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HISTORY
El
Dorado County, California.
CHAPTER
XX.
QUARTZ MINES
AND MINING.
It is more than a
general belief that the central lode, which passes through Placerville, is
a continuation of the so-called mother lode in the adjoining counties
further south. It is also believed that it is as extensive here as where
it is now so successfully mined in Amador, Calaveras and Mariposa
counties. Yet, for some reason, quartz mining in this county is yet in its
infancy. Capital has never taken hold vigorously, and until it does so,
the real extent and value of the ledges must remain a matter of
conjecture. With a very few exceptions, operations have been confined to
mere surface scratching: a pay chute is discovered, worked out in the
crudest manner, and the mine unceremoniously abandoned. Another mistake
with the owners of mines consists in the misdirection of capital and
energy, in erecting machinery and expending a large amount of money before
they know anything about the extent of their ledges, thus wasting much
capital ; and, therefore, it is to be wished that a change may take place
in the minds of capitalists, but just as much with those who own mining
claims, to the furtherance of the development of mines in El Dorado
county.
The number of
discovered and prospected ledges in this county is almost innumerable, and
the same may be said of the quartz mining companies organized. Still, the
actual results, so far as they go to determine the depth and permanence of
their lodes, are comparatively small. It is the opinion of experts that
true fissure veins are certainly found in the greenstone belt only, but
they may exist in slate and granite also.
THE PLACER GOLD
QUARTZ COMPANY,
Working the "Old
Pacific mine," which is located in the greenstone, is one of the earliest
known quartz ledges, and is connected with the history of Placerville to
such an extent that it might just as well form part of the history of that
burgh. As early as 1852, the man who did the first prospecting on the
ledge, "struck it rich" in the out-cropping, and was in the habit of
sending as high as four or five ounces, quilted in a buckskin bag, by
mail, to his wife in the States, as as our informant assures us, in every
instance it went through and arrived safely. In 1854, a two-stamp mill was
started in connection with Predmore's sawmill, below Placerville, and in
seven years, (from 1854 to 1861,) the amount of $480,000 was taken out of
this mine. The mill during that time had been increased to four stamps ;
the location was afterwards changed to a point south of town, and the mill
increased to ten stamps, run by an overshot waterwheel. The next change
introduced steam-power and a twenty-stamp mill at a cost of $54,000. While
the mill stood under the hill, the ore was run out through the water
tunnel, and hauled around the point with horse-cars. Notwithstanding all
this clumsy work, it is a well approved fact that the product approximated
closely to $1,000,000, while the dividends amounted to over $200,000. Then
it had its reverses, due partially to mismanagement and timid backing, and
it lay idle for years. Experts declared it worked out, but the belief in
the permanence of the ledge did not die out, and those satisfied of the
value of the mine did not give up their efforts to organize capital for
its further development. Then it fell into the hands of an English company
under the chairmanship of John Henry Courtney, Esq., of London, and the
management of Prof. Thomas Price, of San Francisco. Immediately the work
of prospecting and developing the mine began, and has continued steadily
and vigorously ever since. The shaft, built in two compartments, has been
carried down vertically to the depth of 600 feet, with stations at 200,
300, 400 and 500 foot levels ; from all of which drifts have been driven
far out in the ledge, which may be estimated as thoroughly opened up. It
is designed to use water-power exclusively, except at the hoisting-works
where steam may be substituted in case the former should fail. For this
purpose, an immense iron pipe takes the water form the E. E. W. & D. G. M.
Co.'s ditch, from a point near the city reservoir to near the hoisting
works ; this pipe is 1700 feet in length by 30 inches in diameter ; an
arrangement is made that, by means of several forks, it may supply the
Brewster mill, the Rose mine and the Chester mine. The building of the
hoisting works is 36 by 76 feet, and an additional boiler-shed 36 by 10
feet ; a car track runs out to the ore-bin, and from there a trestle 400
feet in length with a double track for cars, down to the mill ; the mill
building is 48 by 48 feet with an additional shed of 48 by 20 feet, and
there is a battery of 20 stamps, worked by means of an eight-foot
hurdy-gurdy wheel.
West of the Pacific
or mother lode, is a rich quartz vein in the slate belt, which at several
points has been quite extensively prospected. On this are located the
Church Union, the Epley, Rose, Keegan, Old and Young Harmon, Hallock,
Gross and St. Lawrence, reaching over a distance of about ten miles of
ground. Of these, the Church Union, or Springfield, is located on the
Cosumnes slope of El Dorado (Mud Springs). Work on this mine was started
early in 1851 or '52, and has been run all the time continuously, never
paying exceedingly rich, but averaging $20 to $25 per ton ; thus having
proved quite a profitable investment for the stockholders. A ten stamp
mill has been erected for crushing the rock--mill and hoisting-works are
to be run by steam or water-power, either. The shaft is the deepest sunk
in this county. In early times it was known as the "Hermitage" ledge, and
was owned by Messrs. Hover, Crow & Co., who worked it in 1853 and '54,
with the regular old Mexican machinery, and with good result. In 1855 and
'56 it was owned and worked by Dr. Frost & Bro., always yielding
handsomely. The present owners are Messrs. Smith & Adams. The St. Lawrence
is another one of the more developed mines on the same lode. On
December 12th, 1865, Messrs. William Newell and Robert Doran, on a
prospecting trip, found some gold-bearing quartz, and on another visit to
the place discovered -- to their surprise -- a large ledge. They ran a
tunnel 400 feet and sunk a shaft 130 feet deep, and the rock taken out
paid so well that, wishing to sell out, a bargain was easily made
satisfying both parties. The mine was sold for $15,000 to McNewins,
Bateman and Buel, who erected a 20-stamp mill and opened the mine so well
that in 1871 or '72, the controlling interest of the mine was sold to an
English company for $300,000 ; then ten more stamps were added and the
shaft sunk to a depth of 800 feet. But the ledge having apparently pinched
out, it was abandoned, and by sheriff's sale came into the possession of
Mr. Mierson. A new company was organized in which Messrs. Mierson and
Alderson had a leading interest. Under Superintendent Rosewarn's
management the shaft was sunk 300 feet deeper, striking as they went down
a rich chute from which a handsome clean-up was realized ; but after a
while the ledge was lost entirely, the work abandoned and the machinery
sold to the Placerville Gold Quartz Co., and the mine still awaits the
resumption of work in the future. How large the amount is that has been
taken out of this mine, we are unable to say ; in three years, from 1872
to 1875., the product of the mine counted up to $450,000. The Gross mine,
located in Big canyon, sold by Peter Gross to Robinson & Co., is now owned
by J. E. Lyons. It has two ledges, the Pacific and the Rose ledges, and
has been profitably but not extensively worked ; the ledges are not very
wide, but the rock assays up to $16 per ton. The rock is crushed in a
five-stamp mill, right on the ground. The Hallock, formerly the True mine,
in the same canyon, though not enough opened, presents every evidence of a
great value. There are several ledges, apparently pitching towards each
other, fan-shaped--good rock has been found in all of them. The Rose mine,
south of Placerville, owned by Mr. C. W. Brewster, is located on the same
ledge with the Old Pacific, but differs in nature and character from the
latter. It has proved very rich in the past, the average yield being $46
per ton ; the quartz is heavily sulphurated. The Griffith Consolidated,
south of Diamond Springs, is believed to be located on the mother lode
also, but is still too much of an infant to say more than that the first
prospects have been very rich. In the Kelsey district, in addition to the
St. Lawrence, before referred to, numerous ledges have been discovered,
and from some of them rich results have been obtained. We mention the
Chapparel mine, the Gopher mine, and the Bowlder mine. The first named
one, together with the Champion and Excelsior claims, are located a short
distance below Chile Bar, and have been worked quite extensively for a time
preceding the last few years, employing a ten-stamp mill run by a
water-power wheel, but only lately mill and machinery has been sold and
removed to the Driesbach mine, four miles north of Grizzly Flat. The
Montezuma mine is located in the Nashville mining district, near the
Cosumnes river, and the southern county line toward Amador. On the
surface, in early days, a number of Spaniards gouged into seams of the
out-cropping quartz, bore the pieces of the latter thus extracted on their
heads down to an arrastra near the creek, and realized big wages by
crushing and washing it. Out of the cut from twelve to fifteen feet wide,
and not more than one hundred feet long, several thousand dollars were
taken. But little or no work was done toward the development of it for
years ; then Mr. Hart took hold of it, and hoping to become able to open
it, worked away for years, and Mr. Griffith entered into partnership. They
put up a ten-stamp mill run by water, but the re-building of their broken
dam and other necessary repairs exhausted their means, and mill and mine
stand idle and the water runs to waste. From 1853 to 1856 the mine had
been worked by the Harvey brothers, of Placerville. Its shaft is sunk now
about 200 feet deep. The Highville mine, in the same district, is about as
old as the last named, neighboring mine ; it was worked as early as 1850,
its shaft is sunk 400 feet.
The central figure
in the Grizzly Flat district is the Mount Pleasant mine. This magnificent
property -- one of the finest in the State -- was for a long time involved
in legal quibbles, but is not free from all questions of that kind. It
lies in the granite, both walls being of that character ; the eastern, a
hanging-wall, presents a perfectly smooth surface, while the western of
foot wall is covered with crystals. The ledge is from six to ten and
twelve feet wide, and the rock worth from $20 to $25 per ton. The mine
only lately changed hands, going out of the possession of Mr. O. D.
Lambard into that of a company of eastern capitalists, who will work it
for all that it is worth. For this purpose they have put up a large and
substantial new mill, hoisting works, etc., the mill building being 38 by
45 feet. with boiler house in addition 29 1/2 by 45 feet, the hoisting
works being 20 by 22 feet, with a boiler house addition 16 by 40 feet ;
below the mill a building of 16 by 48 feet has been put up to cover the
sluices and protect them from snow during the winter.
The Eagle mine,
north of Mount Pleasant, is believed to be on a similarly good ledge as
the former, but only little work has been done to the present time ; it is
owned principally in Sacramento city. As early as the spring 1852, Dr. J.
W. Steely, commenced locating one of the many quartz ledges in this
district, and in the progress of his work erected two mills at different
points upon that branch of the Cosumnes river that bears his name, and
connected them by means of wooden railroads with his mine, which was
located about three-quarters of a mile south-west of Grizzly Flat. Away to
the south-east, between Grizzly Flat and Brownsville, another rich be't of
mines is in existence, the Stillwagon, the Mountain Quail and the Crystal,
between the South Fork of the Middle Fork and the Main Middle Fork of the
Cosumnes river, were operated for years with success. These ledges, run
east and west, are the Crystal, the Mountain Quail and the Creole, a north
and south running ledge, cutting the two former at nearly right-angles are
in the possession of a corporation, known as the Crystal Mining Company ;
the company's mill has been located on the Middle Fork, and a ditch built
for that purpose furnishes the water for the running of the machinery.
At the present time,
although the faith of claimants continues strong, no extensive work is
being done in the way of quartz mining on the Georgetown divide. Upon many
of them, we only instance the Taylor, the Isabel, Blue Ledge, Doncaster,
the Woodside, Keefer and McKusick a great amount of labor has been
expended in times past, in sinking shafts driving tunnels, etc, often
enough with very flattering results, but no sooner more expensive
machinery became necessary, and the want of capital brought them to a
standstill.
The Pilot Hill mining district, once as noted as the far seen Beacon
Hill, from which it takes its name, situated between the North and South
forks of the American river, seems to be one of those lost mining camps;
and why so, we are unable to give an answer. Hasn't it an unquestionable
right to a fair share of consideration by reason of its quartz deposits?
Haven't the alluvial deposits in its ravines, flats and gulches been
immensely rich and plentifully diversified with large nuggets and rich
specimens of golden Quartz? Near the top of the hill--from which in
clear weather a magnificent view is presented of Sacramento with the
Capitol and the whole Sacramento valley, with the river like a silver
ribbon running through, the Marysville Buttes and the Coast range in
the back ground, forming a beautiful panorama-- is situated the Pilot
Hill mine. A number of auriferous quartz seams run through the location,
and several shafts have been sunk, which brought the owners several
thousand dollars in return for their work, but these shafts are not yet
deep enough sunk to approve the supposition that all these various seams
converge into a solid ledge at no great depth; the mine is owned by
Mendes, Raimondo and Warner. The Hunt mine, near Hoggs Diggins,
about four miles north of Pilot Hill, is the oldest quartz mine in this
section. In early days, up to 1850, a small and very imperfect stamp mill
on Hoggs Diggins was operating the culled croppings from the ledge, the
ore being taken out of some of the shafts, varying from 26 to 40 feet in
depth, with an average return of about $15, per ton. But nothing has been
done on this property since, except keeping off trespassers ; it is
chiefly owned by Sacramento people. Ore from the Josephine mine hauled to
the Ophir mine in Placer county for the purpose of testing the mine,
returned upwards of $25 per ton.
Previous to the 1st
of January, 1858, there were to be found the following quartz mills in
Logtown mining district. We are able to give a full description from a
contemporary statement.
The Lomoille Mill,
Owned by J. B.
Beard, propelled by a steam engine of sixty horse power, running eight
stamps and two arrastras, crushes fifteen tons of rock in twelve hours,
and nets a weekly profit of from two to eight thousand dollars. This is
the richest vein of quartz in El Dorado county ; it was opened about the
end of 1856, at great expense, by the proprietor, who owned his success to
untiring energy and perseverance.
The Pocahontas Mill,
Propelled by a steam
engine of sixteen horse power, driving five stamps and four arrastras,
lately erected at a cost of twenty thousand dollars, is probably the best
mill in the county, and work having been done under the supervision of Mr.
D. Stoddard of San Francisco. The mill commenced work under the most
favorable auspices, it is capable of crushing twelve tons of rock per day,
averaging $25 per ton ; the vein is of great extent, and rock enough is
exposed to keep the mill working for about one year.
The Empire Mill,
Also propelled by a
steam engine of twelve horse power, running three stamps and four
arrastras, built by Messrs. Fiske & Deihl, at a cost of eight thousand
dollars ; the rock, of which a large supply was on hand, averaged always
$30 per ton, there being crushed twelve tons of rock daily.
Bryant's Mill,
Situated on Cosumnes
river. The motive of this mill is water taken from the river about a mile
above, and conveyed by means of a canal to the mill. The mill has been
erected at a cost of twelve thousand dollars; is capable of crushing ten
tons of rock daily ; the rock paying an average of $25 per ton. The vein
from which the rock is obtained is near the Lamoille mill, but, owing to
the scarcity of wood, Mr. Bryant considered it the cheapest to haul his
rock to the river, than to erect a steam mill ; an operation which in the
course of time will save a vast amount of money.
The Union Mill
(Church Union),
Is capable of
crushing fifteen tons daily, the rock yielding $20 per ton, is probably
the oldest mill in El Dorado county, erected in 1851, was always a paying
institution. The motive power up to 1857, was exclusively steam, but
thereafter a water-wheel had been added, the water obtained from the
Diamond Springs ditch, by which means the mill was run for half the
expense for which wood could be procured. The quartz of this mine is
inexhaustible and increases in size and quality the deeper the vein
becomes opened.
Raymond and
M'Nulty's Mill,
Had been erected at
an expense of six thousand dollars capable of crushing, twelve tons of
rock daily, the rock yielding from twenty five to forty dollars per ton.
This company are in the possession of two veins of quartz, either one of
them would be sufficient to keep two such mills running for twenty years,
without ever having to go below the bed of the ravine on which the mill is
situated.
The Columbus Quartz
Mill,
Of the Columbus
Quartz Mining Association of Cold Springs, David Miller, president,
erected a ten stamp mill in the fall of 1855.
Pocket Mines,
In the immediate
vicinity of Placerville, especially on and around Quartz hill, are located
a good many claims, all pocket claims, that have given out rich; sometimes
a man took out as much as $5000 in one day; there is Quartz Hill, Log
Cabin Ravine, Old and Young Harmon, Hodges, L. C. Fiske's, S. Alsburgh's,,
H. Lewis' and P. Vigonett's, Sam. Lemon's and others. The Pocahontas mine
at Logtown, has proved another rich pocket mine, the ledge being lost
deeper down. At various points, notably in the Poverty Point region,
Spanish Dry Diggings, Uniontown and lately near Georgetown, immense
results have been obtained at what is known as pocket mining. The
Stuckslager claim, near Uniontown, has turned out several fortunes, and at
present Armstrong's claim near Georgetown is another sample of that kind.
This class of mining is like a lottery, it hardly can be called legitimate
mining, but a good many have been successful and the success is deciding,
however unreliable the proceedings are. Westwards of the mother lode,
quartz veins have been prospected away down to the boarders of the plains.
Many rich pockets have been taken out or are still under work, at Gray's
Flat, around Shingle Springs, and as far down as Clarksville; but in the
main, the work has been desultory and unsatisfactory. The main reliance of
the county will and must be: the gravel beds and the great quartz veins.
Many miners after they have the good luck to strike a pocket of gold
quartz, are content to take out what is just in sight, and fancy that this
is all that is to be obtained. This is a wrong idea, for experience has
taught the best pocket miners that if the shaft was sunk deeper, another
pocket is most invariably reached at the depth of from sixteen to thirty
feet. Such was the case, also with a pocket mine near Frenchtown, owned by
J. W. Johnson, which has yielded $80,000 in all, the various pockets
brought from $30 to 17,000.
Before leaving the
subject of gold mining entirely we shall refer to a piece of juvenile
mining as a curiosity ; Between Anderson's store, Columbia Flat, and
Johntown, were shown the place, located near the roadside, where two small
boys, sons of Mr. Davey, in 1878 took out more than a hundred dollars
worth of gold; they having there mine in full arrangements, with sluice
boxes, and everything in a diminishing shape ; The oldest of these
promising young minders, at that time was not more than ten years old.
There are numerous smaller ledges most all over the county showing a fair
prospect, but they are in the hands of men who are not able to develop
them properly, which will one day prove bonanzas to capitalists who are
courageous enough to make the venture.
Copper Mining,
The discovery of
copper in Calaveras county, in July, 1861, and some other copper mine soon
after, opened a new field for the prospectors, after the golden
placers--which as far as surface placer work in the hills and gulches of
the foothills of the Sierra Nevada are concerned--were about worked out
and exhausted by that time. And an excitement in prospecting for copper
throughout California commenced that was surpassed only from the result,
when a great belt of copper bearing veins was found extending through the
whole foot-hill region, proving that the mineral was not confined to
Copperopolis along. The high prices paid for copper at that time, gave a
great inducement to encourage the people for copper mining, and before
long a great many copper mining companies were organized, some of them
commenced to work with energy. To accommodate the copper miners and
to make the products of their mines more profitable, copper smelting works
had been erected at Antioch, Contra Costa county, convenient to the coal
mines of Mount Diablo, and in the fall of 1863, the managers of this
institution advertised the following rates paid there for copper ore ;
"$2,00 per hundred weight, for ore yielding 8 to 12 per cent ; $2,25, from
13 to 15 per cent, $2,50 for 16 percent ; and $3,00 for 20 percent., and
upwards. [Note: the use of commas in the dollar amount is not a typo, but
used that way in the original text. What seems more odd, is that this
usage changes throughout the book and even in this chapter, making me
believe that there were different typesetters or writers. Or perhaps the
typesetter simply ran out of the period character and had to substitute.]
The period of
operations of the Antioch Smelting Works, however, was brief ; the great
decline in copper, a result of the excessive production, and immense
advantages enjoyed by the Lake Superior Copper mines, caused its shut
down, and probably will preclude any successful operation in this
direction, for a long time to come. The work spent in El Dorado county for
copper mining, in general average did not proceed further on, than to
determine the presence of the ore in large quantities; in a few instances
only, notably at the Bunker Hill mine near Pollard's and in Hastings
Ravine, both between Coloma and Pilot Hill, and at the Cosumnes Copper
mine, large sums have been sunk in the development of those mines, which
may be paid back in the future.
Silver in El Dorado,
N. D. Burlingham,
Superintendent of the Esperanza mine, and Dr. E. M. Alderman, of Spanish
Flat, a few years ago discovered a quartz ledge not far from the town of
Kelsey. The Doctor, in assaying some fragments of quarts taken from the
ledge, was no less astonished than delighted to find a rich prospect in
gold and silver, the latter largely predominating. Encouraged thus, he
procured more average samples from the ledge, just where if forms a knoll,
and from various other points of it, and made thirty-two assays, all of
which were nearly uniform in their results, yielding from $100 to $150 per
ton silver bullion, and the silver bullion containing $6 in gold to the
ounce.
The gold taken out
of Sting Canyon near Grizzly Flat, was known since long time to be heavily
alloyed with silver ; and a ledge bearing the latter mineral was believed
to exist in the vicinity. Mr. E. F. Russell but recently found some rock
which induced him to make further explorations, and the result has been
the discovery of a ledge east of Mount Pleasant and Eagle, which has been
traced for considerable distance. A test indicated a large percentage of
silver; the assays, as could be learned run from $26 to $28 per ton ; 50
per cent gold.
Cinnabar.
Is also known to
exist in several parts of the county ; but in one instance only, as far as
our knowledge reaches, more extensive work has been done to secure the
development of the mine, and to determine the size and value of the lode.
This quicksilver mine is located in the south-eastern part of the county,
near the Amador county line, and the report at the time of working very
favorably spoke of a ledge of eight feet of ore which had to be drifted
through ; estimates from tests made, will yield 20 per cent. After passing
through this eight feet ledge, the workmen came to what miners term a
horse, and drifting through this, rich ore was found, from one to two feet
in width ; pursuing the course of the drift the workmen but through
another horse, and came to a vein of considerable richness, being two feet
wide, and weight as well as appearance of the ore will justify an estimate
of 60 per cent of quicksilver. After all appearances the mine indicated a
great abundance of ore, the latter being of high value, and the "Amador
Quicksilver mine," as the owners have christened it will, no doubt, rank
in the future with the best mines of that character and prove a very
valuable property ; the present decline in quicksilver, however, is not
favorable for an enterprise of that kind.
Iron.
Iron ore exists in
considerable quantities, and in various portions of the county. In some
cases the ore is of such a high grade that it only depends upon cheap fuel
to make the smelting of it available and profitable. But up to the time
that this difficulty may be overcome, these iron mines need not be looked
upon as in the line of profitable industry. As a curiosity, has to be
mentioned here, the "Grand Victory" mine of Diamond Springs mining
district, an iron mine which at present is worked for the gold that is
imbedded in the iron ore.
Chrome Iron.
East of Negro Hill,
near the foot of the Georgetown divide, is an extensive mine of chrome
iron, owned by the Mitchell Bros. It has been traced from the South to the
North Fork of the American river but whether it can be profitably operated
for the entire distance of twelve miles, is not yet known. The ore is
worth $6.50 per ton at Folsom, and it costs $2.50 per ton for hauling, the
balance goes between labor and profit. About a dozen men are
employed at the mine, part stoping out ore, the rest in prospecting for
spots on the ledge, and from six to ten tons can be delivered daily at
Folsom. Its use in the manufacture of paints renders its extraction
profitable, while common iron ore would not be worth touching ; it is
shipped to San Francisco, and from there carried all the way to Baltimore
or England for its manipulation. Still another chrome iron mine exists
near Garden Valley, the ore from here has to be hauled to Auburn station,
and is shipped further on, to Boston.
Asbestos.
The various uses to
which asbestos is now applied in the arts and sciences has created a
demand at remunerative prices, making the work quite profitable. The
Georgetown divide abounds as various places with strong veins of this
mineral, and with the different owners of them, some years ago, a San
Francisco firm endeavored to contract for a supply of one hundred tons per
month, but none of them having the vein sufficiently developed to venture
entering into a contract at that time ; but there is no doubt it will
become an export article of some importance.
Besides the enormous
wealth of El Dorado county in mineral ores there is a great variety of all
kinds of valuable stones : granite, marble, limestone, slate, soapstone,
etc., a resource embracing wealth that may rival at a not very distant day
the former.
Limestone.
In various parts of
the county, several quite extensive masses of limestone have been
discovered, quarried, and burnt within the past 30 years, and the product,
of a superior quality, always found a good market, part of it in the great
valleys of this State, and part in the State of Nevada ; only a small
amount is used for home absorption now. The firm of Cowell & Davis, of San
Francisco, are in possession of some well opened quarries, but only little
work is done at present in their quarries and lime kiln. Mr. M. W.
Manning, in Cave valley, is the owner of a limestone quarry, which, in
connection with one of the highly improved patent lime-kilns produces an
article of superior quality. A trestle-work is communicating between the
quarry and the top of the kiln, which is surrounded by an iron mantle, and
by firing up from the top continuously, furnishes a daily product of 75
barrels ; this is shipped daily by means of an eight mule team over Lyon's
toll bridge to Auburn station, from where the agent designates it either
way of the railroad. A view of Mr. Manning's residence and lime-kiln,
located on the road from Auburn station to Georgetown, can be seen in this
book also. Another limestone quarry and kiln is located in the same
section of the county near Rattlesnake bridge, and is shipping its product
to New Castle, on the Central Pacific railroad ; but is not worked at
present. It is owned by the same parties that are in possession of the
Alabaster cave, close by.
In Ringgord creek
canyon, south of Darlington's ranch, is an inexhaustible ledge of the most
excellent limestone, in the possession of Mr. P. B. Hogan, who has built a
kiln for the production of lime to supply the demand of Placerville and
surrounding neighborhood, which at present is quite limited. Marble
Valley, in the western part of the county, close to the Placerville and
Sacramento road, is another inexhaustible deposit of fine limestone ;
kilns were built here years ago, and a great amount of lime produced, that
went down and helped to build up the city of Sacramento, but the place is
lying idle at present.
Marble.
Numerous ar the
ledges of marble, and just as numerous are the different varieties of
marble, of all colors and grains, that have been discovered in some parts
of El Dorado county. Only a few of them have been worked to such an extent
that an estimate about their value could be given. Marble deposits have
been discovered in Marble Valley, in Ringgold creek canyon on Mr. Hogan's
place at Indian Diggins, and at various places on the Georgetown divide.
Prominent among these is, because it is the only one that has been worked
sufficient to justify an estimate, the marble ledge at Indian Diggings. It
was opened about ten years ago, by Messrs. Luce & Aiken, of Sacramento,
who were the first owners. They erected saw-works in 1876 or 1877, and,
after these had been destroyed by fire, a large marble-mill was erected
with four gangs of saws, run by a ten-horse-power engine, which has been
successfully worked during the favorable season of the year. The
marble of the quarry is of beautiful texture, and inexhaustible in
quantity, and by competent judges has been pronounced as fine, as
susceptible of as high a polish, as the best Italian. The marble is used
for mantle-pieces, for grave stones and other monuments--a very limited
use, as long as we call a big lumber box inhabited by human beings, a
mansion.
Roofing Slate.
El Dorado county in
general, and Placerville particularly, can boast of the first roof covered
with domestic slate in the State of California ; some parts of the roof of
the Cary House and Mr. Louis Landecker's store in Placerville, were the
first buildings in this State, covered with the material produced from the
slate quarry on Chili Bar, or Kelsey Hill. Mr. W. O. Thomas, of Nashville,
Tennessee, located two slate ledges here, one at the south end of Chili
Bar bridge, which was first opened, and with the slate produced the
aforesaid buildings roofed in, in 1875. The quarry is now owned by the El
Dorado County Slate Company, and a good many contracts for slate roofing
to be done with this material have been executed all over the State. When
fully opened, this quarry will be able to give employment to about a
hundred laborers. Another deposit of superior slate has been discovered
near Latrobe. Messrs. Rapp, of Latrobe, and Conoly, of Sacramento, were
the owners. The quarry would have been opened thoroughly if there was a
demand for roofing slate, but the same reason that is unfavorable to the
development of marble ledges, as we have seen, is also retarding the slate
industry.
Silicon.
Though neither of
the metallic nor mineral origin we may be allowed to mention right here a
discovery lately made--at Smith's Flat immense beds of an infusorial earth
was found and has proved to be quite valuable. Large quantities of it are
sold yearly as it is regarded with great favor as a superior polish for
silver ware, etc. An equal amount, if not a greater one, is used in the
preparation of dynamite, which takes advantage of its composition to a
great extent.
Salt Mine.
Last but not least,
a big deposit of rock salt has been discovered, or rather became known in
1855, located in a small valley, situated between the old Carson route and
the Johnson cut-off road, between the summits of the Sierra Nevada. The
Indians of Carson valley and vicinity, it seems, had knowledge of its
existence and took every precaution to keep it a secret, but one of their
number thinking gold more valuable than the secret, disclosed it for $50
to a party of gentlemen in 1855. It is located in the bed of a little,
stream, three inches of water running over it, and it seems to be
exhaustible.
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