GOLD FINDS IN CALIFORNIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2273, 23 September 1897, Page 19

GOLD FINDS IN CALIFORNIA.

A WONDERFUL DEPOSIT. s (Fkok Oub American Ucvrrespondknt. )

San Francisco, August 19

One of the most wonderful strokes of luck — oc rather rewards of patient industry — known in the history of gold mining is recorded. Of the richnesi, from a gold standpoint, of California it is unnecessary to speak. There are millions of dollar* turned out from the noil every year, aud will be for years to come. But most of the mining is done by corporations, in which the individual miner's share is small. The fortunes found by the poor prospector are few, a decent living being about the usual thing — if that. Ths late rich strike up in Trinity County by the two Graves brothers has, however, started the man who has but a swag aud a dollar to his name on the hunt for treasure.

And there ii nothicg foolish about such a proceeding. Anyone can walk to the spot in a few day* if he cannot ride. You are only a few houri from a town in any event, and sleeping outdoors is not courting death. So a big rush ia being made towards Coffee Creek, Trinity County, and within a few days thousands will be in line.

Two years ago, or, rather, barely a year ago, the two brothers and one Garter located a claim en Morrison Gulch. They sluiced their gravel last spring, and took out several thousand dollars worth of the right stuff. Then they

struck a Email vein of porphyretic rock carrying free gold, and they ran a tunnel on it.

Soon after tha tunnel was started they commenced fiadiog gold in extraordinary quantities. At the top of their tunnel were two small veins varying from 2in to 4in in width, one nearly perpendicular and the other running obliquely and converging to the first vein. Both carried a large amount of gold. Before they were 25 feet they were taking out gold in large quantities. The rock seemed liter»lly plastered with the precious metal. During tbe week ending August 7 th»y took out nearly SO.OOOdoI. The output filled three iron horse buckets with c 'arse gold and uufgeta, and in addition they took out the largest and finest nuegct ever taken from a mine in California* or the United States.

They saw si large mass of gold imbedded in the i?ock attd endeavoured to pry it out, but there was too much of it. They broke tbe country rock and extracted 'it by main force, breaking it as thsy did so. The piece was undoubtedly thefic»Bt sp*ci»en ever t»ke-i from an American mine, and is the third largest &pec'n>en in the records of gold mining in the world. It nvo*sured 3ft in length, 8.11 in wiJth, and 3in ia thickness, and was worth by actual weight over 12,000 101. When cleaned it was ons of ths most beautiful sights that was ever presented to the eyes of a gold miner.

This wonderful deposit of gold is not in a pocket, but in veins, and when the two converging veins meet, which they will at a short distance, from all indications, the yield will be fabulous. There is no question that it will run into hundreds of theusonds of dollars, and probably into the millions. la th?s« veins Nature sprinkled her treasure with a lavish band. The gold is coawe and wir«y. One piece taken out welthod SOoz, and was a haudaome tepjecimen, beiuj smooth, exoepting one end, which, was honeycombed.

The mine is by bo means exhausted. In the tap of the tunnel systematic gouging yields from SQQOdoI to IGOOdol to the pan, and tbe veins show no sien of r>ving out. On the dump it is estimated that the waste rock carries several thoucsuid dollars. It is impossible to estimate the ultimate yitld of this bonanza.

The Graves btothers having got their pile, proceeded to get it into »afa deposit as promptly as possible. I pity the fortuue finder in this country if he does not quietly and speedily get his gold into some bank. The brothers knew this, and getting a team put their precious burden in it, sent oue armed man on ahead, another behind, and, fully armed thetncelree, mounted to their seats and drove to the nearest town on their way to S&n Francisco.

The iaapetus given to mining from these discoveries will be immense. Stocks will boom, fools will iuT«*t, aed the heart for anything else will be eaten out of as. But with a. failure of crops the world over and an abundant harvest here, plus the stimulus given from ths reoent finds of golds, it would appear as though prosperous times were once v egain upen us, and that the Dingley Tariff Bill, to which all is doe, is, detpite the sneering of disgruntled politicians, a boon and a blestiog to mankind.