Shasta County.

The only gold mines operating continuously throughout the year were the Milkmaid, Franklin and Sybel mines.

The former ran its 10-stamp mill on dump material. The 5-stamp mill of the Shasta Hills Mining Company was operated continuously on ore from the Sybel mine. Other properties that were small producers or were being developed were: El Dorado,, Double Header, Gladstone, Summit and Washington mines in the French Gulch mining district; Reid and Texas Consolidated at Old Diggins; Gold Leaf, Yankee John, Boswell near Redding; West End, Mad Mule and Ganim near Whiskeytown: Independence and Ruby Pearl mines west of Castella. Considerable gold was brought into Redding from different pocket mines located in the Shasta, Whiskeytown and French Gulch mining districts. Siskiyou County.

There was increased activity in quartz mining in Siskiyou County during the year, and the outlook for this class of mining looks encouraging for the year 1923. The following mines were under active operation: Cub Bear and Homestake mines near Etna Mills; Highland mine near Callahan; Keynote, Hoboken, and Mount Vernon mines near Yreka; Lone Pine, Ida May, Ben Bull mines near Cecilville; Mountain Laurel and Gold Ball mines near Sawyer's Bar; Spring Flag and Eliza mines near Humbug; Gilta mine on No-Nothing Creek; June Bride mine on Trail Creek; Hoboken mine at Fort Jones.

Trinity County.

There was very little activity in quartz mining in Trinity County during 1922 and practically all the work was confined to development. Properties under operation were :

Lost Horse mine on Scorpion Creek in Coffee district, near Carrville, and the Packer mine near Coffee. Lessees took out ore from the Brown Bear mine at Deadwood. The Strode mine, north of Carrville, was under active development during the year. Layman mine, near Hayfork, was under operation during early part of year, but suspended. operations in June. Enterprise mine operated until July when work was suspended; the 10-stamp mill ran part of the time. The Bonanza mine was under development. It is situated in the East Fork mining district near Helena. Trinity Bonanza King mine, north of Trinity Center, was operated by the Foster Gold Mining Company. Gold Leaf mine between Trinity Center and Delta. The Five Pines mine, in the Minersville district two miles north of Minersville, was operated by lessees. Gifford and Venicia mines on Eastman Gulch five miles northeast of Lewiston, were under active development during the year.

INFUSORIAL AND DIATOMACEOUS EARTH.

The Mount Shasta Silica Company of Weed, Siskiyou County, has been incorporated to develop and mine a large deposit of diatomaceous earth. The deposit is located in the northeastern part of Shasta County, close to the line of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company's railroad from Bartle to Pit River.

The holdings of the company are known as the Insulator group, consisting of 39 claims, located in T. 37 N., R. 2 and 3 E., about 20 miles from Bartle. The company plans to start operations in 1923.

IRON ORE.

The Noble Electric Steel Company, Heroult, Shasta County, tinued to supply high grade magnetite, carrying 65 to 70 per cent ir to San Francisco Bay points and Los Angeles during 1922. The sh ments have averaged about 10 cars per month, during the year.

LEAD.

A f

The production of lead for 1922 will probably be very small. lots of silver-lead ore were shipped from the White Star and Clima mines, South Fork mining district, near Igo, Shasta County, to t Selby Smelting and Lead Company, during the year.

LIMESTONE.

The only production of limestone was from the quarry on the Shast Iron Company's property, shipped by the Noble Electric Steel Com pany to the Shasta Zine and Copper Company at Winthrop for use a flux in the smelting plant.

MANGANESE.

Manganese mining has been stagnant throughout the entire state dur ing the past year. There was no production of manganese from the northern counties during the year.

MINERAL WATER.

The principal production of mineral water in this district comes from Siskiyou County.

PETROLEUM.

The Tuscan Oil Company resumed drilling operations on its property six miles north of Red Bluff. The well is down 1800 feet and is in sand and blue shale.

PLATINUM.

Dredges operating in Shasta and Trinity counties produced practically all the crude platinum reported in 1922. A large part of the Shasta and Trinity crude platinum is osmiridium, recovered by the dredges on Trinity River, and Beegum and Hayfork Creek placers. A large number of claims were located on Hayfork and Beegum Creeks: during the year, but the production was small from these placers, probably not amounting to over 10 ounces.

PYRITE.

The Mountain Copper Company, Shasta County, was the only producer of pyrite ore during the year. The ore mined and shipped from the Hornet mine averaged 45% sulphur and .7% copper. The ore is sold to the General Chemical Company and the Standard Oil Company. The latter company returns the pyritic cinder to the Mountain Copper Company's Martinez plant where it is leached and the copper recovered.

QUICKSILVER.

There was no activity in quicksilver mining in Modoc and Siskiyou counties due to the low price of the metal.

SILVER.

The California Bi-Metallic Corporation of Santa Barbara, California, which was organized in August, 1922, took over the Chicago and Silver Falls mine in the South Fork mining district, near Igo, Shasta County. An air compressor and other machinery were installed and additional camp accommodations have been provided. An active development campaign is under way and some high grade ore has been developed. Sixteen men are employed.

Other active mines in the district are the Continental, White Star, and Climax. Shipments of ore were made from the White Star and Climax mines during the year to the Selby Smelting and Lead Company. The prospect for continued activity in the silver mines of this district is bright.

ZINC.

The Shasta Zine and Copper Company at Winthrop, on the east copper belt, was the only company mining zinc ores in 1922. The ore was mined from the Rising Star mine of the Bully Hill group. The 150-ton reverbatory smelter and zinc-oxide plant was completed in June, 1922, and operated until December, 1922, when operations were suspended due to a fall in price of zinc-oxide.

At this plant the crude ore is crushed to 10-mesh, and the sulphur content is reduced by roasting to make it suitable for reverbatory smelting. The copper, gold and silver are recovered in the matte and this matte is shipped to the Tacoma smelter. The fumes from the reverbatory pass to the first bag house, where the zinc-oxide is recovered. This zine-oxide, which contains soluble sulphates, is retreated in a refining furnace and then passes to a second bag house where the zincoxide is recovered as a marketable product.

It is planned to increase the capacity of the plant and a resumption of operations is contemplated about April, 1923.

The Afterthought Mining Company at Ingot, Shasta County, California, was idle during the year.

AUBURN FIELD DIVISION.

C. A. LOGAN, Mining Engineer.

II. CONDITION OF MINING IN THE AUBURN DISTRICT, 1922.

Amador County.

(Continued from December Chapter.)

This county remains the principal quartz gold producer on the Mother Lode and in this class of mining is next in point of production to Nevada County, with the probability that in 1923 it will considerably surpass the latter. The total gold yield for 1922 was about $2,000,000. There have been numerous interruptions during 1922 in the operation of the principal mines, among which have been the Argonaut fire and the cessation of milling at the Central Eureka during extensive

improvements.

the shaft at the Argonaut Mine had not been finished and foreman When last visited (January 6), the work of retimbering and clearing Ben Sanguinetti estimated that 50 feet remained blocked. The section of the shaft from 3350 feet to 2500 feet was the scene of the fire. Many

small caves occurred in this distance, most of them extending about S feet back into the wall. The largest cave was 50 feet long, 10 feet wide and 8 feet deep. The shaft was found to be completely filled from the 3100 level to 3350 feet, with rails, pipe, burnt timbers and caved ground, according to Sanguinetti, and allowed only slow progress. It was also filled at intervals above that. After the shaft is cleared, the water, which at this time is 7 sets below the 4500 level, will have to be removed. If no other delays arise meanwhile it will be April or May before milling is resumed.

The Argonaut disaster occurred on August 27 and it would appear that the fire had been burning only a short time when discovered at about 11.30 o'clock that night. As the later developments proved, the fight for the lives of the men underground was lost during the first hour or two after the fire started, if indeed they ever had a chance. The deplorable event attracted the attention of mining men all over the country and many hurried and ill-advised statements were made and given wide circulation. There will probably always be a question in the minds of those best acquainted with the circumstances, as to whether or not any of the means suggested for saving the men could have been successful. There is room for doubt, based on past experience of engineers with somewhat similar fires, as to whether or not the men could have been brought safely through the fire zone in the skip. The matter of ventilation in the Argonaut has not been as well understood as is necessary for an intelligent discussion. Fresh air was drawn into the lower workings through the main shaft, and on account of the depth and extent of the workings the proper ventilation of these lower levels had already become a serious problem. Intermediate levels had to be shut off by doors, and the circulation of air depended on unimpeded entry at one shaft and exhaust through the other, after passing through the lower workings. It was probably only a short time after the start of the fire that caving began in the shaft. There are not enough data at hand to warrant the assertion that enough fresh air could have been forced to the bottom of the mine to keep the men alive, bearing in mind the obstructed condition of the main shaft, even had the Muldoon fan been stopped or reversed at once. It is quite likely that had this been done, it would have been found that as soon as caving began in the Argonaut shaft, the air would have begun to short circuit in the middle levels from the Muldoon shaft and its interconnected raises across the intervening ground to the Argonaut shaft, as for example at the 2400 level.

Disastrous underground fires in California metal mines have been of such rare occurrence that no one has realized the potential dangers from this source. Safety lies in preventive measures, rather than in elaborate fire fighting plans. Shaft timbering should be kept wet enough to prevent burning. Where two mines are working near together at considerable depth, the advantages of a connection in the deeper levels are too obvious to leave room for dispute. With properly protected electric wiring, there is really little danger of underground fire in the California gold mines. Where workings are dry and a great deal of timber is used, fire fighting apparatus should be at hand, as the chief value of such apparatus is in snuffing out small fires, before they get out of control.

Bunker Hill Mine has recently had another change of management, and those now in control have not yet (Jan. 7) decided on a plan for future operation. There was no important production during 1922. At present the mill is idle but the underground workings are being kept unwatered and repaired. Due to the fact that the present control is supposed to be in the hands of those owning the Original Amador Mine adjoining, the idea has gone out that it is planned to explore the latter through the Bunker Hill workings.

Central Eureka Mining Company's mill was idle most of the past summer during extensive improvements above and below ground, which were begun in 1921. The property is now equipped with a new steel headframe 85 feet high, new ore and waste-bins, 53-lb. T-rails in the shaft and electric hoisting equipment capable of working to a depth of 5500 feet. Milling was resumed the middle of August. At present, January 8, they are milling at the rate of about 150 tons a day or 4000 tons a month of ore averaging about $9 a ton, according to Supt. Albion S. Howe. The deepest level is at 4100 feet incline, or 3800 feet vertical depth. The same company is still prospecting the South Eureka, but no important developments have been announced.

At the Fremont Mine, the development work during the year has given such encouraging results that the mill is being put in shape for operation, with the prospect of a long run in sight, in the opinion of Supt. B. I. Hoxie. The 1650 level from the Fremont shaft has been run north a total distance of 2500 feet. Hoxie reports that they have drifted 350 feet in ore on this level on the contact vein between the slate and the greenstone. He estimates an average width of eight feet of ore here, and with what was left in the mine when it closed, he thinks they now have enough for several years' milling. The 1950, 2350, 2550, and 2750 levels are being cleaned out. The Gover shaft, 1350 feet north of the Fremont shaft, is 1500 feet deep and will be made use of in the operations. Hoxie has installed a sprinkling system to prevent the possibility of a shaft fire.

The Kennedy Mine and mill have been in operation nearly all the year except for interruption at the time of the Argonaut fire. The mill is handling 200 to 270 tons of fair grade ore from the 3900 and 4050 levels. Legal skirmishing is still going on, preliminary to the suit filed by this company for $500,000 damages against the Argonaut Mining Company and the cross suit of the latter against the Kennedy company for $800,000.

The mill at the Moore Mine got into operation early in October. Difficulties and delays incident to initial operations, and trouble in getting out enough ore to keep the mill running, kept them from making much production the first two months. For about 23 days in December the mill of 20 stamps is reported to have crushed 2265 tons, yielding about $6.35 a ton, with a rather high tailing loss. The low returns from the first operations, as contrasted with the reported high assays previously obtained, is attributed to poor judgment in stoping too great a width, as much as 32 feet in width having been mined and milled from the 500 level. Part of this is said to have been low-grade schist containing considerable low-grade sulphides. Alexander Ross, for many years foreman at the Kennedy Mine, has lately been put in charge of underground work, assuring proper attention for this important department of the venture.

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