Nov. 1, 1864.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



NEW ALMADEN, CALIFORNIA. 171 



passing into well-characterised serpentine. Their geological age is not 

 very definitely ascertained, but they are believed by the officers of the 

 State Geological Survey to be not older than Cretaceous. But few 

 fragments of fossils, and these very obscure, have yet been found in 

 these metaphoic rocks. At a point just above the dumps, behind the re- 

 duction works at the hacienda (or village), there is an exposure, in which 

 may be clearly seen in projecting lines the waving edges of contorted 

 beds of steatite and serpentine, interspersed with ochery or ferruginous 

 layers, more easily decomposed ; and the partial removal of the latter 

 has left the steatitic beds very prominent. 



The mine is open at various points upon this subordinate range over 

 a distance of four or five miles, in a north-east direction. The principal 

 and the earliest workings of the mine were in a right line, but little 

 more than a mile distant from the hacienda. The workings are 

 approached, however, by a well-graded waggon-road, skirting the edges 

 of the hills, which is 2f miles in length. 



It appears, partly from tradition and partly from the memory of 

 persons now living, that the existence of cinnabar upon the hill was 

 known for a long time prior to the discovery that it possessed any 

 economic value. In fact, upon the very loftiest summit of this subordi- 

 nate range, cinnabar came to the surface, and coidd be obtained by a 

 slight excavation or even by breaking the rocks lying upon the surface. 

 In looking about for physical evidences such as would aid the eyes of 

 an experienced observer in detecting here the probable presence of 

 valuable metallic deposits, one observes on the summit of the hill, at 

 various points along the line of its axis for two or three miles, and also 

 beyond, toward the place called Bull Kun, occasional loose boulders of 

 drusy quartz, with more or less well-characterised geodes and combs ; 

 accompanying which is an ochraceous or ferruginous deposit, such as 

 frequently forms the outcrop of metallic veins. There is, however, no 

 such thing as a well-characterised vein, the quartz and its associated 

 metals occurring rather in isolated masses or bunches segregated out of 

 the general mass of the metamorphic rocks, and connected with each 

 other, if at all, somewhat obscurely by thread veins of the same 

 mineral. 



The main entrance to the mine at present is by a level about 800 ft. 

 long, and large enough to accommodate a full-sized railroad and cars. 

 This level enters the hill about 300 feet from its summit, and is driven 

 into a large chamber, formed by the removal of a great mass of cinnabar, 

 leaving ample space for the hoisting and ventilating apparatus employed 

 in working the mine. 



At this point a vertical shaft descends to an additional depth of nearly 

 300 feet, over which is placed a steam " whim " with friction gearing 

 and wire rope, worked by a steam engine, and by means of which all the 

 ore from the various workings of the mine is conveniently discharged 

 from the cars, which convey it out of the level to the dressing floors. 



