[Mignedowa, Letter from El Dorado Cañon, Alta California, June 6, 1864]

 

LETTER FROM EL DORADO CAÑON.

_____

[From An Occasional Correspondent of the Alta California.]

_____

El Dorado Cañon, May 6, 1864.

            Editors Alta:—Lest in this far away and desolate part of creation, your readers should forget that such a place exists, save when they are reminded of it by a stray item in some paper announcing another rich strike in El Dorado Cañon, I will endeavor to give you a few items to inform you as to how things are moving here

Mining Work.

            Work on many of the leads is being vigorously prosecuted, and we shall soon be in a condition to forward to San Francisco such piles of bricks that marble and stone fronts will go out of date, and silver be used instead. The Independence lead is now creating a great excitement in the Cañon, owing to the unexpected large results obtained from some of the ore crushed at Wolf's mill. They have cleared up over five hundred pounds of cleaned hard-pressed amalgam, the proceeds of twenty tons of ore. They intend crushing twenty tons more, which they have hauled, and think they will have between four and five hundred pounds of bullion. It will pay at the rate of $75 to $100 per ton in gold, the balance of the proceeds being silver, and yet this is croppings, obtained, in the deepest part, but ten feet from the surface. The Independence is situated about two and one-half miles from the river, being the nearest one to it and on the range of the Indian Queen, Waitt, Tornado, Queen City, Techatticup, Adelaide and others, running through to the summit. Commencing at the Independence, and going towards the summit, on the north side of the Cañon, we come first to the Indian Queen, upon which an incline has been put down fifty feet, and which has laid bare a vein from six to ten feet in width of fine looking rock. This company have only to go down, and not be afraid to go deep enough while they are about it, and there is no danger but that their lead will bring them out all right. Next on the range, we come to the Waitt Consolidation, which company have sunk a shaft fifty feet, to the water level, and are now drifting for their extension of the Queen City, which here crops out five feet in width, and can be traced, by an unbroken line of croppings, up through the Cole and Ellsworth, or Thribble E Ground, to the Queen City shaft. They will strike the lead at a depth of seventy-six feet below the surface, and no doubt will obtain paying ore at that depth. They are pushing along the work night and day, and will be in on the ledge in a short time. They can, at a small expense, strike two more of their leads, namely: the Red Hill, to the south, and the Josephine, to the north, by drifting from their main shafts. Lying in between this and Louisville, or Middle Camp, are the Montezuma, Great Eastern, Ophir and Tornado, on all of which work has been performed with favorable results. The Tornado Company have sunk a shaft fifty feet and struck a fine load of mineral, and are now waiting for materials to go on with the work. Next we come to the Queen City and Techatticup, which are now so well known as to require no extended notices. The Superintendent of the Queen City is expected in soon with an outfit to commence heavy operations.

The Techatticup.

            Have opened their lead in good shape, and have now suspended operations preparatory to the erection of a large mill. They have out about six hundred tons of as fine ore as can be obtained anywhere. Running parallel with the Techatticup and to the north, lies the Adelaide Consolidated, which Company have sunk a shaft sixty feet, and are now waiting for materials in order to commence drifting. This is a large, well-defined lead, with croppings inferior to none in the district. The Superintendent calculates that he will have to drift 16 feet, and will strike the lead seventy feet from the surface. Next is the Logan Company. Colorado Lead, who have run an incline 145 feet, and have a fine lead. Operations are also stopped for want of supplies. We next pass on up through the Volcano, on which the ground has been broken for a 100 foot shaft. The Los Angeles, Esperanza, Patagonia, and others, too numerous to mention, are lying in the neighborhood of New Mexico, or Upper Camp, at which point they are at work on the Union, Magenta, Patagonia and New Mexico, and to on to the Main Summit, or copper regions. Here are several large leads of copper and silver, lying as vet untouched, although assaying well in both metals. This is about ten miles from the river, and a good natural wagon road to within one-half mile, and there is no doubt that these will be, in time, among the most valuable copper leads of the Pacific coast.

            Passing down from the Summit toward the river, on the south side of the cañon, is another distinct range of lodes assaying well in gold and silver, prominent among which are the Sappho Company's claims on New Gold Hill, the Princess, Beauregard, Buckeye, and hosts of others, to enumerate which would be an endless task. There are probably recorded in the district 300 lodes, on the greater part of which extensions are taken, which have now got the ore in abundance, and the next thing we want are mills to work it; and I would say to those who have capital to invest, that there are few places in which the investment of a few thousands would yield such quick and sure returns. As a general thing, the men who are interested here, are men without means, who have been compelled to work against difficulties of every kind, and who are unable to erect costly mills. They have been depending on the movements of what few capitalists there are interested here; but they have found, so far, that their twenty and forty-stamp mills have been built of sand and run by wind. They are the kind who have poor men working for them, paying the assessments, doing the dirty work, and overcoming the natural disadvantages of the country, and then will step in with the freeze-out game, and relieve them of the care of what little they have. The mill of Mr. Wolf, the pioneer one of the Colorado, which is now running, although small, works the ore well, and has given general satisfaction, although there are improvements needed, which he is now inside attending to. Had others shown the same enterprise there would now be a different state of affairs here to what there is at present. Two years ago, when, in all this country, there were but half-a-dozen men, and all was uncertainty as to the richness or permanence of these mines, the mill, under the superintendence of Mr. Wolf, was started for the cañon. Working against difficulties, which to many men would have been insurmountable, in one year from the time he left Los Angeles he got it in, and a few months ago it was completed, and he will now reap the deserved reward of his enterprise and perseverance.

Coal and Timber.

            Two weeks ago, a party in a small boat started up the river in search of coal and building timber. Numerous specimens of coal have been picked up along the bars, and it is supposed that extensive fields of coal exist within a short distance of the river. During the spring freshets immense quantities of driftwood, principally of cotton wood, come down, and by the construction of booms, wood enough to supply all the mills can be obtained at a comparatively small cost. Coal, also, at a rate equivalent to wood, at ten or twelve dollars per ton, can be brought here by way of the Gulf. Hay is now being supplied at the rate of fifty dollars per ton, but is not of a very good quality, being Syeta grass: but hay in plenty can be obtained at Los Vegas, thirty-five miles to the northward, at which point are several fine ranchos. The want of stores is badly felt here, and a fortune surely awaits the enterprising and fortunate individual who shall do the first to establish himself, and thus secure the trade. Among the late arrivals are the Hon. Mr. Sears, Speaker of the Assembly, and the Hon. Mr. Buffum, of Butte county. They express themselves as highly pleased with the appearance of things here, and are now going down the river to the Sacramento and San Francisco Districts.

Cities, etc.

            We have in embryo four cities here, viz.: New Mexico, Louisville, Alturas, and Colorado, all of which have huge expectations and hope at some future day, the precise period of which is not known, to rival, if not eclipse San Francisco. The river, which for some months has been unprecedentedly low, is now rising rapidly, and we expect in a short time to see steamers discharging at our wharf.

            Although so far in the wilderness, the pleasures of civilization are not entirely unknown to us, we having had during the past winter several select parties, at which to the inspiring music of a wheezy fiddle, we on a dirt floor tripped the light fantastic toe (or "stoga," rather !) ; and at which the refreshments consisted of an invigorating pull of Arizona wine from a black junk bottle. The fair and better sex were rather in the minority, there being but one lady in the room, and there was not much attention paid to the toilet, but then the enjoyment was not alloyed by one lady seeing another better dressed than herself.  As a general thing, the ladies of Arizona do not attend many parties, owing, I suppose, to the inconvenient manner of wearing their crinoline, which consists of hoops of willow covered by strips of bark, hanging in graceful folds to the feet; at a distance they resemble an animated or perambulating hay-stack, on two legs surmounted by a cocoanut. If one of them could promenade Montgomery street in her holiday attire, she would doubtless create a sensation of mingled envy and admiration unparalleled among the belles of San Francisco.

Mignedowa.