178 MmiNG INDUSTET. 



Impeeial and Empiee. — The next occurrence of ricli ore-bodies begins 

 not far soutli of the Bullion mine, and is known as the Gold Hill group. 

 Within a length of 1,000 feet are situated some 15 or 20 claims, most of 

 fhem very short, from which their owners extracted, in early days, a very 

 large amount of bullion. From some claims, not exeeeding 20 or 30 feet in 

 length, one of them being only 10 feet long, a very large monthly revenue 

 was obtained. An accurate record of this production is not in the writer's 

 possession, and probably does not exist. Chief among the mines of this 

 group are the Imperial and Empire, of whose operations a statement will be 

 found further on. Both of these companies, although working very short 

 claims, have been very productive and profitable, having disbursed large divi- 

 dends, without having, until recently, called assessments. The Alpha, Chal- 

 lenge, Confidence, and others of the group, have also been prominent in 

 times past. 



The productive ore-bodies of these mines, and those of their neighbors 

 belonging to the same group, all occurred within 500 or 600 feet of the sur- 

 face. The richest of them were worked out long ago. During the past two 

 or three years the old ground has been reworked; deposits of ore that were 

 too poor to pay in former times, have been mined, and thus the production 

 has been sustained, though on a much diminished and less profitable scale. 



The chief hope for the fature of all the mines of this group is based on 

 the work of exploration, now being carried on in depth by a vertical shaft, 

 sunk jointly by the Imperial and Empire, but also designed for the develop- 

 ment of the neighboring claims. This shaft, located like the deep shafts of 

 the other large mines, in the eastern country-rock, has reached a depth of 

 over 1,100 feet, and has cut the vein at about that distance from the surface. 

 No important developments of ore have yet been made by this work, but it is 

 still vigorously prosecuted. The shaft is similar in kind to those already 

 described. It has four compartments. It is 28 feet 4 inches long by 5 feet 

 wide, for 600 feet of depth, where the size is contracted to 18 feet of length, 

 divided into three compartments. The machinery for pumping and hoisting 

 is liberally provided. There are two hoisting engines, having cylinders 16 

 inches in diameter and 36 inches stroke. These both drive one shaft, on 





