10 QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS OF THE TACIFIC SLOPE. 



to a special scliool. Work was begun almost immediately under Castil- 

 lero's direction, o-uii-barrels being used as retorts. These insignificant 

 reduction works liave now grown to very imposing dimensior.s, Init tlie 

 quantit}- of ore in siglit is no longer so satisfactory. 



The other deposits of California liavebeen fouml in partl)y systematic 

 prospecting and in part by accident. The licdington mine was discovered 

 in making excavations for a higliway. The Sulphur Bank, as its name im- 

 jjlies, was worked for sulphur for some time liefore the presence of the un- 

 derlying cinnabar was suspected. Tiie very Iiigh prices wliicli quicksilver 

 brought in 1S74 and 1875 greatly stimulated proibiction and the di.scovcry 

 of deposits. None of those found grows richer as depth from the surface 

 increases, luit most of them are very imperfectly developed, and, as will be 

 shown in subsequent cliapters, this feature depends upon peculiarities of the 

 s^-stems of fissures comiected with tlie ore deposits, not upon characteristics 

 of cinnaba)-. It is Ijy no means inq)ossible tliat great deposits of cinnabar, 

 comparable with tbose of Idria, if not with those of Almaden, still exist in 

 California. None sucli, however, is iu)w known and the amount of ore 

 in sight is not great. 



Production in California. — The followiug table of productiou of the mines of 

 California has been compiled from year to 3'ear l)y ]V[r. J. B. Randol and is 

 well known to those interested in the subject. 



