BARS THE BIG BEND OF THE NORTH FORK OF FEATHER RIVER, BUTTE CO.CALIFORNIA, BANK DIGGINS THE MINING INDUSTRY. After the discovery by General Bidwell, on Feather river, and his subsequent settlement at Bidwell's bar, the miners ranged along the Feather and its tributaries in great numbers. In 1849, mining camps could be found at scores of places, the most important being at Bidwell's and Long's bars. It became the rule for the miners to go to the mountains during the summer and work the beds of the small streams while they were dry. In the winter they came down to the foothills and the valleys, where the placer-mining would pay them from one to half-a-dozen ounces per day. One of the first enterprises in wing-damming was opposite Oroville, called the Troy wing-dam. As brief references are made in the local histories to the kinds of mining done in the different townships, we will only allude to some of the discoveries and enterprises of a general character. was Water is necessary to every kind of mining, and it became at a very early period an important problem to be solved-the bringing of water to the mining ground. In 1852, the West Branch of Feather River Company was organized for the purpose of bringing water to Long's bar. The capital-stock was $200,000. The incorporators and managers were Derville and Theophilus Bequette, Hugh Bell and Alexander Coles. About the same time small ditch-companies were formed at Thompson's flat, and short ditches were constructed. In October of the same year the Wyandotte and Feather River Water Company was incorporated, the object being to construct a ditch from Forbestown to the mines at Wyandotte, Honcut, Ophir, Bagdad and vicinity. B. O. and A. F. Williams, H. Richardson, Charles Marsh and Samuel Harriman were connected with it. The ditch was located by George W. Schults, in 1853. In 1854, the right sold to the South Feather Water Company, and the ditch was constructed to Wyandotte the following year. This is the oldest ditch now in existence in the county. Its length is about thirty miles, and has prior right to any other ditch to water from the south Feather. In the winter of 1855-56, the Feather River and Ophir Water Company constructed their ditch to Oroville, and made that place the most important mining town in the state. [See History of Oroville.] In 1858, the Walker & Wilson ditch was completed to Thompson's flat; the canal was thirty-six miles in length, and drew its watersupply from Little Butte creek. [See History of Thompson's Flat.] A few other short ditches were built in the next few years. In 1861, there were eight mining ditches, aggregating 167 miles in length. In 1870, the Spring Valley Mining Company built its magnificent ditch, overcoming the obstacles presented by deep cañons with a splendid system of pipes. [See History of Cherokee Mines.] The Hendricks ditch was also completed at this time. Some time after, E. J. Davis & Co. built a ditch from Dogtown to Thompson's flat, which conveys 3,000 inches of water down the side of Table mountain; it is now owned by the Miocene company. For a description of the Sierra Lumber Company's flume, see the history of Chico. The flume of the Oroville Lumber Company was constructed in 1875, by the SugarPine Lumber, Flume and Mining Company. The flume heads at Flee valley, in Concow township, and is twenty-five miles in length to the dump on Sinclair flat, near Pence's ranch. The flume has a fall of 3,500 feet. In 1881, there were forty mining and twenty-five irrigating ditches in Butte county. The mining ditches aggregate 501 miles in length, and the irrigating 200 miles. It is estimated that 10,000 inches of water are used daily from them. In May, 1854, mines in the vicinity of Bidwell were using canvas and rubber hose to wash the dirt out of the hills. The primitive hydraulicing had its inception with a two-inch canvas duck with a nozzle scarcely an inch in diameter. This was soon increased to a four-inch pipe with a two-inch nozzle. Improvements have gradually been made in size and material, until at present the pipe is of heavily-ribbed boiler-iron, eighteen or twenty inches in diameter, and the stream, usually about seven inches, is thrown through a machine that admits of management by one man with perfect ease, and can be moved from side to side, depressed or elevated, with great readiness. In Butte county, many nuggets of considerable size have been found. The kind of gold found at the old town of Evansville, in Wyandotte township, was invariably "coarse," being found in the form of nuggets of greater or less size. Some specimens found there have run over a thousand dollars each, and a great many have ranged among the hundreds. A piece weighing some fifteen hundred dollars, taken out near Stringtown in the spring of 1853, was never mentioned in print until alluded to by G. H. Crossette in his paper in 1878. It was found by an elderly man whose name is not now remembered, and who had left his family in the eastern states in 1849, to try his fortunes in the California mines. He had mined and prospected from the time of his arrival in the mines until the spring of 1853, with no more success than was necessary to a bare subsistence. His worldly goods were packed in a sack and carried on his shoulder. One day he trundled into a shaft that had been sunk to the depth of twelve feet and abandoned. Almost the first blow of his pick turned up a huge piece of gold in the shape of a beef's heart, of the value above stated. Of course he was greatly excited, and expected to be robbed of his treasure before reaching a bank where he could safely deposit it. Putting his prize in his sack, and telling no one of his good luck, he started for Marysville, where he arrived and sold it. This small sum was enough for him to raise a troublesome mortgage on his farm in Michigan, and the old man immediately left for the East. THE DOGTOWN NUGGET was the crowning glory of the big-chunk order in Butte county. In 1853, Phineas Willard located a claim two miles east of what is now Magalia, and worked it alone for some time. It was always pretty rich and paid well. In 1858, a company was formed, consisting of Willard, Ira Wetherbee and Wyatt M. Smith. The claim was a hydraulic one, and they had one pipe in operation. On the fourteenth of August, 1859, while the proprietors were absent, Chauncey Wright, one of the men employed, piped out a chunk weighing fifty-four pounds in the rough. The piece was in a slide from the side of the mountain. Ira Wetherbee was spending the day in Dogtown, when, in the afternoon, several of his men came in hurriedly, picked him up from his chair and set him on the counter. Thinking a terrible calamity had befallen somebody, Wetherbee inquired, in alarmed tones, what was the matter. They told him he would have to treat before he could find out. This preliminary matter being adjusted, the news was broken gently to him, after which high carnival was held all night. Dr. Stearns was superintending the mine, and the following notice was sent to George H. Crossette, at Oroville : "DOGTOWN, 14th August, 1859. "EDITOR OF BUTTE RECORD-Sir: Messrs. Willard & Co. to-day took out of their claim one small nugget, weighing the small sum of fifty-four (54) pounds, and fifty (50) oz. fine gold. Pretty good pay, this. Beat it who can? The claim is superintended by our worthy citizen, Dr. A. K. Stearns.” The chunk was taken to San Francisco and melted into a bar which weighed forty-nine and onehalf pounds, and netted $10,690. The fine gold taken out that day amounted to $3,000, making an entire yield for the day of $13,690. This claim was owned by Wetherbee, Willard and Smith until 1861. During the years 1855, '56, '57, heavy fluming operations were carried on along the Feather river, between Oroville and Bidwell's bar. The Rough and Ready and Sailor claim, near White Rock, panned out largely, but the Cape claim of 1857 produced richer dirt and more of it for the season than any other. The river was flumed about a mile and a half above Oroville, A. S. Hart being contractor of the works. One day during the season, with six sluices running, one hundred and forty-two pounds of pure gold were taken out in twenty-four hours. The days' work netted $30,672, of which $24,000 came from one sluice. On the same day John P. Norton washed from one pan of dirt fifty-two ounces. There were taken out and reported during the season upwards of $330,000. In 1858, the Union Cape company flumed the river just below, but failed to make more than the cost of the flume. Below that, in 1859, the golden channel was flumed. Some years ago the California Dredging and Mining Company dredged the river near Oroville, by a boat with suction-pipes. Another boat, one hundred and twenty feet long and thirty feet wide, was constructed by the Feather River Mining Company, of which J. M. Burt was president, but none of these enterprises were lucrative. The gold product of Butte county for four months in the year 1873 was $1,036,000, showing that the county's resources were but little depleted by the huge drains of former years. We proceed to a brief resumé of the mining operations now carried on in Butte. It will be seen that mining is rather increasing, notwithstanding the check given to the hydraulic mines by the debris contest. PLACER MINING. This class of mining is of far more importance in Butte county than quartz, and, with the exception of the lava-beds near Oroville, the dirt is washed, or has been until recently, by the hydraulic chief, though a number of good claims are being worked by the drifting process. The principal hydraulic mines in Butte county, together with the works in each, are described in the following : THE MIOCENE MINING COMPANY, of New York, succeeded to E. J. Davis & Co. in the claim opposite Oroville, extending to Thompson's flat. Work was commenced in March, 1881. The company have thirty-four miles of ditch, carrying 3,000 inches of water from the west branch of Feather, the head-dam being at Dogtown. N. A. Harris is superintendent, and F. McLaughlin resident vice-president. In the mine there are over 5,000 feet of pipe. A line of telephone connects the head-dam with the offices. THE POWERS MINE, owned by the Oroville Mining and Irrigating Company, is situated opposite Oroville, on the eastern end of the Fernandez grant, and comprises over 1,500 acres. Water is obtained from Little Butte creek, and conveyed to the claim by thirty miles of ditch. O. P. Powers is superintendent. The ditch was formerly known as the Walker & Wilson. THE HEWITT MINE lies along the south-east edge of Oroville, and is owned by the Oroville Mining Company. J. B. Hewitt is superintendent and one-third owner of the mine. Water is obtained from the Feather river and Ophir ditch, which is twenty-two miles long, and carries 3,000 inches. [See History of Oroville.] THE HENDRICKS MINE, owned by the Morris Ravine Mining Company, of Indiana, is situated in Morris ravine. W. C. Hendricks was original locator, and ran it alone for about ten years, when, in 1876, the present company took possession. Nearly fifty miles of ditch are used, the water being brought from the west branch, near Powellton. Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana, is largely interested in the mine. THE SOUTH FEATHER WATER AND UNION MINING COMPANY has a mine at Forbestown, on the divide between Butte and Yuba counties. The company owns also the Forbestown ditch, alluded to at the beginning of this article. Water is taken from the south fork of Feather river for use in the mine. THE MINERAL SLIDE MINE, on Big Butte creek, has recently been opened. John D. Lamont is superintendent. The company intends to impound its debris by building dams, and work for that purpose has already been commenced. The RED HILL HYDRAULIC COMPANY has a claim on the west branch of Feather river, above Magalia. company was incorporated in 1874. Four miles of flume and two chiefs are utilized. Captain J. L. Chadwick has had charge of the property for many years. T. L. VINTON & Co.'s claim is situated near Pence's ranch, on Sinclair flat. Considerable hydraulíc mining has been done there. river. FROST AND LUDLUM COMPANY have a flourishing hydraulic mine on the south branch of Feather There are many other hydraulic claims of lesser size, which our space will not allow us to enumerate. A company organized in 1879, called the Edison Ore Milling Company, has its office in Oroville. Frank McLaughlin is manager, and C. Harkness, secretary. The object is to work by Professor Edison's system what is known as tailings, coming from flumes of hydraulic mines. Electricity is used in separating the gold from the sand. The results of this system are said to be wonderful. Professor Edison is a stockholder in the company. THE CHEROKEE MINE. This magnificent consolidation of many claims is the most successful result of hydraulic labors in Butte county, and one of the finest institutions of the kind in the state, or in the world. It is owned by the Spring Valley Hydraulic Gold Company, incorporated under the laws of the state of New York. The original companies absorbed into this mammoth aggregation were the Cherokee company, the Spring Valley company, the Eureka, the Table Mountain Consolidated, the Welch, and the Cherokee Flat Blue Gravel, each of which were formed from combinations of smaller companies. The Spring Valley company was organized in the year 1870. In 1873, it consolidated with the Cherokee mining company, and became the most important in that region. In 1875, the Cherokee, Table Mountain and Welch were added, and a new association incorporated on the sixteenth of August, known as the Spring Valley Mining and Irrigating Company, with a capital stock of $5,000,000. The original Spring Valley company has the credit of bringing in the water, the first source of water supply being from Big Butte creek. The new company expended a vast amount in building reservoirs, ditches, flumes, crossing precipitous cañons with iron pipe to convey water, and in generally developing the mine. Louis Glass was secretary, and Richard Abbey president. The Cherokee Blue Flat Gravel Company was the next in importance. Charles Waldeyer had for many years been superintendent. They ran a tunnel into the hill to reach the blue-gravel lead. On the other side was the Spring Valley working its hydraulic chiefs to reach the same lead, which they did first. Early in the spring of 1881 both companies consolidated and formed the present company. A brief glance at the extent of the operations may not be uninteresting. This mine now includes the very ground on which Cherokee is situated, and embraces over five hundred acres. The banks at which the powerful chiefs or giants are directed, in some places are nearly three hundred feet high, yet a bluff even of this height steadily recedes before the irresistible element brought so far to attack it. The company owns and operates no less than one hundred miles of ditch, pipe and flume. The principal source from which water is obtained is in the northern part of Kimshew township, from Butte creek. At Concow valley it overflows into a reservoir covering three hundred acres. The total length of this ditch is fifty-two miles. Another one fifteen miles in length flows into the reservoir, and a third, the Miner's ditch, is twenty miles in length. On the main ditch are three sections of iron pipe. One crossing the west branch of the Feather river is 13,100 feet long, thirty inches in diameter, and has a perpendicular depression of 890 feet, with a pressure to the square inch of 406 pounds. Further up the stream the water crosses it again, being conveyed by a section of pipe 3,600 feet in length. At Little Butte 1,200 feet more of pipe are used. The heaviest iron used in making the pipe at its lowest depression, is three-eighths of an inch in thickness. The total cost of ditches and pipes was in the neighborhood of $750,000. The water was first brought to Cherokee in 1870. Foreseeing the trouble that would arise from dumping their tailings into the river, the Spring Valley company purchased the right of way for a canal to the southwest, expending large amounts for |