274 



THE AURIFEROUS GRAVELS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA 



distance between Angel's and San Andreas is about twelve miles, the latter place being on the 

 divide between Calaveritas Kiver and Murray's Creek, a small branch of the Calaveras. Through 

 all the higher southeastern portion of this county the streams run in deep parallel canons, quite 

 close to each other, and having the ridges between them capped with volcanic overflows, all seem- 

 ing to form part of the grand lava system which has spread far down the Sierra slope from the 

 vicinity of Silver Mountain. In the vicinity of San Andreas the volcanic accumulations consist 

 of alternating layers of sand, gravel, and volcanic ashes and conglomerates, overlying, as usual in 

 the Sierra, gravel deposits more or less auriferous, the pay gravel being usually quite thin, and the 

 whole series of detrital and volcanic materials reaching a thickness, in places, of from 150 to 200 

 feet. In fact, the geological conditions are very much like those described as existing near Alta- 



ville and Angel's. 



The most important detailed evidence of the occurrence of human remains in and under the vol- 

 canic in this neighborhood is contained in the following affidavits, which are given in the form in 



which they were obtained by Mr. Voy : 



San Andreas, Calaveras County, California, January 3, 1871. 



This is to certify that we, the undersigned, proprietors of the Gravel claims known as Marshall & 

 Company's, situated near the town of San Andreas, do know of stone mortars and other stone relics, 

 which had evidently been made by human hands, being found in these claims, about the years 1 860 and 

 1869, under about these different formations : — 



7 Feet. 



1. Coarse gravel 



2. Sand and gravel 



3. Brown gravel 



4. " Cement " sand 



5. Bluish volcanic sand 



6. Pay gravel 



Total . 



5 



100 



20 



4 

 15 



6 



150 





> 



The above [mentioned relics] were found in bed No. 6. 



[Signed] 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 3d day of January, 1871 



R. D. Hubbard. 

 John Sho Walter. 



W. O. Swenson, 

 Justice of the Peace, Tovmship No. 5, Calaveras County, California. 



To which Mr. Swenson also adds his own personal testimony, as follows : 



I certify that I have seen one of the 

 above to be true. 



above described mortars, taken from said claims, and know the 



Wm. 0. Swenson, 



Justice of the Peace, Calaveras County, California. 



In Smilow & Company's claim, on Gold Hill, about one mile west of Marshall & Company's, 

 stone mortars were found at a depth of about one hundred feet in the pay gravel, under the vol 

 canic, the formation being closely similar to that of the last-mentioned locality. This find is 

 vouched for by Mr. Smilow himself. 



Once more, in the way of evidence from Tuolumne, the following is submitted : 



San Andreas, Calaveras County, California, January 3, 1871. 



This is to certify that I, the undersigned, did, about the year 1858, dig out of some mining claims 

 known as the Stanislaus Company, situated in Table Mountain, Tuolumne County, opposite O'Byrn's 

 Ferry, on the Stanislaus Kiver, a stone hatchet similar in shape to this [here is inserted a rough drawing 

 of a cutting implement of a triangular shape] with a hole through it for a handle, near the middle. Its 

 size was four inches across the edge, and length about six inches. It had evidently been made by human 

 hands. The above relic was found from sixty to seventy-five feet from the surface in gravel, under the 



