The national Republican., 1866-11-14
THE DEPARTME ENTS,

the Mineral Resources OF Colorado,
The Commissioner Of the General Land
Office has just received some interesting
specimens Of minerals from the Surveyor
General, at Denver, Colorado. They consist
Of package Of carbonate Of copper, iron ore
silver, zinc ore and copper matt, fossils and
gypsum. The Surveyor General describes
them as follows:
"The copper is from the Pocahontas lode,
near Bear creek, and was broken of from q
boulder weighing about ten pounds. The
shaft was but ten feet deep, and probably
three or four hundred pounds Of the same
ore was exposed. The silver is from the Ar.
gentine district, at the head Of the south fork
Of Clear creek. The specimens were taken
from pile containing several tons, oil simi.
lar to the specimens sent The veins from
which this Is taken vary in width from few
inches to twenty-five or thirty feet, in which
the seams Of ore from one inch to foot in
thickness occur at various intervals. The
rest Of the vein is filed with quartz contain.
ing in some cases as much as $500 per ton
Of silver in the shape Of chloride Of silver
the result Of the decomposition Of the sui
phuret ores. Other veins contain argentifer-
Gus galena, and in some pure sulphuret Of
ties as yet. .....r. g..
This silver region follows the crest of the
range from the head Of Clear Creek south
ward to Mount Lincoln, and probably further,
including the mountains around the head Of
the Snake and Blue rivers, and the number
Of veins discovered already reach several
thousand. Assays above 800 per ton are
the rule, and those below that the exception,
while some veins have given an average Of
5000 to the ton. Three furnaces are in op-
GRAFTON at Georgetown, and two more in pro-
cess Of erection, but those in operation are
on SO small scale that they do not reduce
but small percentage Of the silver, although
that small amount pays largely. As yet
there is only pack trail to these mines, and
the ore is brought down on mules and jacks.
One furnace is in operation at Montezuma,
on Snake river, for reducing argentiferous
galena. The largest piece Of iron ore that
send you is from a bed about thirty miles
south Of Denver. The bed or vein is hori-
zontal and is Eve miles in length and about
mile in width, forming mountain Of iron.
The specular is from the South Park, and is
in vertical veins, similar to the gold veins.
The magnetic ore is from near Golden City,
and is in vertical veins sbedded in feldspar.
have heretofore reported extensive veins Of
hematite ore near Golden City.
Zinc, both in the form Of sicilate and sui
phuret, is found scattered through many Of
the gold and silver bearing lodes, and in one
vein on Bear creek found no metallic ores
except sulphuret Of zinc. The specimen Of
matt send you is made at the Lyon furnace
near Black Hawk. It is produced by smelt-
ing the gold-bearing sulphurets Of copper,
and contains all the copper, gold and silver
Of the ore. 1t is about sixty per cent cop.
per, and varies from four to five hundred
dollars per ton in gold and silver. This
matt is shipped to Swansea, in Wales, to be
separated, the copper paying the expense Of
separating and shipping. This is probably
the method which will be adopted for re.
ducing all our ores, as it saves not only the
gold and silver but the copper and lead. The
specimens Of gypsum and variegated lime.
stone ore are from the base Of the noun
tains west of Denver, where they are both
found in unlimited quantities. The fossil
woods are from belt Of similar fossils found
scattered through black alluvial soil from
two to three miles from the base of the
mountains"
The Surveyor General reports that he hal
seen the stump of palm tree two feet il
diameter in this locality, and so perfect tina
water could be blown through the pores.