Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-10-03

nesan limestone.
 More or less lead ore has been found at differ ent points. over about twothirds of township 20 north. range l9 west of the 5th principal merida an. according to the representations of Judge Bickey. who had been formerly extensively en- gagged in the lead business in Missouri, and has been recently employed by Coka & Mitchell, the owners of these mineral lands, to endeavor to follow the course of the veins in their property.
 The ore discovered has been sometimes float or gravel ore scattered on the surface or par tially imbedded through the bare surface rock, in "strincs." sheets" thin veins, and occasion al "pockets;'' also in the interstices, crevices, and even horizontally between the layers of the bedded rock.
 The lead ore of this locality of Carroll county, may be expected to occur in following it, with its downward hade, through the different mem bers of this formation, in irregular masses, " pockets" sheets, strings, and thin veins in the magnetism limeStones; but probably sparingly, if at al interspersed in the occasional layers of sandstone, which rock has, perhaps, not retained the opennesS of Assure, necessary for the recep- ton of the infitrated or insnuated ore.*
 It will be observed by the chemical rep ort, that the lead ores, both of Carroll, Marion, and Independence counties are, when freed from ad- herring gangue and rock, remarkable for their purity. The most important of them have been cupeed, to ascertain the amount of silver but only one variety examined, up to the present time, viz: that from the Sewell diggings, on Jemmy's creek, promises to afford sufficient sl- yer to pay the expense of extraction.
 The rocks of the lead region of Carroll county, near the Coka and Mitchell diggings, dip to the southw so that the encrinital limestones de- scend. in that direction, at the rate of about % f, nd oft creeks, two miles south-we of the locality rep resented in plate Mo- 4.
 MARION COUNTY.
 Sulphuret of lead, or galena has been found, more or less abundantly, at numerous localities, both in Marion and Carroll counties. The most noted ones, in the former county, are on the waters of Sugarloaf High tower, and Jennings creeks No regular or systematic mining oper- ations have yet been undertaken in Marion coun- tv. so that an opinion of the exact character and dimensions of these mineral deposits cannot be formed; they occur however, evidently, much in the same manner as those which were subse- quently examined in the eastern part of Carroll county. at the Coka and Mitchell diggings One partial drift, and few prospect holes on town ship 20 north, range l7 east, and township 20 north, range l9 east of the 9th principal meri- dian. are all that has been done in Marion coun- tv. near the head of Sugar-loaf creek to prove this lead region.
 The principal entry on township 20 north, range ' west on the lands of the New ' ork company was only carried about 8 or 10 feet into the hill side, with width of about f feet. Judge Brckey, who superintended this excava- tion informs me that there were taken out Of this drift from 4,500 to 5000 pounds of lead ore; two hands obtained at the rate of about 1000 pounds in two days. A space of about one foot deep, and three feet wide, yielded from 100 to l5O pounds This ground was, no doubt, suffi- cently productive to pay we'll for working; but it must be borne in mind that this drift was en- tirely too limited to give a ust idea of how pro- ductive the rock might prove, by regular mining operations; since it is evident from all that is at present.known of this lead region, that the ore occurs irregularly disseminated in "pockets," " sheets," "ioints," and crevices; the pockets being vavernous spaces of various dimensions, occurring only occasionally in the rock by local expansions of the crevicc.
 When ore is disseminated in this manner, it is always necessary to prove the richness of each locality, by especial trial drifts and shafts.- Hence those owning mineral lands. in this part of Arkansas would do well, if they wish to es tablish the value of their mines, and induce smelters to erect furnaces, without which the mining business cannot be carried on to any advantage, to sink shafts and run drifts suffi- cient depth and distance to test, satisfactorily, the productiveness oI their mines.
 On section l9, township 20 north, range + east of the 5th principal meridian, Armsead Hudson has sunk few shallow pits on hill, east of house, and west of deg. to deg. south of New York drift. Here he discovered, like wise, more or less lead ore, and on the opposite side of the hollow, to the west, as far as Woods pit where lead ore was reached at 45 feet, then 2I miles to the southwest, near Grlts mills; while the Short mountain location of Mitchell and Walker lies 21 miles to the northeast.
 There appeared to be two sets of ead-bearing crevices, or irregular veins traversing the mag nesan lmestones of Marion county; one set running nearly northeast and southwest; the other east of 6 deg. to deg. north; but so little has yet been done even in the way ot digging "prospect holes" that 1t is difficult, at present. to form correct opinion on this subject Some detached pieces of lead ore have also been discovered at the junction ot the magnes- ian limestones and underlying quartzose sand stone, on township 20 north, range Is east of the 9th principal meridian, at what IS known as McCarty's diggings; but the ore lies too close to the lower hard sandstone to give much prospect of productveness in this rock. In the upper sections of the ridges, lying between these Me Carty's diggings and the New York location, amongst the magnetism limestones. more or less ore may be expected to occur more eSpeclaliy, since pieces of " at.mineral' have been found at intervals, between the two locations.
 A vein of gaena of several inches traverses the limestone forming the bed of Jennings creek, about j miles above the forks of that stream, at what is known as the Motion or Sewell dlg- pings." Here the course of the vein appears to be nearly north west and south east. Several shallow pits have also been sunk on the adjacent hill side, where, I understand, small pieces ot lead ore were djscqvered.
 The "Molton Diggins," on Jennings creek, are mile and half above the forks, and halt a mile below John Osborn's, on both sides ot the creek. The ore has been found, as yet, only Tn Jumps and pockets, except in one place where some blasting has been done in the limestone forming the bed of the creek. Here the ore was said to have been found in solid veln of to inches wide, though this statement IS not corroborated by John Osburn. Where 1 exam ined it, the work had been carried for few yards in N w. and s. E. course dlagonally across the bed of Jennings creek, but the exca- vations were, at the time of my exploration, | completely submerged, so that little opportunity offered for seeing the vein, if such exists; put abont half pound oflead ore was disseminated in detached pieces from the adjacent rock Some diggings and prospectholes have been opened along the hillside, in north ana south course, but these are too shallow to enable any one to form an opinion as to the manner Tn which the ore is disseminated or concerning