﻿146 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  the 
  sufficiency 
  of 
  water 
  to 
  disintegrate 
  the 
  quartz 
  ledges 
  containing 
  the 
  gold, 
  

   and 
  to 
  round 
  the 
  quartz 
  pebbles 
  and 
  boulders. 
  He 
  suggested 
  volcanic 
  agency, 
  

   and 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  glacial 
  action. 
  

  

  During 
  this 
  summer, 
  1 
  have 
  visited 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  hydraulic 
  diggings," 
  in 
  

   counties 
  to 
  the 
  south-east 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  north-west 
  of 
  Placer 
  ; 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  

   examined 
  them, 
  I 
  see 
  in 
  these 
  great 
  gravel 
  deposits 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  one 
  mode 
  of 
  

   production. 
  

  

  The 
  " 
  hydraulic 
  " 
  method 
  of 
  working 
  is 
  being 
  pursued 
  systematically 
  and 
  

   with 
  increased 
  intelligence, 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  we 
  shall 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  trace 
  the 
  

   bed-rock 
  over 
  areas 
  sufficient 
  to 
  determine 
  what 
  was 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  disintegra- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  of 
  subsequent 
  movement. 
  

  

  My 
  examinations 
  were 
  made 
  incidentally 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  more 
  urgent 
  duties, 
  

   and 
  were 
  limited 
  ; 
  but, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  went, 
  I 
  became 
  satisfied 
  that 
  the 
  chief 
  

   power 
  in 
  disintegrating 
  the 
  materials 
  and 
  moving 
  them 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  glaciers, 
  

   aided 
  in 
  small 
  amount 
  by 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  ice. 
  

  

  At 
  Smartsville, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  hill 
  of 
  auriferous 
  gravel 
  over 
  400 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  ly- 
  

   ing 
  between 
  the 
  hills 
  of 
  rock 
  that 
  have 
  not 
  " 
  the 
  color 
  " 
  of 
  gold 
  about 
  them 
  ; 
  

   these 
  rocks 
  are 
  not 
  of 
  a 
  character 
  to 
  retain 
  for 
  ages 
  the 
  marks 
  of 
  ice-action, 
  

   and 
  are 
  moreover 
  rarely 
  exposed. 
  The 
  gravel 
  about 
  Smartsville 
  is 
  cemented 
  

   together 
  so 
  compactly 
  as 
  to 
  require 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  gunpowder 
  to 
  shake 
  and 
  shatter 
  

   great 
  masses 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  be 
  acted 
  upon 
  by 
  hydraulic 
  piping 
  with 
  a 
  head 
  of 
  

   two 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  feet. 
  Through 
  the 
  cemented 
  mass 
  are 
  found 
  fossilized 
  

   oak 
  trees 
  of 
  two 
  and 
  three 
  feet 
  diameter, 
  and 
  a 
  close-grained 
  tree, 
  completely 
  

   blackened, 
  and 
  reaching 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Specimens 
  of 
  these 
  I 
  have 
  

   brought 
  for 
  microscopic 
  examination 
  by 
  our 
  members. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  judge 
  from 
  its 
  position 
  and 
  configuration, 
  this 
  hill 
  formed 
  

   a 
  great 
  glacial 
  terminal 
  moraine. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  how 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  water 
  

   could 
  produce 
  it, 
  or 
  leave 
  it 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  : 
  the 
  gravel, 
  boulders, 
  and 
  cement 
  do 
  

   not 
  bear 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  formed 
  by 
  moving 
  waters 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  gold 
  par- 
  

   ticles, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  rounded, 
  are 
  flattened. 
  Nor 
  could 
  I 
  see 
  how 
  volcanic 
  

   action 
  could 
  account 
  for 
  it 
  ; 
  tufaceous 
  lava 
  may 
  be 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  cementing 
  ma- 
  

   terial, 
  but 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  appreciate 
  it. 
  Higher 
  up 
  this 
  ancient 
  bed, 
  there 
  are 
  said 
  

   to 
  be 
  no 
  gravel 
  deposits 
  for 
  fourteen 
  miles 
  ; 
  when 
  they 
  commence 
  they 
  are 
  

   continuous 
  for 
  miles 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  had 
  neither 
  time 
  nor 
  opportunity 
  to 
  examine 
  their 
  

   relation 
  to 
  the 
  adjacent 
  hills. 
  

  

  At 
  Cherokee 
  Flat, 
  Dr. 
  Waldehr, 
  superintendent 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  gravel 
  mines, 
  

   assured 
  me 
  that 
  in 
  running 
  a 
  tunnel 
  for 
  their 
  work 
  upon 
  the 
  bed-rock, 
  he 
  has 
  

   detected 
  well-marked 
  glacial 
  markings. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  doubtless 
  many 
  facts 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  aggregated 
  to 
  develop 
  a 
  theory 
  

   to 
  account 
  for 
  these 
  deposits, 
  which 
  when 
  gathered 
  and 
  fairly 
  discussed 
  may 
  guide 
  

   us 
  aright. 
  But 
  we 
  can 
  only 
  arrive 
  at 
  a 
  safe 
  and 
  sound 
  deduction 
  by 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  

   the 
  ruck 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  bed 
  when 
  it 
  shall 
  have 
  been 
  exposed, 
  and 
  by 
  an 
  exhaust- 
  

   ive 
  orographical 
  and 
  geological 
  survey 
  of 
  an 
  extended 
  line 
  of 
  these 
  deposits 
  

   and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  country. 
  And 
  for 
  this 
  and 
  similar 
  ends, 
  our 
  State 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  should 
  be 
  petitioned 
  to 
  grant 
  more 
  liberal 
  appropriations 
  to 
  our 
  State 
  

   Geological 
  Survey. 
  

  

  