old works in the mine. From the
bottom, of the incline a level has been run south a distance of 230 feet, and
nicety feet north. Some two hundred tons of ore has been taken from, ike mine in
sinking the incline and running drifts, and the vein will soon be opened so as
to keep the mill constantly supplied. The ledge is in the granite formation, its
course is a little east of south and north of west, and dips to the east at an
angle of about forty degrees. It varies in width from one or two inches to four
feet, but will probably average two feet. The mine is worked under the
superintendence of Horace Ferre, who also retains an interest in the property.
The hoisting works are situated a little over half a mile from the center of
town, and just outside the corporation limits.

CORNISH, OR URAL MINE.

  The Cornish, or Ural mine, is situated a mile and a half below Nevada, on the
north side of Deer creek, at the junction of the granite and slate formations.
It was located in 1851, as the Ural ledge, and a mill commenced the following
winter and completed in the spring of 1852. Some rock had been found in the
ledge showing free gold, and assays of choice specimens yielded an enormous rate
per ton, inducing the owners to believe that they had a mine of fabulous wealth.
    The rock, however, failed to pay in the mill, and the owners becoming
discouraged the work was suspended. The mill and mine was subsequently leased by
a scientific gentleman, but his science proved of no avail in extracting the
gold from barren rock, for his first and only crushing failed to show the
"color." The mine was then abandoned, and the mill and machinery taken away and
used for other purposes. The ledge was subsequently relocated by Muller, Buckner
and others, who opened it in a new place, where they found a body of remarkably
rich ore, which they worked out to the water level. The rock was crushed at the
Soggs mill, and yielded large profits; but the owners, not being disposed to
risk the expense of a long drain-tunnel or pumping machinery, sold the mine to
Soggs and his partners. The vein, however, was worked but little by the latter
company, and in 1859 it was sold to Philip and John Richards and Samuel Adams,
and has since been known as the Cornish mine. Richards & Co. had previously
erected a six-stamp mill in the Lecompton district, three miles above Nevada,
which they removed and rebuilt near the site of the old Ural. They commenced a
tunnel on the ledge, at a point near the mill, and have been working with the
most untiring perseverance for seven years. Last fall they struck the rich chute
which had been worked at the surface by Muller and Buckner, having driven the
tunnel a distance of between twelve and thirteen hundred feet. They expected to
find chutes of pay rock before reaching the point where they are now working,
but they got only a small amount which was considered worth running through, the
mill. But doing the labor themselves, and occasionally crushing a few tons of
custom rock, they have succeeded in opening the mine, which ordinarily would
have involved an outlay of $15,000 or $20,000. The chimney worked by Muller and
Buckner extended some sixty feet along the ledge, at the surface, and had
increased to a hundred feet at the depth of a hundred and twenty feet, the vein
being from two to five feet in width. The tunnel strikes the chimney about two
hundred feet below the old works, and in all probability will furnish ore above
the present level to keep the mill supplied for several years. The gold is
mostly contained in the sulphurets, the richest of which the owners are saving
with the intention of shipping them to England for reduction. A considerable
quantity of second-class ore was run through the mill last winter, which yielded
good returns. The course of the vein, like the other main lodes in the Nevada
basin, is nearly north and south, with an easterly dip, and cuts through from
the state into the granite formation. The owners, by their energy and
perseverance under the most discouraging circumstances, are deserving a rich
reward, and have the prospect of achieving it.

CUNNINGHAM MINE.

  This mine is situated about a mile and a half southeast of Nevada, on the
slope of the hill above Gold Flat, and in the slate formation. It was located by
Wigham, Cunningham, Byrnes, and others, about 1852 or '53; though but little
work was done on it, and having changed hands several times, was purchased by
Horace Ferre in 1858. Ferre employed a man named George W. Baldwin to work on
the mine, and the latter set up a claim to the ownership of the ledge. A lawsuit
ensued, which was decided in favor of Ferre in 1861. He afterward erected a
small engine, and sunk a vertical shaft to the depth of seventy feet, being
about a hundred feet on the incline of the ledge. About five hundred tons of
rock was taken out by Ferre, which yielded all the way from nine to thirty-five
dollars a ton. But the vein having run down to a mere seam in both drifts, and
the engine being insufficient to pump and hoist at a greater depth, the work was
stopped, and the mine fell into the hands of H. Mackie & Co., who had advanced
money to open it, and held a mortgage on the property. In 1866 Mackie and Philip
made an arrangement with San Francisco men for the erection of hoisting works
and opening the mine. The machinery was erected and work commenced in October of
that year, and has since been prosecuted without interruption. The engine is
rated at twenty-two horse power, and the cost of the works was about $8,000. The
mine is being opened by an incline, which, at the time of writing this, is down
160 feet, being sixty feet below the old workings in the mine. Work is also
being prosecuted in the levels worked by Ferre, and a ledge of good size, and
yielding rich ore, has been found in the south drift. When the incline reaches a
depth of 100 feet below the old works, drifts will be started in both directions
on the ledge. The incline is eight feet in width, six in hight, having two
compartments, in one of which is the track for the cars and in the other the
pump and a stairway. The ledge is about two feet in width, and increasing in
size with the depth. It dips east at an angle of about thirty-five degrees, and
its course is nearly north and south, being parallel with the Wigham and other
veins in the vicinity. The present owners are H. Hackie, H. Philip, L. L.
Robinson, F. L. A. Pioche, S. F. Butterworth, and Charles Bever. John Pattison
is the superintendent.

DEADWOOD LEDGE.

  This ledge is situated near the Oriental mill, two and a half miles from
Nevada, and was located in 1856 by C. C. Green, Allen and Chandler. The mine was
worked for a year or more by the original locators, yielding a large profit,
when they sold out for a handsome sum. The purchasers, however, left for Washoe,
and abandoned the mine, and about 1861 it was relocated and has since been
worked with success. The vein is about a foot in width, and is so situated that
a large amount of rock could be mined without going below the water level. The
mine has afforded, since it was first opened, about 1,000 tons of rock, the
average yield of which amounted to about $20 a ton. In 1866, the owners erected
a small water wheel, for pumping and hoisting, and commenced an incline. The
ledge is now owned by Parker, Luey and Curtis.

FEDERAL LOAN LEDGE.

  This ledge is situated three miles above Nevada, on the south side of Deer
creek, and is owned by Bachtel, Hecker and others. It is a large ledge, in the
slate formation, and the rock has been worked in a small, two-stamp mill erected
by the owners in the vicinity of the mine. The mine affords some very rich ore,
but the most of it, where the vein is opened, is of a low grade, but would
probably pay well if the mine was thoroughly opened, and the rock worked on a
large scale.

FOREST MILL.

  The Forest mill is situated on Little Deer creek, three miles above Nevada,
and was erected by William Butterfield, in 1860 or '61. It was built for the
purpose of working a ledge in the vicinity, but the enterprise proved a failure,
and the mill was idle for some years. In 1865 it was purchased by the New York
and Grass Valley Company, and has been used for working the rock from the Union
mine. The mill has five stamps, and is run by steam power. It was originally a
poor concern, but has been, greatly improved and mostly rebuilt by the New York
Company.

FRENCH MILL.

  This mill is situated at Canada Hill, about a mile and a half southeast of
Nevada, and was built in 1861, by Charonnat, Michel and others. It has a single
battery of sis stamps, is furnished with shaking tables to concentrate the
sulphurets, pans, etc., and is one of the best mills in the county for saving
gold. The owners of the mill have expended considerable sums in endeavoring to
open a ledge in the vicinity, but did not succeed, on account of the softness of
the granite, and the large quantity of water in the ground. After several
unsuccessful attempts to drive a tunnel on the ledge, the work was abandoned,
and the mill has since been mostly engaged in custom work. In reducing the
refractory ores of Meadow Lake township, it has been uniformly successful F. L.
A. Pioche, of San Francisco, is the principal owner, L. Charonnat, the resident
partner, being the superintendent.

GOLD TUNNEL MINE.

 The Gold Tunnel quartz mine was the first one discovered in Nevada township,
has been the longest worked, and yielded the most gold. It is situated on the
west side of town, the location being mostly in the corporation limits,
commencing at Deer creek and running north. It was discovered in October, 1850,
by Joseph Wiggins, Horace Holt, and two brothers named Barker, while engaged in
their first day's work at mining. At that time nothing was known by the
California miners of the position of mineral veins, and the location was made in
claims of thirty feet square, in accordance with the regulations of the placer
miners. Subsequently, the owners purchased the adjoining claims, to enable them
to follow the dip of the vein. At first, the decomposed rock was taken out and
washed in a rocker, yielding large profits, notwithstanding the crude and
expensive system adopted in working it. Captain O'Connor afterward purchased an
interest in the mine, and commenced a tunnel on the ledge in the spring of 1851,
whence it took the name of "Gold Tunnel," which it has ever since retained. A
mill was erected the following summer near the mouth of the tunnel, and although
it saved nothing but specimen gold, it yielded large returns. In 1852 the mine
was owned and worked by Kidd, Van Doren and others, Captain Kidd afterward
obtaining a controlling interest, and working it steadily until 1855, when he
sold out to a company of Cornish miners. Tip to this time the mine had yielded
over $300,000 in gold. The Cornishmen worked it with little interruption for
eight years, but we have no knowledge as to the amount realized by the company.
A tunnel, commencing at high water mark on the bank of Deer creek, has been run
a distance of fourteen hundred feet north, and the rock paid very largely for a
distance of six hundred feet—probably averaging fifty dollars a ton. Beyond
this, the rock paid only eight or ten dollars a ton, and the rich chimney having
been worked out above the tunnel in 1863, the work was suspended. The mine was
repurchased in 1864 by Captain Kidd, who now owns it in partnership with W. C.
Ralston and Lloyd Tevis, of San Francisco. Tevis was an owner in the mine at an
early day—in 1853 we believe. The mill attached to the mine was carried off in
February, 1857, by the flood in Deer creek, caused by the breaking of Laird's
dam at Scotch Flat; but another six-stamp water mill was erected in its place
the following spring, which is still standing, though it has been used but
little for some years. In 1865, steam hoisting and pumping works were erected on
the hill north of the creek, and an incline sunk to a depth of fifty feet below
the old level, but from some cause the work was stopped. We believe it is the
intention of the owners to resume operations this summer. The Gold Tunnel was
not only the first mine opened in Nevada township, but is the only one among
those worked at an early day that did not prove a disastrous failure. There is
no doubt that it will again be worked with profit.

ITALIAN MINE.

  This ledge is in the heart of the city of Nevada, and was discovered by
accident, in the summer of 1866, by Debonardi, while digging a cellar for his
house. The discovery was kept secret until the ledge was staked off and leases
taken from the owners of the town lots through which it run. Two crushings of
some fifty tons each were taken out, paying about fifty dollars a ton, and upon
learning the value of the mine, a claimant forthwith appeared, and pending the
determination of the case in the District Court, very novel but effectual
injunctions were inforced by the respective parties against each other. The
Italians, in the upper works, dumping out and running water upon their opponents
in the tunnel below, and they returning the compliment by burning gum boots,
flannel shirts, old horns, brimstone, and whatever else would make a stifling
stench, for the benefit of their neighbors above. These little courtesies
effectually stopped the working of the claim until the decision, which was in
favor of the Italians, and since then they have taken out rock to the water
level, the ledge increasing in size and the rock improving in character as they
descend. The ledge is now about three feet wide, and, when the necessary
hoisting and pumping works are erected, promises to become a valuable and
permanent mine. It is owned by J. J. Ott, Debonardi, Sanguinetti and Judge Belden.

LECOMPTON MINE.

  The Lecompton ledge was located in the spring of 1857, by George Hearst,
Joseph and Jacob Clark, and George D. Roberts, and is situated three miles above
Nevada, in what is now known as the Lecompton district. A half interest was soon
after sold to McLane and Givens, and in the course of two years the mine yielded
a profit of over §60,000 to the owners, the rock being worked at the Oriental
mill. -The various interests in the mine were afterward bought up by the owners
of the mill, and the whole property was purchased by J. J. Ott, in 1863. Up to
this time the gross yield of the mine was over $220,000, the rock paying on the
average about $40 a ton, and the mine having been worked out to near the water
level. Ott erected pumping machinery and sunk an incline to the depth of 175
feet below the bed of Deer creek, taking out a hundred tons of rock which
yielded .about the same as that in the upper levels. A tunnel has also been run
through solid granite, a distance of 350 feet, striking another very rich chute
in the ledge. A crushing made about the first of February last, yielded 8125 a
ton in free gold, without counting the sulphurets, which are very rich. The
ledge varies in width from, three and four inches to two and a half feet,
averaging a little over a foot. It lies near the junction of the granite and
slate, cutting through from one formation into the other, without changing its
course or dip.

MOHAWK MINE.

  This mine is situated on Gold Flat, a mile south of Nevada, and was located by
Henry Stede and others in 1857. Stede and his partners worked the mine for some
years, hoisting the rock by means of a one-horse whim, and with as favorable
results as could have been anticipated with limited means. In 1863, Captain Kidd
purchased the mine, erected steam hoisting and pumping works, and commenced an
incline; but the work was several times interrupted by reason of the large
quantity of water with which the miners had to contend. William L. Tisdale
subsequently purchased half the mine, and a perpendicular shaft was sunk to the
depth of a hundred and eighteen feet, and drifts run each way on the ledge.
About five hundred tons of rock was taken out and crushed by Kidd & Tisdale,
which averaged thirty-four dollars a ton; but the work was suspended last year,
on account of the machinery not being of sufficient capacity to work the mine.
It is the intention to put on heavier machinery this summer, and resume
operations. The ledge appears to be full of rich pockets of free gold, in which
many fine specimens have been found. The Mohawk is in the granite, its course is
nearly north and south, and, like the Sneath and Clay, which is a parallel vein,
dips to the west.

MURCHIE MILL AND MINE.

  The mill of the Murchie Brothers is situated two and a half miles above
Nevada, on Deer creek, was built in 1861, has eight stamps, and is run by water
power. The Murchie mine, which is near the mill, is quite a large vein, and the
rock has yielded, in the different crushings, from five to seventeen dollars a
ton—oftener the smaller than the larger sum. This would not pay expenses, in the
manner in which the mine was worked, and the mill has been employed a portion of
the time on custom work, and much of the time has been idle. In 1866, the
Murchies made an arrangement with Charles Bever and others to sink a shaft on
the mine, in expectation that the ore would improve at a greater depth. A small
engine was erected, a shaft sunk to the depth of about a hundred feet, and
considerable rock was taken out and crushed, which yielded about the same as
that nearer the surface. This was not considered sufficient to justify a
continuance of operations, and the mine is not worked at present.

NEVADA MINE AND MILL.

  The mine of the Nevada Quartz Mining Company is situated about a mile below
Nevada, on the north side of Deer creek, and was located early in 1851, by
Charles Marsh, E. S. Mattison, Dr. McIntyre, and others. It was known then as
the Bunker Hill ledge, and it was here that the grand and disastrous experiment
of Dr. Rogers was made, the particulars of which are detailed in the historical
sketch of the township. The experiment cost the stockholders over 880,000, and
beyond question it was the wildest experiment ever made in quartz. After the
failure of the Bunker Hill Company, the mine was considered of no value, and few
persons would have accepted it as a gift. Some years later, the ledge was
located at a point further north, by R. R. Craig, P. N. Edwards and 3. A.
Mattingly where some rich rock was found, but at the time they were not aware
that it was the same as the Bunker Hill ledge. In 1857, Craig and his partners
made an arrangement with Captain D. VanPelt, Nelson Soggs, S. W. Green and
others, who erected an eight-stamp steam mill for a half interest in the ledge.
The mill was situated on the west side of American Hill, and was run
successfully for two or three years, the parties who built the mill, in the mean
time, having bought out the interests of the locators of the ledge, and paying
for the same from the profits of the mine. The fact having been ascertained that
the ledge was the same as that of the old Bunker Hill, the mill site, water
wheel and flume of that company were purchased, and a new mill was erected in
1860, near the site of the Bunker Hill furnace. About this time the company was
incorporated under the name of "Nevada Quartz Mining Company." Nelson Soggs was
the superintendent from the time the first mill was erected up to 1864, when he
resigned on account of ill health; but the mine is still known as the Soggs
mine. At times, very large profits have been realized from the working of the
mine—about 5,000 tons of rock being crushed yearly since the present mill was
erected, and the gross yield ranging from $40,000 to $70,000 a year. About 1861,
six of Bradford's ore separators were attached to the mill, for the purpose of
concentrating the sulphurets, and by means of which from three to five tons have
been saved weekly. These have mostly been reduced by the chlorinizing process,
at Mailman's sulphuret works, and have largely contributed to the success of the
enterprise. William M. Ratcliff has been the superintendent for the past two or
three years. From him, we learn that from January 1,1866, to January 1,1867,
about 5,000 tons of rock was crushed, which yielded in the mill $42,000; while
the returns from ore shipped to Swansea, and of concentrated sulphurets, netted
$8,000. The concentrated sulphurets average $100 a ton, and the sulphuret ore
sells at the mill for $87 a ton. The mill has twelve stamps, eight of them
weighing 750 pounds each, and four of 1,000 pounds each. The amalgamating
machinery consists of four Chile mills, two Bannan arastras, and two of Crall's
waltzing pans. The machinery is driven by an over-shot wheel of thirty-five feet
in diameter, the water being taken from Deer creek. The ledge has been opened
and worked by three tunnels, commencing above the mill and running north. The
upper tunnel has been run a distance of 2,900 feet, being over half a mile in
length. The middle tunnel has been run 1,900 feet, and the lower 1,800. The
lower tunnel starts in just above the mill, being fifteen or twenty feet above
high water mark, and 133 feet below the middle tunnel. The ledge is one of the
largest in the township; varying from three to sixteen feet in width, and
averaging about five feet. It has yielded not less than 40,000 tons of ore, and
has never been worked below the level of the creek. Since the company was
incorporated but one assessment has been levied, and that amounted to only
one-half of one per cent, on the capital stock.

ORIENTAL MILL.

  The Oriental mill was erected by Howland, Gray and others, of San Francisco,
in 1857. It was built for a custom mill, and A. B. Paul was the superintendent
until 1860, In 1863, it was purchased, together with the Lecompton and other
mines, by J. J. Ott, who entirely remodeled it, and added pans and ore
separators. Ott sold the mill, together with a number of undeveloped ledges, to
a New York company, and latterly it has been mostly used for custom work. It is
run by steam power, has eight stamps, four pans, three Bradford ore separators,
and a Crosby desulphurizer and amalgamator.

ORO FINO MILL AND MINES.

  The Oro Fino mill is situated on Rush creek, about four miles west of Nevada,
and was built in 1862 by Robert Hanly and others. Work was commenced and rock
crushed from several ledges in the vicinity, but the enterprise was not
successful, and operations were suspended. In the spring of 1866, the property
was purchased by parties from Virginia City, and considerable work has been done
in the past year by way of opening the ledges belonging to the company. These
are the Oro Fino, the Middle and the John Bull; in addition to which the company
has leased the Yellow Diamond ledge, in the vicinity. A tunnel of over four
hundred feet in length has been run on the John Bull, the ledge being about two
feet in width, and furnishing considerable good ore. The mill has six stamps, is
run by water power, and has been almost entirely rebuilt since the present
company commenced operations. A considerable quantity of rock has been crushed
from the different ledges in the past year, generally yielding good returns. The
owners, are Messrs. Morris, Hale, Hinds, Collins and Brown —William E. Morris
being the superintendent.

PALMER'S MILL.

  This mill is situated on Sacramento street, in the town of Nevada, and was
built by Oscar Palmer in 1862. It has four stamps, a Williams pan, and is run by
steam power. It has been mostly employed in custom work, being erected for that
purpose, and has generally yielded good returns from the rock worked. The
Williams pan was first introduced in this mill, and is one of the best pans for
grinding now in use.

PENNSYLVANIA MINE.

  This mine is situated northwest of Nevada, and but a short distance outside
the corporation limits. It was located in 1863, and a mill built the nest year
by Simmons, Gates and others. The mine was opened by a perpendicular shaft, to a
depth of about a hundred feet, and yielded excellent returns. The operations
were suddenly suspended in November, 1865, by a deplorable accident. Through the
carelessness of the person who was acting as engineer, a flue collapsed,
throwing the boiler a distance of over three hundred feet, demolishing a house
standing near the mill, and killing a Mrs. Hutchinson, who was the only person
that happened to be in the house at the time. During the preceding spring and
summer the profits of the mine had amounted to some $5,000 or $6,000. The
company, however, being still somewhat involved, and there being also a lack of
harmony among the owners, they sold out the property soon after the accident to
Messrs. J. H. Helm, T. P. Hawley, T. T. Davenport, A. C. Niles and G. Morgan—the
latter subsequently selling his interest to S. B. Davenport. A new boiler was
put in the mill, the necessary repairs made, and operations commenced again in
the spring of 1866. Finding, however, that the mine had been mostly worked out
to the depth of the old shaft, the company erected new hoisting works, and
opened the ledge in a systematic manner by means of an incline. This has been
sunk to a depth of about eighty feet below the old works, and levels run in each
direction, from which a considerable quantity of good ore has been mined. The
mill, which had been idle the most of the summer and fall, was started up again
about the middle of December, and is understood to have been yielding good
returns. The hoisting works cost about $7,000, are of sufficient capacity to
work the mine to a great depth, and are well and conveniently arranged. The mill
has only four stamps, but is arranged so that another battery of four stamps can
be added, which will probably be done when the mine is further developed. The
ledge will average about a foot in width, its course is nearly north and south,
has an easterly dip, and lies between the Soggs and Gold Tunnel. J. H. Helm is
the superintendent.

PROVIDENCE MINE.

  The Providence mine is an extension of the Soggs, or Nevada Company's ledge,
being situated on the south side of Deer creek. It was located by T. F. Dingley,
and the nest year a six-stamp mill was erected and the ledge opened under his
superintendence, having associated with some parties in San Francisco, when the
company was incorporated. In 1861, the capacity of the mill was increased by the
addition of six stamps, and it now has three Williams and five Knox pans. The
ledge is opened by means of tunnels, starting in above the mill, and running
south. The pay rock is taken from large chimneys, situated at unequal distances,
while the ledge between the chimneys is quite small, in places running down to a
mere seam. Some remarkably rich sulphuret ore has been taken from the mine, but
the average will probably, not exceed ten or twelve dollars a ton. We have no
statistics as to the amount of rock that has been taken out and reduced, but the
mill has been kept in operation the most of the time. Attached to the mill are
four of Bradford's ore separators; but these were allowed to get out of order,
and have not been used for some years. The mill is run by a steam engine, and is
situated on the opposite side of the creek, and a little below, the mill of the
Nevada Company. The principal office of the Providence Company is in San
Francisco—J. M. Buffington, secretary, and T. F. Dingley—who is a large
stockholder—has been superintendent from the beginning.

SNEATH AND CLAY MINE.

  This mine is situated on Gold Flat, a mile from Nevada, and was discovered by
the Sneath Brothers and G. W. Clay, in the winter of 1861-62. They had placer
diggings in the ravine and were induced to look for the ledge by finding rich
quartz specimens in their sluice. The quartz near the surface, where the ledge
was first struck, was very much decomposed, showing free gold in abundance, and
the owners were considerably elated with their prospects. The first crushing,
which was made at the Soggs mill, in the spring of 1862, yielded thirty-two
dollars a ton. This was far less than the owners anticipated, still it was good
pay, and they persevered with the work, commencing an incline on the ledge, and
pumping by means of a small water wheel. The second crushing, made in the summer
following, yielded some eighty dollars a ton. The owners then made arrangements
for the erection of a mill, continuing operations at the same time in the mine.
In the course of the summer, several other crushings were made from the ledge,
one of which paid as high as $180 a ton. An engine replaced the water wheel for
pumping and hoisting, the incline was sunk to the depth of 150 feet, drifts run,
and by the time the mill was completed, in the spring of 1883, they had out some
eight hundred or a thousand tons of rock ready to be crushed—the owners, up to
this time, doing a good share of the labor in the mine themselves. For several
months after the mill started, the rock paid on the average 170 a ton, yielding
better, probably, than any mine in the county at that time, and the mine was
considered the most valuable. Clay, who owned one-third, sold half of his
interest to J. C. Birdseye, who paid $15,000 down, in coin, and was to pay
$45,000 more from the first profits accruing to the interest. Birdseye
subsequently transferred the interest back to Clay for the balance due, losing
the amount paid. In running the drifts along the ledge, it was found that the
rich chimney extended only about 150 feet, and in the northerly drift the rock
run down to five or six dollars a ton. The work, however, was continued, and the
mill kept running the most of the time; but the owners were not able to agree,
the Sneaths managed to spend more money than they made, and we believe mortgaged
their interests, and finally, in May, 1865, the mine and other property was
purchased by the New York and Grass Valley Company, for $27,000. The mill and
hoisting works had cost $45,000. Of the original owners, Clay was the only one
who had any money when they disposed of the property, though the yield up to
that time had been nearly $200,000, of which over half had been profits. The
mine has been worked steadily and systematically by the New York Company, the
past two years, S. P. Leeds being the superintendent until May, 1866, and since
then under the superintence of Edward Dunscomb. It has never paid as well as
during the first few months after the mill was started, but has always returned
a fair profit, the rock at times yielding between $40 and $50 a ton. The ledge
has a westerly dip, its general course being nearly north and south, and lies
very flat, the angle of inclination being only twenty-three degrees. The incline
has been run 400 feet down the slope of the ledge, being a vertical depth of 150
feet. We have no knowledge as to the extent of the levels and drifts
underground; but if the ledge retains its present angle of inclination it can be
worked 4,000 feet and the perpendicular depth would only be 1,500 feet. It is
thought by many, however, that the westerly dip of the ledges on Gold Flat has
been caused by a convulsion and displacement of the surface, and that when the
workings extend to a certain depth the dip will change to the east, conforming
to that of the other mineral veins in the Nevada basin. The mine is irregular in
size, but will probably average something over a foot in width. It has yielded,
during the past year, about 400 tons of ore per month, and the average number of
men employed in the mine and mill is forty-eight. The mill has three batteries
of four stamps each, and is supplied with ore separators for concentrating
sulphurets, with pans, Chile mills, and the most approved appliances for
amalgamating. The engine and machinery were manufactured in a foundry at Grass
Valley.

THE STILES MILL AND MINE.

  The mill of W. C. Stiles is situated on Deer creek, at the south end of the
suspension bridge, and was built by Stiles and D. A. Rich, in 1862. The mill was
built for the purpose of working a ledge lying east of and parallel with the
Gold Tunnel, and which had been located by Stiles in 1853, and at times has
afforded good ore. The vein has been opened by a tunnel commencing near the
mouth of Roger Williams ravine, and extending north toward the junction of East
and West Broad street. The rise of the ground however, is not sufficient to
enable the ledge to be profitably worked by means of a tunnel, though it has
yielded in all about 1,000 tons. The mill has been mostly employed on custom
work, and has been very successful in reducing refractory ores. It is run by
water power, has eight, stamps, and five waltzing and four Knox pans. The pulp
is run from the battery into tanks, whence it is shoveled out and worked in the
pans—the process being similar to that used in the reduction of the second-class
silver ores in Washoe. Chemicals are used while working the pulp in the pans,
the treatment varying to suit the different character of ores. Some 3,000 tons
of ore from the Banner mine has been worked at this mill in the last two years,
and uniformly with good results. The mill is now owned by W. C. Stiles.

UNION MINE.

  This mine is situated three miles above Nevada, on Little Deer creek, and was
located in 1863 by N. M. and R. P. Barnett, J. H. Sharp, and others. It was
opened by means of a tunnel, starting in at the creek, and was worked for a year
or two, the rock being reputed to have yielded largely. In the spring of 1865,
the mine was sold to the New York and Grass Valley Company for $25,000—probably
the largest price ever paid for a mine in this county so little developed. The
New York Company erected expensive and very complete hoisting works, and have
opened the mine by means of an incline shaft to the depth of 325 feet—the angle
of inclination being thirty-four degrees. Some 3,000 tons of rock was taken from
the ledge and worked during the year 1866, but the yield was not sufficient to
cover the expenses. During the heavy rains in January last, the lower drifts in
the mine were flooded, and the work was suspended. The ledge is of large size,
ranging from one to four feet in width, and gives the most unmistakable evidence
of being a true fissure vein. At the surface, the ledge is in the granite
formation, but at the depth of 200 feet on the incline, it cuts into the slate,
without a break or fault, and retaining its regular dip. "We presume operations
will be resumed in the mine this spring. The hoisting works and preliminary cost
of opening the mine, amounted to about §30,000. Edward Dunscomb is the
superintendent, who is also superintendent of the Sueath and Clay, belonging to
the same company.

WIGHAM MINE.

The Wigham mine is situated a mile and a half southeast of Nevada, on the slope
of the hill beyond Gold Flat. It was located in 1851 by R. S. Wigham, the agent
of a company organized in Pittsburg, who erected a mill the same year. It was
called the Pittsburg mine, a name ever since retained by the owners; but it is
popularly known as the Wigham, taking the name of the first owner. The location
is 2,000 feet. The mine was worked for a year or two, the rock at times yielding
largely, but on the whole not paying. The company finally became involved and
disorganized, when Wigham took the mine and mill and assumed the outstanding
debts. It was worked in 1855 by J. A. Mattingly and others on a lease, and again
in 1857 by David Hunt, but with indifferent success. In 1858 the property fell
into the hands of some San Francisco capitalists, who had advanced money on the
mine. In 1862 it was leased to Weeks and Thomas, who worked it fifteen months
successfully. They took from the mine 3,700 tons of ore, which yielded an
average of $23 a ton, and the profits to the lessees amounted to not far from
$40,000. At the expiration of the lease the work was suspended, and no effort
was made to develop the mine in a systematic manner until January, 1866. The
owners then made arrangements for further explorations, with the view of
ascertaining the extent of the pay ore, and, if the developments continued
favorable, to erect more substantial and permanent hoisting and reduction works.
   S. D. Merchant took charge of the work, and in the course of the year 1,700
tons of ore was taken from the mine, which yielded in the aggregate
$102,000—being an average of $60 a ton. In that time the mine was opened for a
distance of 800 feet along the vein, and to a depth on the incline of 380 feet,
showing an average width of vein of two feet. In that part of the vein opened it
is estimated that the ore for a distance of 400 feet is worth $8 a ton, and the
remaining 400 feet is estimated at $50 a ton. Without taking into account the
1,200 feet of unprospected ground in the location, the value of the ore in the
present open levels is put at $300,000. The pay chimney is of no great extent
near the surface, but increases rapidly with the depth, being what is termed an
"A chute," as distinguished from a "V chute." The mine already ranks as one of
the best in the State, and there is every indication that it will continue to
improve as the explorations are extended. The erection of new hoisting works and
mill was commenced last fall, the former being completed and started in
operation about the first of February, and the mill will probably be running
some time in May. The hoisting works are of the most improved character, and of
sufficient capacity to work the ledge to a great depth. The mill, which adjoins
the hoisting works, has ten stamps, of 700 pounds each, and the works are so
arranged that the rock as it comes from the mine will be dumped in front of the
battery. Two powerful engines are placed in the same room, one being used for
hoisting and pumping, and the other to run the mill. The new incline is five and
a half feet high, fourteen feet wide at the bottom and thirteen at the top, is
secured by heavy timbers, and has three compartments, the outer compartments
being used for ear tracks, with the pump and stairway in the middle. The
estimated cost of the hoisting works and mill, with ether improvements, is
$60,000. Several hundred tons of first-class ore that has been taken from the
tunnels and drifts is now lying at the dump of the old works, and by the time
the mill is ready to start it is calculated that the mine will be opened so as
to keep it running without interruption. A few years ago the Wigham mine was not
considered of much value; and the late developments afford a striking
illustration of what capital, under competent management, can accomplish for the
benefit of the capitalist and the community.

WILLOW VALLEY MINE.

  This ledge was discovered by A. Burrington, in May, 1865, and located by A.
and D. Burrington, MeCowen, Barton, Pierce and Mohler. It is situated sear
Willow Valley, in the immediate vicinity of where mining operations had been
carried on for years, the rock cropping out boldly and showing free gold.
Prospectors had walked over it time and again, supposing it to be a ledge of
granite bowlders, and never taking the trouble to knock off a piece of the rock,
which would at once have shown it to be quartz. The first crushing yielded large
returns, but the water being troublesome, a tunnel was projected and run at
great expense, which, how ever, tapped the ledge at a depth of only fifty or
sixty feet. Hoisting, works were erected in 1866, at a cost of some $8,000, the
engine and machinery, with the exception of the boiler, being manufactured at
the Nevada Foundry. An incline has been sunk to the depth of 180 feet, and rock
to the amount of 800 tons was taken out and worked last year, which yielded an
average of $22 a ton. The mine, however, has never paid expenses, and operations
were suspended last fall in consequence of the failure of some of the owners to
pay assessments. The ledge dips at an angle of forty-five degrees, and its
average size is from twelve to fourteen inches. The present owners are Messrs.
Tallman, Welch, Marsellus, Cronise, Eddy and Barton. It is probable that
operations will be resumed on the mine this summer.

OTHER LEDGES.

  We have gone through the list of the more prominent quartz mines now being
worked in Nevada township, including three or four in which operations are
temporarily suspended. But there are numerous other ledges in the township,
which are considered valuable, and some of which have yielded large amounts of
gold, and been extensively worked.

  The Mattingly ledge is situated on the ridge a mile and a half southeast of
Nevada. It was first located in 1852, considerable rock crushed, some of which
paid §18 a ton. It was finally abandoned, but re-located in 1861, and several
crushings taken out, the yield ranging from four to ten dollars. In 1866, steam
hoisting works were erected under the supervision of Major Murdock, and an
incline shaft is now being sunk on the ledge.

  The Grant mine is situated on the ridge, between the Mattingly and Canada
Hill. Steam hoisting works were erected in 1865, and an incline sunk to the
depth of eighty feet. But the owners became involved, the property was attached
and sold by the Sheriff in 1866, Crawford & Co. being the purchasers.

  The Best Chance ledge is situated on the ridge near Canada Hill, and the
location includes 1,600 feet. Steam hoisting works have been erected at the
ledge, and an incline sunk to the depth of eighty feet—the vein being three feet
in width. It is owned by Barnett, Thompson, Taft, and others.

  The North Star ledge adjoins the Best Chance, and is also a large vein. It is
owned by Gentry, Allison, Power, and others.

  The ledge of Robinson and McCutchan lies west of Canada Hill. An engine for
hoisting and pumping was put up in 1865, and an incline started on the vein, but
the work was suspended for want of means.

   The Potosi mine is near the Wigham, and has yielded considerable rich, ore.
It is owned by Thomas, Byrnes and others, who erected steam hoisting works in
1865. Work will probably be resumed this season.

  The Union No. 2 is on the ridge a mile east of Nevada, and is an old location.
Steam hoisting works were put up last year and an incline commenced; but the
work was suspended on account of the owners lacking the means to carry it on
successfully. It is owned by Ferre and Phillips.

  The Eagle ledge is half a mile east of town, and was worked in different
places, at an early day, and by two or three different companies. In that part
of the ledge running through Gallows Flat rock was taken that yielded over a
hundred dollars a ton. The owners failed from bad management. A tunnel,
commencing at Deer creek, has since been run a distance of 500 or 600 feet, but
it cuts the vein only a few feet below the old works. The ledge is now owned by
S. B. Davenport.

  The first north extension of the Banner is a location of 800 feet, owned by
Tisdale and Stiles. It has been opened by a shaft to the depth of seventy or
eighty feet, and the rock yielded some $18 and $20 a ton. The owners intend to
put up first-class hoisting works this season.

  The second extension north of the Banner is owned by Niles, Halladie, Tilton,
Bean, Graves, Sherman and Gilleland. The company ma a tunnel last fall and
struck the vein at a depth of eighty feet, but took out no rock. They will
resume operations this season.

  The extension of the Banner south has never been traced, unless it may be the
Belle Oro, a promising claim, situated 2,000 feet south of the Banner works, and
owned by Mattingly and others.

  The Railroad ledge, on Gold Flat, has furnished considerable very rich ore,
but has never been worked systematically, and the owners are unable to put on
pumping and hoisting machinery, the only way by which it can be worked.

  The Mammoth is a large ledge, owned by Hirschman, Nicholson and others,
situated on Deer creek, about a mile above the Oriental mill. The ore is of the
sulphuret character, and if the vein was opened and worked on a large scale
would probably yield good profits.

  The Magnolia, owned by Carr and Doud, near Willow Valley, has furnished
considerable good ore but has never been worked below the water level.

  The Slate Creek ledge, above Willow Valley, has also turned out very rich ore,
though, not a very large, amount. The vein can not be opened except by expensive
machinery.

  The Harvey ledge, near Wood's ravine, has been worked at different times, and
generally with good results. The ledge is of good size, and the different lots
of rock crushed have yielded from twelve to twenty-five dollars a ton.

  The Home mine, at the mouth of Wood's Ravine, has furnished many fine
specimens, and one or two crushings made at the Cornish mill have yielded
excellent returns. It is owned by Thomas Findley and others, who intend to erect
steam hoisting works this summer.

  In the foregoing hastily written and imperfect sketches of the quartz mines of
Nevada township, the writer has endeavored to give the leading incidents
connected with the location and first attempts to develop the principal mines.
Being compelled to rely mostly upon memory, it is very likely that- some of the
statements are inaccurate, and that many facts of interest have been left
unnoticed. Every mine has its history, and traditions which become more
interesting with the lapse of time. It is quite probable that some of our quartz
veins will be yielding their treasures centuries hence, and no greater boon can
be conferred on those -who succeed us than the preservation of authentic records
of. the early workings of the several mines. The most the writer can hope is,
that the meager details related above may induce mine owners and superintendents
to gather tip and preserve such records.

SULPEURET REDUCTION WORKS.

  The sulphuret reduction works of Oscar Maltman are situated a mile from
Nevada, on the Grass Valley road, and were erected in the latter part of 1858.
It was the first practical attempt on the coast to reduce auriferous sulphurets
by the chlorinizing process, and to Maltman and G. F. Deetken is due the credit
of its success. It was known that the sulphurets concentrated from the quarts
pulp, as crashed in the mills, contained gold in considerable quantities, and
Maltman and Peetken had been experimenting with the view of extracting the metal
by a process cheaper than smelting. Their first experiments were not successful,
and after repeated failures they went to Washoe and engaged in silver mining.
Here they gained new ideas in relation to the working of metals, and in 1860
they returned to resume their experiments, and the first attempt was a success.
From that time all the various kinds of sulphurets from the quarts and cement
mines of the county have been reduced at the works, and no serious difficulty
has been encountered. In 1862, Deetken sold out his interest in the business and
reduction works to Maltman, who has since continued to enlarge the works and
improve himself in the art of reducing the refractory ores. Since the business
was commenced, 1,400 tons of sulphurets have been reduced at the works,
producing an average of $140 a ton, making an aggregate of near $200,000. The
average working of the sulphurets has come up to ninety-five per cent, of the
fire assay. The charges for working sulphurets varies from $40 to $50 a ton,
some being more difficult to reduce than others, Maltman at present has
facilities for working fourteen tons a week, his establishment being the most
extensive in the State, and the amount saved by our quartz miners has been
steadily increasing for several years. The profits derived from the sulphurets
has materially contributed to the success of quartz mining in this county. After
Deetken sold out his interest in the Nevada establishment, he erected works on a
similar plan in San Francisco, regarding that as the most central point for
procuring sulphurets from different parts of the State. There is no especial
secret in the process; but to benenficiate the ores successfully requires
practice and skill, the same as in any mechanical occupation or art. In Kustel's
work on the processes of gold and silver extraction, he describes the
chlorinizing process, as employed by Maltman and Deetken:

  The tailings are subjected first to calcination in a roasting furnace, without
being sifted. No salt is used, as it sometimes causes a loss of gold. The
roasting is performed in the usual way by stirring the mass at a low temperature
till all the sulphurets or arseniurets are decomposed. An addition of charcoal
powder favors the roasting. After six or eight hours, when no odor of sulphurous
acid is observed, the ore is discharged, spread on a proper place and cooled.
The tailings or ore is then sprinkled with water and shoveled over several
times. A little too dry or too wet has a great influence on the result of
chlorination.

  When moistened, the stuff is introduced into wooden tubs about seven feet in
diameter ana twenty-five or thirty inches deep. These tubs have a prepared
bottom, which allows the entrance of chlorine gas from, beneath into the mass of
tailings. Near the bottom are two holes, one for the discharge of the solution,
the other communicates by a lead pipe with a leaden gas generator. The generator
is filled to a certain height with peroxyd of manganese and salt. Sulphuric acid
is introduced by a lead pipe. As soon as the mixture becomes hot, by the fire
underneath the generator, the chlorine gas commences to be evolved and enters
the tub through the connecting lead pipe.

  After some hours the whole mas is strongly penetrated and the greenish gas
lies heavy on the tailings. The tub is closed by a wooden cover. In this
condition it remains for ten or fifteen hours, when the cover is removed and
clean water introduced. As soon as the water reaches the surface of the
tailings, the discharge pipe is opened, and the water, containing the dissolved
chloride of gold, is led into glass vessels. An addition of sulphuret of iron,
precipitates the gold in metallic condition as a black-brown powder. If there
are silver sulphurets in the ore, they, by roasting without salt, are converted
mostly into sulphates, and in subsequent contact with chlorine, into chlorides
which are not soluble in water, and remain in the tailings. The gold is
therefore 995 fine.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

Bean’s History and Directory of Nevada County, California

CONTAINING A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY, WITH
SKETCHES OF THE VARIOUS TOWNS AND MINING
CAMPS, THE NAMES AND OCCUPATION OF
RESIDENTS; ALSO, FULL STATISTICS
OF MINING AND ALL OTHER
INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES.

COMPILED BY EDWIN F. BEAN.

PRINTED AT THE DAILY GAZETTE BOOK AND JOB OFFICE,
1867.


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