In 1919-1920 the Mining Department was organized into four main geographical divisions, with the field work delegated to a mining engineer in each district working out from field offices that were established in Redding, Auburn, San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.

This move brought the Bureau into closer personal contact with operators, and it has many advantages over former methods of conducting field work.

To continue this system most effectively with the limited funds available for the present biennium, the Redding and Auburn field offices were consolidated and moved to Sacramento on June 1, 1923.

The boundaries of each district were adjusted and the counties now included in each of the three divisions, and the locations of the branch offices, are shown on the accompanying outline map of the state. (Frontispiece.)

Reports of mining activities and development in each division, prepared by the district engineer, will continue to appear under the proper field division heading.

Although the petroleum industry is but little affiliated with other branches of mining, oil and gas are among the most valuable mineral products of California, and a report by the State Oil and Gas Supervisor on the current development and general conditions in the state's oil fields is included under this heading.

Amador County.

SACRAMENTO FIELD DIVISION.

C. A. LOGAN, Mining Engineer.

A. L. Chappell is in charge of work at the Cleveland Consolidated Gravel Mine near Volcano. A new prospect shaft had reached a depth of about 60 feet by the middle of March. The mine has been a producer.

Elephant Hydraulic Mine near Volcano was prepared for operation in the fall with three giants placed and three ditches ready to deliver water, but it had been impossible to do any work up to the middle of March on account of shortage of water. Grillo Brothers and John Baroni are the lessees.

Ludekins Hydraulic Mine, beside the highway between Volcano and Barnhart station, has been able to operate with one giant in a small way, two men being employed.

Marklee Mining Company, 105 Federal Realty Building, Oakland, Cal. This company had cleaned out the first 230 feet of the old main `shaft of the Marklee Mine and had done a good deal of work on the surface up to the middle of March, at which time they had suspended work. It is reported that over $18,000 had been spent.

The main shaft, in which the rich shoot of early days was found, is about 500 feet deep. The strike of the vein is north of west and the oreshoot is said to have raked away from the shaft, necessitating longer drives on each succeeding level. The mine was discovered in 1868 and, according to a report by the original owners in 1869, was 100 feet deep

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the autumn of that year and was producing ore of an assay value of $60 a ton, from which only $30 a ton was recovered, on account of lack of facilities for saving sulphides. While the lapse of time has been so great that definite details are hard to get, it seems certain that the main oreshoot was quite short and that the bottom level had not been run far enough to prove the shoot, although a body of $4 ore is said to have been found on that level. Besides the main shaft, a drift was run from near the shaft collar for about 800 feet along the vein, and three winzes were sunk to depths of 350, 100 and 140 feet respectively. There is said to be about 200 feet of blank ground on the vein between the two oreshoots, the second of which is said to have been penetrated by the farthermost winze, and is said to be about a foot wide. The mine is about five miles from Volcano. It is equipped with a 10-stamp mill, boiler and steam engines and small lumber sawing plant.

Moore Mine. Moore Mining Company, main office 923 Balboa Building, San Francisco. The 800 station had just been finished and drifting for the shoot had begun on March 13th. The oreshoot was reported 300 feet long on the 640 level and was stoped for an average width of nine or ten feet. There was a sharp bend in the shoot where it was worked 16 feet wide. This level has been about worked out.

According to a statement issued to stockholders on February 19, the total cost of the plant to that date had been $106,502.86. The mill building and machinery (20 stamps with concentrators) cost $50,584.41; hoist $6,996; tailing dam $6,672, and miscellaneous plant items $19,147.83. A total of $61,740 has been paid on account of purchase of property.

During January and February, 1924, only ten stamps of the mill were operated and averaged 46 tons each twenty-four hours. For this two months period the gross production was $20,243.83. The average recovery in February was 80 per cent. During 1923 a great deal of trouble was experienced in making the actual recovery from the mill check anywhere near the indicated recovery. For December, actual

recovery was said to have been $7,252 less than indicated recovery, for November $1,590 less, for October $4,002 less and so on, in spite of all possible precautions in sampling and assaying. The ore is said to carry orpiment, and this mineral and galena are said to be causing the principal loss in the slimes.

Old Eureka Mine at Sutter Creek was reported sold the middle of April to the Central Eureka Mining Company. The Central Eureka Company had lately been mining good ore on and near their north end line, and the sale, if made, will set at rest any speculations about possible litigation.

Pitts Mine (Mountain King and Mountain Queen) is nine miles by road from Jackson, and adjoining the village of Pine Grove, in section 4, T. 6 N., R. 12 E., containing 110 acres in all. Owners are W. B. Pitts and Mrs. Louise Pitts. A lease and option to purchase is held by A. M. Locey, W. L. Erwin, Mrs. Alva Archer and H. C. Kennedy.

There are two series of veins and rich ore has been found near their intersections. On an easterly striking vein a shaft has been sunk 265

feet with a level at 250 feet but there is no record of production from it though some good prospects were reported in sinking. About 150 feet north of this, a northerly striking vein comes in from the south up to the first fissure, and the Anaconda shaft was sunk 125 feet on this second vein near the intersection. This vein is said to have yielded a good gold production under romantic circumstances, but there is no written record. A tunnel was run from the creek 70 feet lower than the shaft collar, northward for several hundred feet with two forks and high-grade ore was found in both directions, on the north in a winze that has been started lately by the lessees and in an old raise put up by other operators. The veins in this part of the property range from one to six feet wide. Another vein, 250 feet north of the deeper shaft, appears to cut off the east striking vein. The operators are prospecting the tunnel workings and plan to put up a five-stamp mill, believing they have considerable ore available. There are other veins on the property that have not been developed. The geological indications in the tunnel workings are promising, but it is evident that most of the work done heretofore has been in search of pockets and no attempt has been made to develop milling ore. The richer ore shows gold in galena.

In the Defender District, which is opposite the West Point District of Calaveras County, little work is going on. The two are a unit geologically.

Amador Columbus Mine is opposite the Columbus Mine and supposed to be an extension of it. Frank de Bois is sinking a prospect shaft and is down about 40 feet.

R. C. Reed of Volcano has leased the Defender Mine from the owner, J. B. Stapler of West Point. Reed has been working alone and has driven about 50 feet of tunnel and has sunk 50 feet of winze on what is called the west ledge. The quartz in this winze is about 6 feet wide, with hard walls and no gouge, the footwall being poorly defined. What appears to be a dike has been slightly exposed on the hanging wall. A few tons of ore milled from this winze is reported to have yielded very satisfactorily.

The Defender vein is the middle one of three veins and the only one on which much has been done previous to Reed's work. There is reported to be in the bottom workings, 480 feet deep, a body of ore very heavy with pyrite, that carries $10 to $12 a ton and offers a treatment problem as the sulphide content is already too high to make concentration feasible. The ore was very good to a depth of 360 feet.

Piney Creek Mine, a mile northeast of Barnhart station, is being operated by Frank Shafter, who is installing a roller mill.

Sunset Mine. John J. Ratto of Sutter Creek and C. R. Daggett of Ione have been producing some very good ore from the 300-foot level of this mine, which is a mile and a half west of Martel.

The deposit of red marble on the Wait Ranch, near Plymouth, is being prospected by the California Slimes Company, W. E. Darrow, president. This deposit shows an outcrop 160 feet by 400 feet, as mentioned in our 1923 report, but has not been previously prospected.

Calaveras County.

Columbus Mine was productive in 1922 and 1923 and was sold by W. W. Gibson after he realized a good profit from ore milled.

Forest Creek Mining Company. Richard Hedrich, Jr., general manager, West Point. This property is six miles from West Point and has been prospected for several years past. It is at present being equipped with considerable machinery.

Lone Star Mine. J. B. Stapler and Company, West Point. This property was productive during 1923, the ore reported as coming from a winze below the 'minus 200' level. A small mill was in operation. Porteous Group of claims on the Licking Fork above West Point is being developed by Frank Becker. Ninety feet of new tunnel has been run recently by Becker with four men employed. Water from the Licking Fork is used to develop power for the compressor.

Woodhouse Mine is being reopened by W. W. Gibson. It is in the West Point District.

Lamphear Mine, south of Mokelumne Hill, is the basis of a new company called the Lamphear Mining Company, with an office at Mokelumne Hill. Myron D. Greve, Mokelumne Hill, is secretary of the company. The capitalization is 200,000 shares at fifteen cents each.

The Lamphear Mine was worked as early as 1867, when it had an 8-stamp mill as stated by J. Ross Browne in a report written in 1868, at which time a depth of 45 feet had been reached. According to a map by J. Robert Wylie there are two shafts on the property, the deeper about 300 feet deep with levels at 100, 180 and 280 feet, and the other 100 feet deep. The two were connected on the 100 level and the 180 level is run nearly to the second shaft which is 200 feet southeast of the first. The 280 level was drifted about 90 feet. The vein has been stoped from the 180 level to the surface. It strikes northwest and dips northeast and is reported four to eight feet wide, including gouge. While no rich assays are being claimed, the promoters of the company believe the geological conditions favorable. The mine has been unwatered and some work is being done.

Activity has continued at the Apex Mine (Ford) at San Andreas, where the levels below the 100 level were being unwatered at last report. Prosperity Mine, J. Robt. Wylie, manager, is being prepared to start milling some ore. Wylie reports very encouraging assays.

COPPER.

Calaveras Copper Company. Eastern office, Oliver Ames, president, Ames Building, Boston, Mass.; C. H. Tyler, managing director and secretary; S. M. Levy, general manager, Copperopolis, Cal. The mine, concentrator and smelting plant are at Copperopolis. The extent of the property and notes on the past operations are shown in Report XIII of the State Mineralogist. The mines now consolidated under this company are among the oldest copper producers in the state, the Union, Empire and Keystone claims having been opened in 1861. Between