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160 



THE AUEIFEEOUS GRAVELS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 



*** 



While meandering the beds of Steep Hollow and Bear River, an attempt was made to gather 

 data for calculating the number of cubic yards of tailings in the head of those two streams. Such 

 a calculation can, however, at best give but a rude approximation to the reality. The width of the 

 mass of tailings at a number of points along the stream could be, and was, obtained with a good 

 degree of exactness, and the length of the portions meandered is known with sufficient accuracy. 

 But in regard to thickness of the deposit, reliance must be placed entirely on estimates. The 

 opinion of those familiar with the regions was, that the average depth of the tailings was between 

 fifty and seventy-five feet. Some persons were confident that Bear River had been filled up as 

 much as seventy-five feet, between Dutch Flat Canon and its junction with Steep Hollow ; a few 

 even set the number as high as one hundred. In using these estimates it is clear that there is 

 great room for differences of opinion. And furthermore, the amount to be allowed for the sloping 

 banks, under the edges of the tailings, will be almost entirely a matter of conjecture. Where the 

 sides of the canon rise very steeply on both sides, it is not so difficult to get a fair average ; but, in 

 the broader parts of the stream and where side ravines have brought down their additions of tail- 

 ings, it is almost certain that, for a considerable portion of the surface covered, the depth is much 



less than the average in the middle of the stream. The portions of the water-courses included in 

 the following estimate are : on Steep Hollow, from the outlet of Wilcox Ravine to the junction 

 with Bear River ; and on the latter from Steep Hollow to Scott's Ravine. The stretch on Bear 

 River is a little the longer of the two ; but the average width of the stream, is less, so that the 

 quantity of the tailings in the two cases is almost identical. The sources of the Bear River tailings 

 are principally Dutch Flat and Little York, including Christmas Hill; while Steep Hollow 

 has been supplied mostly from You Bet, with a small addition from the Empire Hill side of 

 the Little York gravel. Below the junction, Bear River is also filled to a considerable distance 

 with tailings ; but the amount has not been estimated. In round numbers, the number of cubic 

 yards of tailings in each stream, within the limits above indicated, may be placed at 5,000.000. 

 The distance from Scott's Ravine to Wilcox's Ravine, by the stream, is not far from four and a half 

 miles. In the absence of any data, it is not possible to make an estimate of the amount of gold 

 and quicksilver lying buried in these 10,000,000 cubic yards of gravelly pebbles. 



In the course of the meandering of Steep Hollow and Bear River, little of interest was found 

 connected with the geological bearings of the gravel question. At one spot on Bear River, how- 

 ever, about a mile above its junction with Steep Hollow, where the stream changes from, a south- 

 erly to a westerly course, a small quantity of gravel was found, at an elevation of a few feet above 

 the present tailings, probably about seventy-five feet higher than the bed of the river before wash- 

 ing began. This must have been left where it now is, while the river bed was at or near that 

 elevation. There was not enough of the gravel to pay for working ; but the bank had been opened 

 by some prospectors. 



The condition of things in the region about Dutch Flat and Gold Run has 

 been considerably changed since the above description by Professor Pettee 

 was written. Consolidations of property seem to have been made, and sales 

 effected, which have had for a result the opening, on a very extensive scale, 

 of the deeper gravels previously not reached by the hydraulic workings. 

 There is no recent information from this district in the possession of the 

 writer * ; but some idea of the extent of the preparations making, for the 

 purpose of reaching the bottom of the Dutch Flat and Gold Run channel, 

 may be got from Mr. Skidmore's report to the Commissioner of Mining Sta- 

 tistics, published in his last (seventh) volume, which embodies the work of the 



* Should it be possible to obtain such information, it will be added in the Appendix to this volume. 



* 



