TELEGRAPH MINE. Facts and Historical Highlights

Transcription

1 TELEGRAPH MINE Facts and Historical Highlights The mine is located about 7 miles north of Downieville, Sierra County, California. Access is by way of a county maintained dirt road known as Saddleback Road, which takes off of Hwy 49 just west of Downieville. The mine is accessible for 7-8 months of the year without the need for snow removal. The tunnel portal elevation is approximately 5254 feet above sea level. The tunnel was started about 1855 on the West Side of Fir Cap Ridge by the Richardson Co. The portal is just above the level of Goodyears Creek which drains into the North Fork of the Yuba River at Goodyears Bar about 5 miles downstream from the mine. The small community of Goodyear's Bar is about 3 miles west of Downieville also on Hwy 49. After 8 years of hard work they reached the pay gravel about 1700 feet into the mountain. June 20, The Mountain Messenger newspaper (the oldest weekly newspaper in California) stated the Richardson Tunnel in Fir Cap Mountain above Monte Cristo, have struck the lead very rich. The mine was also known as the Shamrock, Buffalo, Fir Cap, Hibernia, and later the Telegraph Mine. Quote from the Over North book by J. Sinnott - "The Telegraph Mine, in the early history of the district, was one of the richest gravel mines on the ancient river channels. It is reported that some cars of gravel contained as much as $4000 to the carload. (About 20 cu ft) and from $200-$500 cars were not uncommon. M.M. (Mountain Messenger newspaper) June 27, 1863 ''New Diggings" - "We give what we were able to gather in a recent visit to the Hibernia claims, (formerly known as the Richardson Co.). This tunnel commenced eight years since, has been worked with but little intermission, and from the commencement, and during the time has been once sold out at Sheriff's sale, many members of the old company buying in again and determiningly pushed ahead-the work. There is no doubt in regard to the richness of the lead, as all who have seen the dirt will testify. A pan of dirt which we saw taken from a car panned out nearly two ounces of very coarse gold, besides much fine gold which escaped in lumps of gravel during a hasty panning out, and which could be plainly seen by crushing in the hand. Gold was visible also throughout the dirt in the car, the gravel being a very dark blue color--- almost black--- and of volcanic formation apparently. They seemed to have run over the channel about a year since and struck into hard top rock. Returning to near the old channel and running off at an angle they struck it again, but at a lower depth and very rich, and sinking down a few feet, they now have prospects which rival the fabulous Cariboo."

2 Over North Book pg "Those who have experience in mining and who have knowledge of the past history of mines in this region, commonly regard the Telegraph as being one of the mines with good prospects of becoming a producing mine. The Telegraph has had a time of greatness in its earlier history, for according to a reliable report, one car-load of gravel taken from the mine in the early 1900's yielded $20.67/oz (2,114 ounces). S.D. July 11, "At Fir Cap the Hibernia Co. has taken out $32,000 the past three weeks." (About 2000 ounces at $16 per oz gold at that time) M.M. July 25, 'The Hibernia Co. cleaned up last Saturday, and from seventeen car loads of dirt, obtained an average of 16.5 ounces per car load." (At today's gold price of about $450, that would equate to over 22 ounces per cu yd or about $10,000 per scoop with our 1 yard LHD) M.M. July 4, "118 ounces was taken out by the Hibernia Co. at Fir Cap." M.M. Sept 8, 1867 "The Fir Cap Mining Co. of the Fir Cap District near this place (Downieville) took from their claim during the past week 400 ounces of gold dust, nearly $7000 in hard cash." M.M "At little Grizzly Diggings north of Howland Flat a nugget of almost pure gold valued at $2000 was found." (That is about 3 miles upstream from the Telegraph on the same Deadwood Channel. At $16 per oz gold that was about a 125 oz nugget.) D.D. Nov 3, "A big chunk was found one day last week by the Shamrock boys at Fir Cap, while working on their claim. It was part quartz and weighed 27 pounds and is worth $3,100. We are glad to hear of the success of the Shamrock boys as they have worked hard and deserve it." (This nugget would have contained about 194 oz of gold) M.M. Sept 2, "The Shamrock Gold Mining Co. at Fir Cap has declared a dividend of $7 per share." M.M. Dec 16, "The boys at Fir Cap are taking out good pay." M.M. Jan 2, "The workmen in the Telegraph Mine found good pay a short time since. The gravel prospects from $10-$12 a carload." (1/2 to 3/4 oz per car) M.M. Aug 6, "In the Telegraph Mine, situated at Fir Cap, there is a quartz ledge that contains a large percentage of pyrites of iron. An assay of these pyrites gave a value of $2 a

3 pound." (this would equal 200 oz per ton or $180,000 per ton of the sulfides at a gold price of $900 per oz) M.M. Jan 11, "Gravel worth $200 a carload was struck at the Telegraph Mine last week, and as a result of the washing of a few carloads, Griff Thomas brought to town (Downieville) a nice bunch of the precious metal that was really good for sore eyes. The gravel was struck at a depth of 22 feet below the main tunnel. An incline is being run from the main tunnel down to the gravel." (About 10 oz per car or 13.5 oz / cu yd) M.M. March 27, "We learn from Griff Thomas, who is foreman of the Telegraph Mine that a large body of gravel has been blocked out ready to breast, and the force of men employed will be largely increased in a short time. Some of the richest gravel ever found in the state was taken from the Telegraph Company." M.M. Oct 28, "A very rich strike in quartz was made in the Telegraph Mine last Thursday. A fine 3 foot ledge was struck in the main tunnel which was being run for gravel, and the rock shows free gold in plenty besides the richest kind of arsenical sulphurets. The vein lies on the serpentine contact, and is supposed to be the same one from which some extra rich ore and sulphurets were taken from a point further south several years ago. The Telegraph is owned by the estate of John Mitchell, deceased, and is being operated by George Chase and other Chicago gentlemen with J.W. Finney as manager." M.M. Nov 18, "Griff Thomas, foreman of the Telegraph Mine, brought a couple sacks of high grade ore down from that place in his wagon this week. It is rumored that some very rich stuff was taken out on Monday." M.M. Jan 27, "A large bunch of arsenical sulphurets was struck in the main tunnel at the Telegraph Mine recently. The tunnel is being run ahead to strike gravel and the sulphurets were found while this work was being done." Chicago, Jan 16,1913 First Annual Report of the Telegraph Drift Gold Mining Co. by General Manager J.W. Finney - "Taking the experience of the past as a guide, and a thorough investigation of the property as a basis for future calculations, it did not take us long to decide that the future success of this mine depended upon the systematic development of the quartz veins opened up by the search for gravel. This was something tangible and capable of demonstration. A shaft had been sunk on one of the veins to a depth of 65 feet, the foot of the tunnel resting on the vein. Drifts had been started to the east and to the west, to the extent of about 50 feet when the mill was destroyed. In all, about 400 tons of ore was taken from this vein, which yielded between $6,000 and $7,000. Before enough money could be secured for the rebuilding of the mill, the source of water was lost to us so that no further work could be done on

4 this vein until a sufficient amount of money could be secured for the building of a new power plant and the rebuilding of the mill. Recommendations: I would recommend pushing ahead the crosscut until we get into gravel. I'm satisfied this will give the mine permanent pay, and a. surplus above all expenses. Second: A new power plant should be erected during the coming summer that will give us at least 150 kw of power at the mine. Third: We would commence a vigorous development of our quartz veins, because they give evidence of possessing values many times greater than can possibly be secured from the gravel. It will take time to develop the same, and power is the most essential factor. This mine is recognized as one of the most valuable properties in this part of the country, and the development of the same along the line suggested is sure to bring most gratifying results Report by C. S. Haley (author of Bulletin #92 of the Calif. State Bureau of Mines, Gold Placers of Calif.) on the Telegraph Mine Geology - "There are two known channels which traverse this property from north to south; both of which have been greatly enriched by crossing two major contacts which almost unite on the property. The ledges on these contacts have been responsible for the richest quartz mines in Sierra County. One of them is the Alleghany serpentine and schist contact, which can be traced southerly from this property directly to the Tightener and Sixteen to One mines in Alleghany. The other is the Brush Creek contact, which can also be traced directly to the Brush Creek mine, now being operated very promisingly. The channels are also well known and have produced several million dollars, both above and below this property. The one on the west is undoubtedly the southerly extension of the Deadwood channel; and the one on the east is a part of the McCray Ridge channel. The writer, in the course of an investigation of the channels of California Bulletin 92, of the California State Bureau of Mines- had occasion to trace these channels to the north boundary of this property; and knows that they go under the lava on Fir Top and Saddleback mountains on an almost direct southerly course. It is the opinion of the writer that on the Telegraph property, there still exists from one to two miles of virgin channel, primary in origin, which should be as rich, due to the enrichment from the erosion of the two important contacts mentioned, as any gravels yet mined in Sierra County Supplementary Report on Telegraph Drift and Quartz Mine by W. L. de Carbonel - "This report is based on development work done during the summer and fall of 1934 under the writer's supervision. The following is a brief discussion of the various headings of Mr. B. C. Austin's report and of the geological conditions discovered through a resurvey of the mine workings and by new development and exploration. Geology: The adit cuts through 480 feet of serpentine, cuts a fault contact with the lava, goes through the lava, enters a belt of amphibolite, re-enters the lava, and again goes into the serpentine and amphibolite. It was while driving these drifts to the channel gravels that the veins in the mine were discovered, as they do not outcrop on the surface due to the capping of Tertiary lavas, which are as much as 600 feet thick.

5 The vein system consists of four strong main east-dipping veins together with many small fissure veins. Three of the main veins intersect within a small area which is being thoroughly explored this year. This area is shown on Map No.2. The old 65-ft. incline shaft was un-watered and about $1,000 in high-grade ore taken out of a small sublevel working shown on Map No.3. A crosscut is being driven to explore the intersection of "A" and "C" veins. Earlier reports show that free gold and arsenicals have been taken out in the area of the intersection. A new winze has been started as shown on Map 2, to tap the intersection of "A" and "B" veins. It is difficult to get a true picture of the veins where their outcrops are close to or on the lava contact, as is the case of "A" and "B" and "A" and "C" veins due to the dragging and distortion of the old surface by the lava flow. A favorable criterion for the existence of a high-grade shoot in this area is the fact that many pieces of coarse un-worked gold and arsenical ore were found in the gravels within 200 feet of the intersections. From the work done on the several veins, and the results obtained, it is reasonable to infer that high-grade milling shoots will be developed together with high grade enrichments peculiar to the Alleghany district. This has been shown by development work in the Alleghany District where these east dipping vein systems, when near the serpentine contact change in attitude, and at the intersections, that high grade ore and enrichments are found. These conditions exist in the Telegraph Mine and high-grade ore is found at or near these points. The channel system which resulted in the early work done in the mine presents a condition of gravels being laid down on an area which had been extensively eroded. There were ridges of serpentine and amphibolite standing up as islands in these channels. The serpentine though soft was extremely dense. The present crumbly condition of the serpentine may be due to the action of downward percolating waters through the acid surface lava flows. The basal portion of the lavas is made up of volcanic agglomerates and mud flows. This is shown by the presence of wood fragments and other organic matter in the contact zone. These flows were of such consistency that a great deal of the gravel was picked up and carried along with the flow. This condition together with the character of the bedrock (serpentine) resulted in a very thin layer of very rich gravel. This is borne out by the earlier work which produced $4 and $5 a yard gravel from zones eight to twenty inches thick, which consisted of gravel and some of the serpentine bedrock. (About 1/4 oz per yd) There is a large amount of un-worked gravel in the channel to the south of the main adit. This ground was not worked by the earlier miners due to trouble with water. This difficulty is overcome with the present equipment and a crosscut is being run to tap the channel thirty- five feet below the adit level. Recommendations: "The Telegraph Mine shows all the favorable conditions necessary for a high grade mine of the Sixteen to One type. The locations of the vein intersections are known and have been explored with favorable results. Further exploration is being carried on to more demonstrate these values. The quartz veins have never been worked in a manner to make the mine a gold quartz producer. Emphasis has always been laid to work on the gravels. Favorable geological conditions exist and development of these quartz veins should be highly productive. The gravel channel that has been worked profitably in the past has only been worked on the north side of the adit; south side gravels should be equally rich.

6 April 15, Statements from the report by B. C. Austin, Mining Engineer, Mills Building, San Francisco - "The property is credited with a production of about $500,000 from gravel deposits and these deposits seem to have some future possibilities. In working the gravel, several quartz veins have been exposed that give promise of being highly productive and of more importance than the gravel. A small production reported to be about $25,000 in high grade ore is reported from the quartz but these quartz veins have never been worked to any extent. I consider the Telegraph property well worthy of development and recommend that you exercise your option to purchase the property." Mr. Austin also made reference in his report of statements made by William Ireland Jr., State Mineralogist of California in his 11th Annual Report covering the period between : "Tunnel 2600 feet long driven for gravel encountered quartz vein 35 feet wide on a contact between the slate and serpentine with perpendicular walls. Twenty feet next to the footwall rich in sulphurets and free gold. Sulphurets show galena, zinc, and iron pyrites assaying $1500 per ton. After drifting 100 feet on the vein no deterioration in the quality of the quartz is perceptible. The quartz vein does not show anywhere on the surface being entirely lava capped." "A five stamp mill was erected; it ran a short time and failed to hold on the poor foundation chosen for the mill site. A second mill was built on the same foundation and it also could not be operated for any length of time. In this connection I will state that less than 150 feet south of this old mill location favorable bedrock exists for a mill foundation. A small tonnage of ore was treated probably not in excess of 600 tons and produced around $25,000. The ledge was drifted on for 200 feet and at this point extended about 25 feet to the lava capping above. A winze was sunk 58 feet all in ore and it is reported that some high grade was found. When the second mill was wrecked and as winter was coming on, work was discontinued, the mine reverting back to the present owners, who from time to time took out some pay gravel but they did no development work under a well directed plan." Sept. 10, From a letter from George Costa to Richard Belcher, owner of the White Bear property, which at the time included the Dutch tunnel which is between the Telegraph and White Bear. Costa and Dineri were leasing the Dutch Tunnel and were paying a 10% royalty to Belcher. George stated: Mr. Willis deposited ounces the other day and we should have the mint returns next week. We have taken out 11 ounces since I got back to work. This includes a nugget of 2 and 1/2 ounces with some quartz in it. I enclose my check of $82.19 to cover royalty payment on enclosed Mint receipt No " Fall Vern Huffman of Downieville, owner of the Telegraph Mine, with the financial support of Armin Speckert, Sr. began the work of opening up the mine-a property generally considered to be possessed of one of the best potentials of the many mining properties of the county. In that year the portal of the old main tunnel was reopened and the tunnel cleaned out and re-timbered and new track laid, preparatory to the start of new development work.

7 Apco Oil Co. succeeded Mr. Speckert in financing work at the mine. They drifted east and put a decline down in a previously un-discovered channel. They found a 10-foot ledge in the gut and found the gravel there had coarse gold with nuggets up to over 3 ounce. The Apco Oil Company, shortly after this work was taken over by Northwest Energies Inc., which resulted in cessation of work at the Telegraph. Early 1970's - Bob Kintz, of Downieville, found a 16-ounce nugget near to where the Apco decline was put down. There was less than a foot of gravel there between the lava and the bedrock. He was also working down a decline below the main tunnel track level and had to pump water and hoist the cars up with an air tugger. I personally have been to that spot in one of my many visits since I was working next door at the Towle Tunnel Quotation from Over North book pg "The Telegraph Mine at the present time is under option to Mr. Griff Thomas, who was foreman at the time the Telegraph Drift Mining Co. was operating it. Having worked the mine for nine years, Mr. Thomas has an intimate knowledge of the property and its possibilities, and his recent return to Downieville to develop the mine indicates his unbounded faith in the property. Mr. Thomas recently expressed himself as believing the Telegraph to be the best mine in the State today. He has two men employed cleaning out the tunnels preparatory to beginning mining operations." During the 1970's and 80's, there were several small groups of promoters who had lease/options on the Telegraph properties. None of them accomplished any significant work on the property, nor did they contribute any new information to the mine's history or development. Oct Vern and Nellie Huffman signed a 10-year lease/option with Klondike Mining, a Calif. Corp., on the Telegraph properties which contain over 2000 acres for both the placer and lode claims. The lease contained a $1 million buy-out. This group came down from the Klondike where they had mined underground in frozen gravel where no timber or ground support was required. This was why the Telegraph appealed to them because of the same situation that no ground support was required under the lava capping. Unfortunately for them and their investors in England and Canada, they spent several million dollars and over 5 years just to put in a large access tunnel (l2'x14') through the Serpentine bedrock of the west rim of the channels. This Klondike Tunnel was put in with great cost and difficulties, about 300 feet north and paralleling the Old Dutch Tunnel. The Dutch was put in about 1855 but was small (about 4'x6') and reached the old lava channel in about 1200'-1300'. The Klondike tied into the Dutch at about 1000 feet in and used it as a second exit and ventilation exhaust route. The Klondike is completely caved now through the 900 feet of Serpentine bedrock. You can still go in through the Dutch and come back to the west to the Serpentine contact with the hard Amphibolite Schist

8 where their big drift is caved completely. From this point, heading east, their big tunnels are still open and anywhere from 9'x12' to 15'x20'. This demonstrates how well the Amphibolite bedrock and lava roof stands with no support. They passed through the old works and pay streak heading out to the east toward a seismic survey target. They could have gone north on the pay streak to the Telegraph or south to the Towle-Hamilton but did not. Their seismic target is probably the Apco channel in the back of the Telegraph. It will join with the McCrae Channel and the Deadwood Channel coming from the north and northwest. This confluence is probably just south of the New York Tunnel, on the White Bear property. Their entire 10-year operation could be used as an extreme example and lesson in poor planning and mismanagement. The Telegraph property has since reverted back to the owner and the U.S. Forest Service had to confiscate the reclamation bond. They have now completed the surface reclamation and clean up of many loads of trash and junk, etc.