89 



EUREKA MINE. 



Situated near the town of Sutter, county of Amador. The whin shaft A, has 

 been carried from seven to sixteen fathoms during the past year. The adit enters 

 from the west, and is about one hundred feet in length. The upper gallery has 

 been carried south of the adit a distance of one hundred and fourteen feet, and 

 north seventy-five feet. The middle gallery is thirty feet below the preceding, 

 and opens at the whin shaft, being driven on the north sixty feet, and south 

 eighty-five feet. The level at the bottom of the sixteen fathom shaft, is one hun 

 dred and forty-four feet in length. The tramroad which was commenced last year 

 has been completed for nine hundred feet, and is now within some eighty feet of 

 the lode. The rocks are a graphic slate, very firm, and often charged with pyritic 

 crystals. 



The rich thread which commenced at the surface, and for fifty feet in depth, 

 was highly piritiferous ; is found at the bottom of the main shaft much more pro 

 ductive. The pyrites have ceased entirely at this depth, and the hilo is composed 

 of metalic gold, not disseminated, but forming a true vein, at times exceeding 

 three-eighths of an inch in thickness. The vein has been struck in an adjoining 

 mine, about one thousand feet to the south. This is the only instance of a true 

 vein of metalic gold having been found in this State. 



The compliment of laborers in this vein is sixteen, and the capacity for reduc 

 tion of ores about ten tons per day. 



STATISTICS OF MIXES. 



During the past year I have obtained statistics from fourteen of the gold mines 

 of the State. These consist of mines located in the counties of Shasta, Nevada, 

 El Dorado, and Amador. The statistics consist of all general and incidental 

 expenses, the number of operatives employed as miners, engineers, tenders, &c., 

 with their wages per month ; expenses of fuel, teaming, dead work, quantity of 

 ore reduced per day, average product of the same, with monthly and annual 

 receipts. These statistics were taken from the books of the companies, and may, 

 therefore, be entitled to confidence as a fair exhibit of the character of this branch 

 of mining. 



To save time, and at the same moment render the subject more comprehensive, 

 the aggregates of these statistics will be given : 



Capital invested, $ 793,000 



Net receipts, ..... 1,483,000 

 Expenditures, .... 507,000 



In addition to the above fourteen mines, there are thirty~others which have 

 continued in operation during 1854, and which, from the known investments of 

 the preceding year, will give an additional investment of $334,000, From the 

 net proceeds of the fourteen mines above known, and their expenses, it would be 

 safe to assume that the thirty not heard from, have yielded fully fifty per cent, on 

 their capital invested. This, it will be seen, is much below the proportion of the 

 first. This then would give for the total number of mines, an amount of capital 

 actively employed, as follows : 

 12 



