When and where you will find the County Assessor:
All persons who have purchased real estate within the past year are requested to appear:
Fourth Crossing: March 8
Calaveritas: March 9
San Antone: March 10
El Dorado: March 11
Jesus Maria: March 22
RailRoad Flat: May 8
Sheep Ranch: March 13
Sat. March 4th, 1899
The Ritter Mine. Recent Developments Very Encouraging to the Management.
Hard to Estimate the Average Value of the Ore -- Some Will Go Away Up In the Thousands.
The Ritter Mine, situated on Murray Creek Ridge, about two miles north of El Dorado, is proving itself, from recent developments, to be a very valuable property. It is an old location covered by a U.S. patent, and was prospected to a considerable extent in the early fifties but abandoned. It was taken hold of several times during the seventies and eighties by different parties but no encouraging developments were made and it was as often relinquished until recently when it was taken in hand by E.C. Rigney.
March 25th, 1899
EL DORADO MINES.
What is Being Done in That District.
A Favorable Clean-up at the Rose Hill-- Flattering Results at the Alpine and Extension Mines
The latest clean-up at the Rose Hill quartz mine near El Dorado proved very satisfactory. In view of the encouragement thus given and the favorable outlook for the future, Lewis Emery, the sole owner of the property, has ordered new steam machinery for use on the mill The heavy rains have assured a bountiful supply of water for other power. The management has spent something over $60,000 in repairing a large reservoir and in constructing an extensive ditch and laying pipe at different points in order to bring water to the mine. This work was completed last January. The water from this ditch will not only be used for power but also for sluicing and hydraulicking, as Emery & Co. own quite a large tract of placer land in connection with the Rose Hill property, upon which they will commence operations in the near future, Mr. Emery is erecting a large building on the El Dorado road about 1 1/2 miles from El Dorado.
May 13th, 1899
Ordinance NO. 92
Granting to the Sheep Ranch Mercantile Company,
a corporation, the right of way, privilege and franchise to
construct, maintain and operate a telephone and telegraph
line between the towns of Sheep Ranch and San Andreas,
in the County of Calaveras
July 15th, 1899
A Suicide at Murphys.
Frederick Peterson Ends His Life with Giant Powder.
He Placed a Stick of the Explosive In His Mouth
and Fires It -- Complete Decapitation the Result.
An old man named Frederick Peterson, protege of Rev. M.J. Luark, the resident minister at Murphys. He formerly lived at Chee Chee Flat where for a long time he eked out a scanty existence in mining.
July 15th 1899
El Dorado and Sheep Ranch.
The Progress of Mining in Those Districts.
The Live Oak Mine to be Sold--The Maine Mine Sold--Other Properties Showing up Well
The Live Oak mine, about one mile north of El Dorado on Sheep Ranch road, is abourt to pass into the hands of parties from San Francisco. It is at present owned by Tiscornia & Company who have done a good deal of development work therein. The purchase price is$10,000, $4,000 of which is about to be paid down before work commences. The ledge from the top down averages about two and one-half feet in width and prospects from a few dollars to $150 to the ton in fine gold. There is a large pile of pay ore on the dump and plenty more in sight in the mine. This mine is opened by a tunnel 300 feet long and also by a shaft forty feet deep.
The Ritter mine which is being developed by Lewis Emery of the Rose Hill mine is looking all right. Some very rich bunches of ore have been struck, although the ledge on an average prospects well. The results from recent tests in the Rose Hill mill were better than they have been before. For reasons known only to the management, work was suspended for a while.
Emery & Company have been working the Rose Hill gravel mine by the hydraulic process. It is reported that some nuggets of gold can be seen in the sluice boxes, which would indicate good results from the next clean-up.
Sept. 9th, 1899
Sheriff Thorn, accompanied by his wife, left for San Francisco last Wednesday. Mr. Thorn since recovering from his recent sickness is now suffering with ear trouble so he has gone to the city to consult a specialist.
Lewis Emery who lives at La Chapelle Flat near El Dorado is moving his dwelling house from he Rose Hill mine to a more convenient locality near the road. The fish with which he stocked his reservoir near his home recently are doing well.
Oct. 28th, 1899 Baling Out The Water.
That Work at the Sheep Ranch Mine Advancing Rapidly.
Without any Mishap the Water Will be Out by the End of Next Month -- Other Notes.
The work of unwatering the Sheep Ranch mine is in progress and at present the shaft is freed of water as far down as the eight hundred foot level. In this level there are a great many drifts holding an immense quantity of water which will of course make progress very slowly. Between levels rapid headway is made and the water has been lowered as much as twenty-one feet in a single day. Baling has been done with two huge buckets holding 589 gallons each, but this week one of these buckets was replaced by a larger one, holding 720 gallons.
November 18th, 1899
MINING NEAR EL DORADO.
Emery Making Preparations for Hydraulicking.
Will Raise the Water Dam Fourteen Feet --
Six Thousand Feet of 30-inch Pipe to be Laid.
Extensive preparations are being made for work on a large scale on the mining properties near El Dorado, of which Lewis Emery is the principle owner. The dam, which is situated about two and a half miles above El Dorado, will be raised fourteen feet, which will insure the storage of an immense body of water. This dam is fed from ditches taking water from Jesus Maria creek, the Little Mokelumne and other streams in the mountains.
A tunnel for a tail-race is being dug from Murray Creek toward La Chapelle Flat. This will be about 1400 feet in length.
Accident at North America.
A. Cuslidge of El Dorado met with a bad accident at North America last Tuesday. He was engaged with other workmen in hoisting hay with a derrick when the boom fell, striking him on the head and right arm, making an ugly cut on the former and breaking the latter in two places. He was taken to his home where his injuries were attended to by a surgeon.
Nov. 25th, 1899
The News From Jesus Maria.
Frank Towle as a Temperance Lecturer.
The Institute at the Hill--A Heavy Thunder Storm--A Couple Accidents--Local Notes.
Jesus Maria, November 20th. F.Z. Towle of the Banner mill delivered an able lecture on temperance at the Negro Gulch school house. The audience was a very large and appreciative one. Nearly every man, woman and child of the whole community attended in a body. He spoke with an eloquence and enthusiasm that carried conviction to every listener's heart.
One of Our Soldier Boys Returns Home.
Edward Zwinge Arrives From a Sojourn in the North.
Edward C. Zwinge, who enlisted on the 24th of June, 1898, in Battery A, Third Artillery, U.S.A., is at home, having received his honorable discharge on the 4th of last June, and arrived here Thursday last. Mr. Zwinge enlisted at San Francisco with the expectation of being sent to the Philippines, but in this respect he was disappointed, for instead of going to the Orient his company was ordered to Rapid City, Alaska, where he remained up until the time of his discharge. Mr. Zwinge, who has a fine physique, makes a good appearance in the habiliments of Uncle Sam's boys, and he does not appear to have suffered in the least from his sojourn in the frozen north. He was forty-seven days in making the journey from his post, during which he had to travel 1000 miles in a row-boat. Ed is an exemplary young man and to say that his many friends here were pleased to greet him once more, expresses it mildly.
The Petticoat and Poorman.
Developments In a Couple of Properties at RailRoad Flat.
At the Petticoat mine near RailRoad Flat a station has been cut at the 550 foot level, sinking for the 650 mark is in progress and drifting is being carried on in the 550 foot level. Everything looks very favorable.
At the Poorman mine near the same place the work of sinking from the 250 to 350 level has just been completed and a level is being run north to tap the pay chute, which is 500 feet from the shaft.
Dec. 9th, 1899
A Runaway At San Antone.
The Extreme Darkness at Wally Hill was the Cause.
On Friday evening Frank Cuneo of San Antone and another resident of the same place whose name we did not learn, had a rather unpleasant shake-up on what is known a the Wally Hill grade, near above place. They were returning from San Andreas in a one-horse cart, and when they reached the grade, the night was so dark that it was impossible to see the road, so they gave the horse free line, permitting him to pick his own way. The animal was evidently over-cautious, for he favored the inner side of the road to the extent that he ran one wheel upon the bank and upset the cart, spilling the occupants down the steep hillside.
Dec. 30th, 1899
He Drops While Playing the Violin on the Music Stand.
Earl Gilman of El Dorado, a musician while playing for the dance here on Christmas night, was suddenly taken sick about 1:30 o'clock and was carried into the hotel in a semi-unconscious condition.
A Pioneer of '52 Laid To Rest.
Daniel Bagley Succumbs to Death In His Seventy-Seventh Year.
As the golden sun sank to rest on last Friday evening, with the departing day fed the gentle spirit of a good man, at the County Hospital. For many long years Daniel Bagley hads been a patient sufferer from disease which seemed to culminate within the last three or four months in the fatal affliction of cancer of the stomach. Most of us who knew him when he lived in Mountain Ranch can remember his well known attributes of honesty and sobriety and always found him a friend true to his obligation in every respect.
Daniel Bagley was born June 21, 1822 in County Cork, Ireland. He came across the plains to California and arrived at Hangtown August 15, 1852. He came to Mountain Ranch in 1861 where he was engaged in work at Holmes' store and afterwards followed mining about Cave City.
