The collection of the statistics of production of the mines of this State was placed in charge of Mr. E. F. Burton, superintendent of the mint at San Francisco, and the following review was compiled under his direction by Mr. A. M. Lawver, of that city.

BAKER COUNTY.

Mr. Edwin W. Reynolds, of Baker City, the manager of the New York Mining Company, gives the following information in regard to this property:

"We have a sufficient supply of water to run a 20-stamp mill. The mine is what is generally known as a pocket mine, although the lode can be traced on the surface for 900 feet. The property is developed by a tunnel. The ore is a hard white quartz. On the top of the lode there is a mass of decomposed matter which prospects 50 cents to the pan. Within a radius of 100 miles we have a fine mining country, which, since the extension of the railroad, offers greater inducements to prospectors. This county and Grant have produced since 1882 more gold, probably by one-half, than has been reported, as our dust being sent to California is credited to that State. Only a few persons are engaged in prospecting for quartz, but there is a good field here for enterprising and industrious miners. The Gold Ridge and the Connor Creek mines have been successfully worked throughout the season. The placers in this county during the present season have yielded well. TheRye Valley placer mine, at Rye Valley, has had, during the past year, a successful run.

"The mines of A. J. Weatherby, located at Weatherby, have been in constant operation during the past season. These mines are known as the Chicken Creek mines, and are very extensive. The ditches and the water for working them are owned by Mr. Weatherby, who also owns most of the mining ground here. The mines are producing well.

"The New York Hydraulic Mining Company made their usual run during the season, but the returns were light.

"The Nelson Placer mine, near Baker City, has made a very successful run during the past season. This mine has been worked to a depth of 100 feet, and no bed rock has been struck, and the gravel has paid from the surface down. Improvements to the amount of $3,000 were put upon the property during 1884, in the way of increasing the capacity of the ditch, &c. This is one of the largest hydraulic gold-producing mines in the State."

CLACKAMAS COUNTY.

In the Cascade Mountains, about eight miles due south from Table Rock, a new mine bearing both gold and silver in considerable quantities has been recently discovered. The mine is situated on a tributary

of the south fork of Henry's Creek, which makes into the main fork of the Molalla River, a mile above Ogle Creek. A width of 20 feet has been uncovered, and a cut of 40 feet has been made parallel with the ledge. Neither side wall has been found, though the ledge was traced for a distance of 4 miles. Free gold is plentiful in the rock, which is blue-white quartz, sprinkled through with pyrites and sulphides of iron covered with chloride of gold.

Assays of the ore gave silver, $235; gold, $25; total, $260.

JACKSON COUNTY.

Messrs. Prickett, Finney and Shearer, of Steamboat, have purchased Beckner & Co.'s ditch, and are engaged in cleaning it out, and propose running it on an extensive scale next season.

T. S. Knox & Co., of Applegate, bonded one of their quartz ledges to Portland parties, who intend erecting a mill for the purpose of testing the ore of this as well as other ledges in the vicinity. Many claims on Forest and Jackass Creeks have yielded well during the past season. Goff & Co., who have excellent mines in the Grave Creek district, made a successful run.

Roten & Sons are taking from their ledge in Willow Springs district quartz which shows considerable free gold.

The China Mines, near Uniontown, are still piping, but they cannot last long with their present supply of water.

The miners of Galls Creek did quite well, and at Ashland the hy draulic mines of E. K. Anderson and McCall and Anderson have been worked a portion of the season with satisfactory results.

The hydraulic mine of Ingram & Dean, at Willow Springs, made a short run; but owing to a lack of water the yield was light.

Kippel & Keaton mine was in active operation during the past season and produced well. The owners have been engaged in constructing a new ditch that will afford more fall for hydraulic purposes, and it is their intention to still further extend it so as to cover all the mining ground owned by this company.

The hydraulic mine of John T. Layton, near Applegate, made a fair run during the past season, but owing to the lack of sufficient water the yield was not an average one. Mr. Layton reports the season of 1884 to be the driest for 33 years.

A very rich strike was recently made by C. McCullough, of Willow Springs, who found a "pocket" of quartz from which he realized nearly $300, pounding it out in a hand mortar. Numerous discoveries made in this vicinity tend to prove the abundance of good paying quartz.

JOSEPHINE COUNTY.

Galice Greek district.-Walter Simons, of this place, is making a good clean up, and so far as known has taken out about $3,000. Owing to a scarcity of water, work has been suspended at Sturgis drifting diggings. Green Brothers mine has been worked for eight years, but during the past season has not produced, as only development work was done. A tunnel has been run to tap the pay ore 300 feet lower down, and it is estimated that there are overhead at least 2,000 tons of ore ready to be stoped. Prospecting is being carried on at a still greater depth, and so far everything is very encouraging. The average yield of the ore is about $40 per ton.

Mr. Arnott, who is engaged in mining the bed of Galice Creek, is tak ing out an ounce per day.

Waldo district.-A rich strike is reported to have been made in the mine of Bybee & Co., and several hundred dollars were taken out in a short time.

Miller and Kretzer, at Farmer's Flat, are washing off a good deal of ground, and will probably make a good report at the final clean-up for the season.

At Foot's Creek most of the miners have had a fair supply of water, and, though the season will not be a long one, they will average better than for the two seasons past.

At Grant's Pass precinct, J. W. Stanley is reported to have struck a quartz ledge, the ore from which prospects well.

Mr. De Lamatter, near Kirby ville, has both his claims in operation, and having excellent ground and plenty of water, will make a fine cleanup, for the season.

In Althouse district a San Francisco company secured a large area of mining ground, upon which it is proposed to commence the construction of a large ditch.

Beaver Creek district.-Mr. Graham, who is engaged in mining in this district, reports that the mines are turning out well.

On Farmer's Flat, at John Miller's mining claim, piping has also commenced, and extensive preparations have been made for the season's run. Some of the best mines in the State are located in this section, and the miners generally in Josephine County are greatly encouraged at the prospect of the good returns awaiting them.

The Southern Oregon Development Company has 500 tons of lowgrade ore ready for shipment to the reduction works in East Portland. The iron and copper mines of Josephine and Jackson Counties are rich and extensive, and must eventually command attention.

LINN COUNTY.

Reservation district.-Sixty miles southeast of Salem, on the Santiam River, some discoveries have been made, and recent developments give promise of rich returns to those interested there. A mill has been erected, and as the ore will work from $60 to $70 per ton, it will not be long before bullion will be produced. Mr. Christie, who has charge of the mill, states that the ore can be reduced with the apparatus now on the ground. The Black Jack mine has a tunnel 125 feet long, and in going this distance six veins of rich ore from 3 to 8 inches in width were encountered. Mr. Christie is satisfied that there is a mineral belt some 12 miles in width, and is of the opinion that it is a continuation of the gold belt of California. He also says he has examined three leads for a mile and a half, and knows them to contain gold and silver in large quantities. Some of the veins are very large.

On the Pilgrim three men are at work taking out rock which assays $46 per ton in gold and $16 in silver. It is thought that the average of the several ledges will be about $65 per ton. Over thirty claims have been located.

UNION COUNTY.

On the Calumet Mining Company's claim, situated 30 miles from Union, A. J. Hopper, the superintendent, reports work up to within 10

days, when the deep snow prevented further operations. Besides repairing a number of buildings that had been seriously damaged by snowslides and making other improvements and alterations, a 17-foot open cut was made in one of the main ledges, which disclosed additional evidence of the extent and richness of the property. Instead of following up the work commenced last season, it was deemed advisable to tunnel into the side of the mountain some 300 feet below the surface, where the immense body of rich croppings are so plainly seen, and to tap the main ledge at such a depth as will prove, beyond a doubt, its genuineness, as well as the richness of the ore. The tunnel has already reached a distance of 30 feet, and the main shaft will probably be reached at about 100 feet. Should the ledge, at the point tapped by the tunnel, prove as large and rich as above, the Calumet will become one of the valuable mines on the coast.

COOS COUNTY.

At present very little mining is being done. The Black Hawk Mining Company have been during the past season working their property, which consists of twenty acres of ground, and the production was about the same as in former years. The gold is obtained from black sand. The Eagle Mining Company's mine is similar in character, but has been idle the past year.

GRANT COUNTY.

The Trail Creek Mine made a good run during the "water season," producing well. It is worked by the hydraulic method.

On Burnt River, in this county, some fine quartz lodes are reported by Wood, Estabrook & Co. About 50 tons of ore have been taken out, which will be shipped for reduction to Salt Lake City. Very little in the way of prospecting has been done of late in this vicinity, but it is expected that its former activity will be renewed, as the railroad has been completed.

John Day mining district.-Mr. John Metscham furnishes the following information relative to mining interests in this district. He says: "Mining operations are confined almost exclusively to placer mines. The Humboldt, on the west side of Cañon Creek, is the best one in the district. This company works two "giants" and employs 11 men.

"John Long's hydraulic mine on the east side of Cañon Creek is in operation; employs three men and produces well.

"At the mouth of Cañon Creek, and thence down the John Day River, about 150 Chinamen are engaged in mining. The aggregate yield of their labor for the past year I estimate at about $45,000.

"At Marysville about 15 men are employed, their operations for 1884 giving a yield of about $15,000.

"A fine location of gold-bearing quartz, owned by Fred. Miller, is situated on the mountains, southwest of Canyon City. The lode runs northeast and southwest, and is well located for mining. Wood and water are abundant, and as soon as capital can be secured to open and work it the mine will be developed.

"In Elk Creek district about 30 men are engaged in placer mining, and the total yield for the past season was $16,000. There are in this district a number of well-defined quartz lodes, which have for years been worked with varying success. The only mines from which ore was extracted and crushed during the past season were the Monumental and

the Princess. From the former about 40 tons of ore were crushed, and from the latter about 60 tons.

"The Mocking Bird, owned by Messrs. Sloan & Ray, is a narrow ledge of rich gold bearing quartz, averaging only from 1 to 2 feet in width, but some of the samples have assayed $100 per ton.

"The Gem of the Mountains, owned by J. H. Blake, is a gold and silver bearing vein, about 5 feet in width. Work to the amount of $3,000 has been done on this claim, and it is believed by competent experts to be the best quartz lode in the district, but contains so much base metal that new and expensive machinery is required to work it successfully. "The Little Steamboat is located on the south side of Elk Creek. Assays from this lode have shown a value of $87 per ton. My estimate of the yield for 1884 in the above-named districts is as follows:

Mr. Frank A. Stewart, of Port Orford, sends the following information:

The mining interests of this county deserve more notice than they have formerly received. There are numerous gold, silver, and copper bearing ledges located in different parts of the county, but a lack of energy and capital has caused them to lie idle since their discovery.

Messrs. Divelbiss & Sons discovered and located a ledge of gold and silver bearing ore about one year ago, and mineral was traced along the lode for a distance of 8,000 feet. The ore is a mass of pyrites, and assays on the surface from $8 to $75 per ton. The location is but 8 miles from Port Orford. Preparations are being made to drive a tunnel into the mine to open it up.

There are several companies now working on the high bars of the Sixes River, who have been prevented by scarcity of water from producing much bullion.

Rogue River.-The bars along this river are very rich and extensive, but the expense of constructing ditches along the steep rock-bound mountain sides has prevented their earlier development. These bars extend along Rogue River for more than 100 miles, and will in a few years produce more gold than all the rest of Southern Oregon. This region, like that of the Sixes River, abounds in ledges of gold, silver, and copper, and beds of fine chrome, but none of them have been properly prospected.

The beach mines continue the best producing mines in the county. They are found along the entire beach and in old beach deposits from 60 to 180 feet above the present ocean level. The production of gold in this county will be considerably less this year than for 1883, owing to the scarcity of water.

I have estimated the production for 1884 at $22,500.

TILLAMOOK COUNTY.

Regarding the Trask River mines, of which so much has been said of late, Mr. J. L. Story gives the following information:

H. Ex. 268-26