New-York daily tribune., 1866-01-03
MINING IN COLORADO.

Correspondence Of The n. \. Tribune
CENIRu CIR. COLORADO, Dec. Z, ls01. !
Inarecent number Of your SEMI WEEKLY. you
say yos would be pleased authenticated facts
in reference TO mining operations in this TcrTiiorT
propose 10 give you sgconcily may be, such Aos
AS NAV be supposed 10 be desirable 70 you.
Fira then mining in Colorado unlike that in Call
fornia Idaho and Montana has been lor tie most part
confined 70 quartz veins. lotcs as they are usually
termed Gulch and Placer dggings were alFays
limited in extent here and have long since been marked
out Some Of these "dggings paid richly. bat they
were generally Inferior to those % Idaho and California
vet IL j. probable that threcourths of The gold taken
out previous TO lsC2 taken from these sources But
the real mineral wealth of Colorado D. found IN TIE
veins Of gold silver aud lead bearing quartz together
u-th her hills Of iron and yast Of coal or the
last two will only say that tie Iron j. superior 10 rem
sylvanias best and the Coal n oi superior ~
IN. ,p,nerni region occupies an area on n' nl'f 20
the Range Of from thirty tO hfy miles IN Wldth ana
from one hundred 70 one lunGrcd and my IN ength.
and perhaps much further. The lodes or VEINS are
abundant and Of all sizes and qualities. but coming to
the surfacc. az nov shown only IN certain mining
centers usually divided into mining districts These
mining conters are found IN bupiu, summit '4o@'
Crock Park, and Boulder Couniies.
The lodes generally have direction oi northeast
and south west and in some instances are acramc of
nearly two miles though by recent law oi the Terri
tory lode hos 30 legal existence underline same nAhe
Tor more than go feet. Tie lodcs vary IN width
from six inches TO Fix feet and VIII probably average
mo crerioe matter Of the odes is various Il
their situation and consists of Iron lyries together
with snlphurcts Of Copper Lead, SILVER /lne Anu
mouy and Arsenic yaflously SAnpOluu.u. D"Pp,,n, -
found in amos, all lOdcs. aud In very many IN DedQll
f al fboresceni nuggets Of from one To twelve ounces ia
weight: aud it is confidently believed that majority
oi The loles contain enough Of Copper TO pay wen io'
saving had We the economic methods employed else.
whore for that purpose The top or surface ore oi
all lodes Is partially decomPosed and slightly DIS
colored, having spongy or cellular tehli !enTgfihs
easily crushed, and yielding is gold Ieau! Inns
usuallg termed quartz while the zeal Ore-Whlch Is
usually struck iiou 20 to 90 feet below the surace-s
termed Iron" and is much more dense ana chtIey
different IN appearance from Tie quartz IL Is usuahl
of a dark iron color intcrspefsed ~iih bilght hna
shining CRYSTALS. and sometimes giving Us the most
beautiful combination Of COLOR. -,
NoW in respect the richness OF these ores. Ihey
have been tested ihobsaBd times IN the rude pan OF
the prospectOT the mill Of the miner aud the laboratory
t he chemist and with but one rcsuta yield Of Poid
40 great as TO render certain that hc Quarts RAM Of
C,ioy1do are he r,cicsf IN nee Vorid In Europe VEINS
that do not yield exceed sl2 per cord are WORKED
and made 10 pay in (Nevnda aud California; siO when
pavs 10 work; while in Colorado no lode Is considered
worhy Of record that will not pas 0ne'ha ihoe lnan
rbis while great part of them readily Weld under lhc
present imperfect process rom sIW 10 ~ per 'o"
could mention hundred oi this character. ~
The following extract from IheSprsqRtfd h'PN't',H",
from the pen Of It's editor Samuel Bowies Nh9 Nsl.cu
Colorado in June lst will show how he Itghius 'hen
Looking back our mining cAp'reher' ilu ,a>,s W
average testimony Of cach district equally ru'twor,uy
td le rur' nor fiahi'7 q" W i'
rslo gold mines Tier ayeragrd ts uniformly ~ .u
:. tt of Ne, ada either Austin Virginia or o CaioA
j. not ns complete because OF ~"
mon. intricate nature Of fhe precious drP0fis D"t " "
this though ol at enlarged cost rtin'1 70 '
succr.sfy initiated wIir were there hnc "" h'H 'o
since been perfected
Another fact 10 bc noticed ia this connection ~ ihhl
,thouph 0ur deepest mine VIII not exceed 90 lcei sr'
fbe number of those sunk from 200 10 400 icct j. bh'
and the testimony furnished 80 UNIFORM mat IL IN no"
bile that the Invariably grows rlcher lh pro-
norton as the shaft IN sunk deeper ana iuftn.r tna
all lodes whose top surface ore pays We' VIII !ic''
rich ore when sunk up0n. III, st |
what have YOU dOncf We answer that lh sA years w
have discoyercd the gold region snbdued wilderness
have sent 10 the war not ess than 5000 laborins men
fought for two wears and almost unaided the entire
dian force of the Pains paid The most unpeceuen'e
Lcb prices for labor food and clothing; done onOnh
Al ,rinp Ia bud the Pacific Railroad or tho Sneb Va
nni bult roads that you Eastern people "oulu nav"
thoneht impossible; built at least three ctlrSi sup
ed ourscl, es paid more 10 the internal relehu,
Than any other rural TorritOy whatever; piouscou
gld enough ~ give us second place IN the nhuol
and last bnt not least have made discoveries m h''
that II is confidently believed. will prove fully egn ~
those Of Nevada. ia. ara
A few words in regard To these; These mines are
,oo.,iy eituntel I'm Clear Creek and Summit Counties
Tbs ~ Clear Creek County first discovered late
IN the Fail Of 1864. In May, I-1J. prospecting com
mcnced ia good earnest carried on thrylgAoW ihe
Summer and resulted In the discovery oi large hnn
her of jodes Of argentierOus galena nnd clloutH VI
silver Among the richest Of these are roe "hoe'f;
the Belmont fhe Savage. the 1fIcf tho bIAti' anu
.llers none 0f those nHmcd running D' hfAN SS "'"