The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1866-12-26

shutdown country generally is just begin
ming to strike the people of the Atlantic
and Mississippi States. A letter on the
outside of this issue of the TINES will give
some idea Of how things are moving. The
writer is a brilliant, go-ahead man-old
enough to be reliable, and young enough
to be energetic. We invite the readers at
tention especially to his railroad and min
ing remarks. In connection with this SUBJ
ject we find in the Chicago Daily Repub-
Hcan, of Monday last, an article confirm
ing the statements Of our correspondent
relative to tho value of the property and
the earnestness Of the men engaged in the
North Star Company. We know Messrs.
Calkins, Howell & Ballard, and we deem
it a duty to them, to their acquaintance
hereaway, and to our readers generally,
to copy the Republican article. Quartz
mining seems to have taken precedence to
all other styles of "gold extract" and
quartz mining requires capitals good
deal Of it too-but when the masheen "
commences to 20 there are few instances of
failure to declare paying dividends, and
in most instances fabulous ones.
We have read the Republican article with
interest, and thinking others will do the
same, here it is:
| COLORADO GOLD.
The question of Colorado gold has many
years excited the attention Of practical and
scientific men, and after months and years
Of actual observation it is the firmly based
belief of all such investigators that beneath
the rugged surface of that country there
lies mineral treasure of q value and cx-
tent unrivaled by any other locality in the
world.
It is for the purpose of the further de-
velOpcment of this wealth that the North
Star Mining Company has been incorpora-
ted, and from the indications already dis.
cernable there is every certainty that the
stockholders will be more than well paid
for their Investments.
The mine Of this company is situated on
the celebrated Illinois Lode at Quartz Hill,
Gilpin county, Colorado, within three-quar-
tiers of mile of Central City. The prop
erty consists of three hundred and ten feet
OF territory, possessing thereon an eight
cen horsepower engine in perfect order !;
twelve stamps for crushing effective hoist
| ing apparatus and mill building, 60 by
SO feet, with all necessary and modern fix
lures.
OF the value of the ore obtained at this
lode, little need be said, inasmuch as the
experience of all practical miners has
placed it among the very frst-class-claims
Of the country. 1t possesses very wide
crevice, often from four to six feet on the
surface, and the ore is principally rich
sulphurate Of copper.
The mine itself possesses FIVE shafts,
three Of which are we'll timbercd and VEN
| tilated, and all of which are in working
| order. The first Of these shafts Is 80 feet
deep, the second Is, the third l25, the
fourth 100, and the deepest 100 feet in
depth. The ore is found in regular, we'll
defined seam, and grows richer as it gets
further down. At present, with the facil-
tiles Of the mine to hoist one cord, or ten
tons, of mineral per day, the ore can he
sold at the mine for $50 car and when
the machinery is in full working order, this
capacity will probably be increased to four
cords daily.
The shafts and machinery are arranged
greatest economy in working the mine in all
its departments.
The following figures of the yield of
gold from this lode were made under oath,
in 1864, by James Miller, Esq, q we'll
known mining proprietor of Prosser Gulch,
Colorado, and were the results of actual
experience. The respective yields were
obtained in each case by the old mode Of
separating the metal. Since that time, a
new mode, of which more will be spoken
hereafter, has been adopted, and has been
found to efect'a saving Of from rs to so per
cent. Of the pure metal. So that the ng-
| ures in question are far below what they
would be to-day:
run of or cords Of surface quartx, cleaned
| up, per cord, in gold dust at the rate of 81
per $D9Ou
II cords Of ORE rate per cord do 205 90
1cords iron pyrites, rate per cord........ 244 90
Select iron pyrites. said by owners to be q Of
cord cleaned up in gold dust at SIC per $1,000
cords OF ordinary ore, per 224OO
~ cords ordinary ore, per 1880
! 10 feet Of iron, said to lie taken cut from below
the "cap" cleaned l2s0O
The cap" alluded to in the above ia
BILE is vein of inferior rock found to run
across all auriferous veins, but to overlie,
in all cases, richer ores than were found
above it.
We shall now say word in relation to
the old and new methods of extracting the
metal from the ore.
| The method formerly pursued was sim
ply to crush or pulverize the ore, and then
i wash it by means of water over inclined
tables coated with mercury. The fine gold
thus brought into contact with the quick
silver always united with it, forming an
amalgam which was subsequently scraped
of, and subjected to a process of distilla-
ton, for the purpose of separating the au-
riferous treasure. Experience, however,
taught the workers that there was always
in all the sulphur ores of gold some UNI
known substance which prevented large
quantity of the metal from uniting with
the mercury on the tables. To obviate the
difficulty mode of extraction, known -
Crosby & Thompson's "de-sulphurizing'
method, was adopted, and has since been
found to save, instead Of from 25 to SO per
cent. of the gold, as much as from IS to 80
per cent. In this process the ore is crush
ed as before, and then placed in large
heated cylinders, where the sulphur, being
brought into contact with the air, burns
until it is all consumed. Thus decompos-
cd, the material is subjected to ''scour-
ing' process by being shaken violently up,
with hard boulder stones, when it is plac-
ed in pans lined with mercury, for the pur-
pose of forming the gold alnalgam pre-
viously alluded to. Ofthis process, MIR. j.
S. Howell, q practical miner Of great skill
and experience, has testified that it is per-
lection.
u Such are the appliances which will be
used at the mine OF the North Star Com.
pany. In addition to the other advantar
ges we have mentioned, we need but odd
that the locality of the mine is most adyan.
tagcous, and the close proximity of the
celebrated consolidated ditch to the