52 
LOCALITY FOR A BRIDGE, 
opposite points form good abutments for a bridge. The distance between them is about eight 
hundred feet. The bed of the river is sandy, and the depth of water three to four feet. The 
usual ford is about one hundred yards below. Few trees occur in the valley, except at Bosque de 
los Pinos, five miles below Isleta, where the wide bottom lands are covered with quite a forest of 
hornblende and quartz, sienite and greenstone, (diorit.) The second place where I saw the process of gold washing, was on a 
high piece of ground not far from a creek. They had opened here a great many pits, to the depth of from 50 to 60 feet, and 
raised the ground—a sandy earth, mixed with iron ochre—to the surface, where it was washed for gold in the same way, in 
bateas. These gold washings are said to be profitable, but they would, in my opinion, be more so, where a regular mining was 
done, by sinking a shaft, and by separating the gold by quicksilver, or in some other way than mere washing. 
“ On the next day I went to see a gold mine near the upper part of the town, belonging to Mr. Tournier, a French resident of 
the place. The mine lies between one and two miles west of the town, on the slope of some mountains. It was discovered 
several years ago, by Mr. Roubadoux, who commenced working it, but for some reason gave it up. Mr. Tournier had worked it 
for one year, and found it very profitable. The gold vein runs from SSE. to NNW., with a very slight dip. It is generally from 
two to four feet wide. Mr. Tournier has sunk a shaft already in the entire depth of 40 varas, and with the drift of about 30 
varas, and the ore promises to hold out very fairly. The vein is found in sienite and greenstone; the gang consists of argillaceous 
iron ore, (yellow and brown iron ochre,) with which the native gold is very intimately mixed. A yellow or brown earth—a 
decomposition of the same rocks, and found among them—is considered peculiarly rich in gold. The ores are carried in bags to 
the surface, and on mules to the amalgamation mill, ip town. After the ores have been ground, by hand, (pounding them with 
rocks,) they are put in the mill—a small circular basin, formed with rocks, with one or two mill-stones, which are constantly 
turned around in it by mule-power. These millstones are placed on their face, revolving round a centre-pole, which is turned by 
the animal. To the coarsely powdered ore, water, and then quicksilver, are added, and the amalgamation goes on in the usual 
way. Mr. Tournier told me that he worked in this way every day about two and a half cargas (750 pounds) of the ore, and 
that he draws, on an average, three-quarters of an ounce (about $12 worth) of gold out of it. Although the whole work, at 
present, is done on a very small scale, and would allow yet many improvements, Mr. Tournier makes, nevertheless, a smart busi¬ 
ness of it, and will soon turn his gold mine into real gold. Near Mr. Tournier’s gold mine is a copper mine, (sulphuret of cop¬ 
per,) said to contain gold ore, and worked for some time, but now given up. Several other specimens of copper ore, from the 
vicinity, were shown me. A very rich iron ore I saw myself in the neighborhood ; but neither of them is worked. 
“The old Placer is a very promising place for mines. The gold ores there were discovered, by mere accident, in 1828, and gold 
washings established; but besides that the ground is barely touched, and will yet open rich treasures to the mining enchanter 
who knows how to unlock them. 
“ In the afternoon of the same day I left old Placer, to pay a visit to the other mining place, southwest from it, called new 
Placer, and about nine miles distant. I rode there with Mr. Nolan, a French resident of new Placer. Our way lay through fine 
pine timber, over steep mountains and through narrow ravines. The road is so rough that no wagons can pass it. After having 
reached the highest point, an extensive plain is seen towards the south ; and towards the west a small valley opens, in which new 
Placer, or Real del Tuerto, a town of about 100 buildings, is situated. Several foreigners reside here, generally storekeepers. 
In the house of one of them, with Mr. Trigg, I found a kind and hospitable reception. 
“ The gold in new Placer is also got in two ways, by washing and by mining. The principal place for gold washing is about 
one mile southwest from the town, at the foot of a naked granitic mountain, the so-called ‘Bonanza.’ A cluster of houses, or 
rather huts, form here a small village, whose inhabitants live exclusively by gold washing, but look as poor and wretched as if 
they never handled any gold of their own. The whole place is excavated with pits, from whose depths they dig the same yellow 
auriferous ground as in old Placer; and they wash it also in the same way. Not a drop of water is found here; all the water 
for washing must be brought in barrels from new Placer. The wash-gold obtained from new Placer is generally considered 
inferior to that of old Placer, as being more impure. To ascertain the correctness of this opinion, I examined some wash-gold 
from new Placer, and found it to contain— 
Native gold -----------92. 5 
Silver ----------- - 3.5 
Iron and silex - -- -- -- -- - 4.0 
100.0 
“ I am sorry that I have no wash-gold from old Placer at hand for a comparative analysis, but the above-mentioned result shows 
that if any difference exists between the two ores, it cannot be considerable. 
“ Two gold mines are worked at this time in new Placer; one by Mexicans, the other by an American. They are said to be 
very similar to each other. I visited but the nearest, belonging to Mr. Campbell, an American resident of new Placer. Mr. 
Campbell commenced mining only a short time since. His amalgamation mill was not yet in operation; but he had already 
collected heaps of gold ores, and invited me to see the mine that he had opened. It lies about one and a half miles southwest 
from the town, near the top of a high mountain, to which a rough and steep road leads, accessible only to pack-mules. The gold 
mine is found, as in old Placer, in sienite and greenstone. It runs horizontally from east to west. The gang is iron ochre and 
crystallized quartz. The vein was from eight to ten feet wide, and explored only to the length of about twenty feet, and to the 
depth of about ten feet. The ore seems to be very rich in gold, and the prospects it offers to Mr. Campbell are certainly very 
flattering. 
“ The new Placer adds to the attraction of the gold ores, which seem to be found in this whole range of mountains, that of a 
better situation as a town than old Placer, and of more passable roads. But many other mining places will no doubt spring up 
in this neighborhood, as soon as the state of the country allows it. Up to this time many causes have existed to prevent rather 
