[Albert S. Evans, Letters from White Pine, Alta California, March 29, 1869]

 

LETTERS FROM WHITE PINE.

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[SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE ALTA CALIFORNIA.]

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Weather and Health Report — The Roads — Local Improvements — Why "White" Pine? — Real Estate Operations — A Great Sale — Tunnels and Tunnelling — Big Names as Locators — Something About Sundry Claims — Etc.

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TREASURE CITY, March 23d.

            Editors Alta: The Pogonip lifted this morning, and the sun came out bright and clear after an apparent absence of nearly ten days. The snow is now fifteen to eighteen inched deep on a level all over this district. Of course outside prospecting is out of the question for some weeks to come. Meantime the crowd increases with every arrival of the stages, and every lodging-house is crowded nightly to its utmost capacity. Last night a bed could not be obtained here for love or money after 7 o'clock. Pneumonia, which had become quite rare, has again made its appearance, and is fatal in many cases. Truman Irwin, aged about 28, formerly from Michigan, and more recently from Belmont, Nevada, died of that disease this morning. He was in perfect health a week since, and the last man you would have picked out as likely to die so soon.

            The roads between here and Elko are bottomless, and passengers who are unable to get seats in the Pacific Union (Wines & Co.'s) or Wells, Fargo & Co.'s line of stages, have a hard time of it indeed. Passengers by outside lines, who had been promised a trip of two days only from Elko to Hamilton, got here this morning after being four days on the road and nearly freezing to death.  

            It is rumored that two teamsters froze to death luring the storm, between Hamilton and Newark, but I think the report altogether improbable. It is the prospectors out away from houses or tents who are most likely to perish in such a storm.

            I have found out why this district was called "White Pine." The party naming it must have seen it just after the Pogonip lifted, as it did today. The trees and every other object out doors, fences and houses included, are covered to a depth of several inches with hoar frost, and the dazzling glare of the sunlight reflected back from it is fearfully rough on the eyes.

            I notice Colonel Bulkley, Colonel Von Schmidt, Major Ensign, and Chief Dave Scannel, and a host of other old San Franciscans in town this morning

            The Bank of California and Wells, Fargo &Co. are about to put up a double front, two-story building, for banking and express offices, on Main street in this cite. This will be by far the costliest and finest building in the district. Wm. Hussey, who did the brick-work of the California Theatre, in San Francisco, drew the plans and will superintend the erection of the building.

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TREASURE CITY, March 24th, 1869.

            The first great topic in connection with White Pine is, of course,

The Weather.

            The storm subsided on Monday morning, as I have already written you, and since that the snow has commenced settling rapidly under the rays of the sun, which are becoming quite warm towards the middle of the day. This noon it was warm enough for comfort in ordinary San Francisco clothing, and the streets are running with "slush" of the most penetrating description. Hamilton is in a fearfully muddy condition, and teams hauling up the hill have heavy work to do. The impression prevails that the worst of the winter is over.

Building and Real Estate.

            Mechanics are in great demand, and buildings are erected as fast as lumber can be procured, both at Hamilton and in Treasure City. At Silver Springs there is also a large amount of building, and business is lively. Real estate, though not advancing as rapidly as it had been for some months past, is in increased demand again, and holders appear confident that with the great rush from the East, now likely to pour in upon us within sixty days, trade in revolving titles will be brisk.

A Monster Sale.

            I am informed, this morning, that the addition to the town of Hamilton, located in October or November last, by Mr. Walton, formerly of the firm of Turnbul & Walton, an old merchant of San Francisco, has been sold in a body — less what had been previously disposed of — to an association of San Francisco capitalist, for the round sum of $250,000. Messrs. Ensign and Von Schmidt were the parties conducting the negotiation for the purchase. As the locator, Mr. Walton, had already sold quite a number of lots at round prices, he is probably a clear quarter of a million dollars ahead in this transaction in real estate, the original investment being for rawhide and sticks for fences only! Would have no objection to becoming a full partner in such an operation, always provided I could come in on the original basis.

Tunnelling.

            The numerous discoveries of ore in the most unpromising localities, and the failures to strike it in the most promising, have combined to bring tunnel mining into greater favor than heretofore, and numerous locations have been made mostly along the southern and eastern slopes of Treasure Hill. Among the most promising I notice one which is being pushed directly into the mountain from the eastern slope, near the town of "Pocotillo," under the efficient supervision of Judge Thompson, who was formerly connected with the editorial staff of the Times.  It will, if completed, pass directly under the town of Treasure City and come out on the western slope of the mountain, well down towards the Base Range.  The fact that in one mine on Chloride Flat — on the Stonewall ground, I believe — a shaft has been sunk to a depth of 120 feet and ore found, and a shaft of the same depth on the other side of the hill, at the Keystone — now incorporated with the Eberhardt — have strengthened the general belief that the ore deposits of Treasure Hill go down to the very bottom of the mountain, and are not merely superficial deposits, as at first suspected. The tunnel locations are generally made with a view to claiming all the deposits struck in the progress of the work, and the locators intend to locate all ledges as veins across which they tunnel cuts as they reach them, then drift each way or sink shafts on them, as may be thought most desirable.

            Coming up from the California mine today I came upon come men who were just opening a ledge which shows ore at the surface in encouraging quantity, some 1,500 feet down the face of the hill southwards from the Eberhardt. They finally concluded to locate it as a tunnel claim, running 3,200 feet in a southwesterly direction, passing a few rods to the westward of the Eberhardt. This tunnel would cut through a large number of ledges and deposits of ore already opened, and the chances of discovering "blind ledges" in that locality are so great as to amount to a moral certainty. Since I returned to town the notice of the location, as it was recorded to-day, has been handed me, and partially through grateful surprise at seeing myself in such good company, and, particularly, to show how such locations are made and worded, I give it in full, merely premising that to the kindness of others I am indebted for the interest obtained:

"NOTICE.

            "WHITE PINE DISTRICT, March 24th, 1869. — We, the undersigned, have located the following described premises for mining and tunnelling purposes. Commencing at the monument and running in a northwesterly direction three thousand two hundred feet, which direction of location is now fully described in the map of survey filed for record in the Recorder's office of this district, and defined by stakes and monuments along the line of the location. We also claim one hundred feet on each side of line of location, together with the wood and water found within said boundaries necessary for mining and milling purposes, reserving to ourselves the right to locate and mine all "blind ledges" or hidden deposits of minerals and ore not claimed or located at this date. The claim to be known as the California State Tunnel & Mining Company:

            Governor H. H. Haight 200 feet; M. T. Kifer 200 feet; B. Schram, 200 feet; General James M. Allen, 200 feet; Captain H. A. Gorley, 200 feet; Charles Anderson, 200 feet; Hon. John A. Moore, 200 feet; O. N. Denny. 200 feet; E. Rathburn, 200 feet; H. H. Warburton, 200 feet; S. J. Corbett, 200 feet; F. MacCrellish, 200 feet; Luke Robinson, 200 feet; W. M. Mendenhall, 200 feet; Hiram Shorizer, 200 feet, Colonel Albert S. Evans, 200 feet."

            This tunnel will be commenced at once, and by a singular coincidence, will run right through a promising claim called the Governor Haight, some 400 feet southwest from the Eberhardt.

            I notice another tunnel claim, in which I have no interest whatever, on the eastern slope of the mountains, with a list of locators embracing the leading bankers and capitalists of San Francisco, General Grant, Schuyler Colfax, and half a dozen other leading statesmen and generals of the nation.

            It is customary to locate all one's friends in rich claims, and if they or any of them do not, on examination, think enough of the claim to induce them to come down with the necessary funds to prosecute the work, they are expected to deed back their interests to some other party who will respond with the needful. The work is regarded in the same manner as an ordinary ledge location.

Health of the District.

            I hear of no more deaths from pneumonia, but there are several bad cases in the city and other towns. The small-pox is also still somewhat prevalent. I notice the yellow jack flying from a building near the centre of the town, on Main street, for several days past; and there are several cases in the hospital.

The Pocotillo and Phil. Sheridan.

            The first of these claims is being developed into one of the leading mines of the district; it is a pity that the carelessness of the locators should have left a chance for the raising of a question as to the title to a portion of the ground. The Phil. Sheridan, located in the immediate vicinity, promises well, and is spoken of as likely to become very valuable. I wish to make a fuller examination of both these mines within a few day.

EVANS.