New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-24

on the western side of the MOke-e-MOke Mountain
lust as il does at the eastern side of Treasure
Mountain pitching eastward in Moke-e-Moke'
and westward in Treasure, but strange to say while
Treasure Mountain is almost everywhere iull ol
silver Moke-e-Moke is utterly barren so lar as
known. Il is near this break in the dOlomite
on tho eastern edge of Treasure Mountain that
fhe principal mines of the district are located The
main line of deposits appears to run nearly north ana
south commencing with the Virginia, Just above
Hamilton on the northern side of the mountain
900 feet below its summit and running on through
the Mammoth Minerva Hidden Treasure. near the
summit Aurora Consolidated, Aurora South, and the
Eberhardt, on the southern slope.
ALTA, BROMIDE, CHLORIDE, AND PoGONIP FLATS
Treasure City is near the summit OF treasure
Mountain, 5000 feet above the sea, on the western
slope Along the western edge of Treasure City are
four inclined planes called flats" each embracing
few acres. and named uccessively-cOmmencinga at
the Northern end-Alta Bromide, Chloride, and Po-
ponip Flats The three last especially are perfectly
riddIed like a cullendeT, with prospecting shafts
and the claims on them, numbering thousands all
told interlace run cross. interfere infringe
upon. and conflict with each other in indescrbable
confusion. Alta Flat is not yet to any extent
productive. Bromide Flat has number OF good
mines. Chloride Flat is one vast mine. though helu
nv a great number of squatter claimants. Pogonip
tidt ldn luuldO udluts SleullJlhb INV Ai"NN'' N'NN
which here rests on and drifts through the town
half the year, is also a vast network OF mines, with
some very productive ones, such as the POgOnp and
Otheo, near the lower or western end. Each
claim is by the laws of this district, 400
feet in length and 200 feet in width along the
ledge lode OF vein for the discOverer and 200 feet In
length by the same breadth for each additional
claimant The 200 feet in width is not arbitrary for
if the ledge is but 10 feet in width, aud second
ledge running parallel with it is found other parties
may locate and work it. Each claim must be re-
,orded. and two days work must be done on each
,vldua interest of 400 and 200 feet, and recorded
he District Recorder, to hold it for one year.
Gle nine miles in diameter with the summit of
Treasure Mountain for its center, would include all
the mines in the district with the greater part of
them in its western arc while fOurhfths of the val
liable claims lay within mile of that point The
claims include ten times at least much surface as
there is within the area ast-named; that is TO say
there Is ten times much ground claimed as actu-
ally exists if you attempt to give each one what ne
demands and the result is uncertainty, col
lsiOns lawsuits and confusion worse con-
founded. The silver is finest toward the sum-
nit of Treasure Mountain mostly mixed with the
baser metals as you descend northward, west
ward or southwark from that point. 1t is found
mainly in the form OF Chloride where the silver,
having been exposed to the action of salt and the
air has become decompOsed and formed the peculiar
combination resembling dry blue clay in appearance,
and Bromide" where it fills the whole rock with
layers of soft pure purple or brown metal sticking
the Jumps together. like moldy bread. Lumps of
chloride from the Eberhardt will often yield their
weight in coin being actually purer silver than our
American dollars: and bromide is often nearly as
rich 1t is not found regular veins. or lodges in
caSed in well-defued walls as in WaShoe but gener-
oily tl,us for hos beeu discovered DOcketS and
layers of immense size very irIegularly defined and
uncertain in extent. To locate claims upon these as
"ledges.r instead of taking up many square feet
running down the center of the earth, was mis-
take The formation of these silver deposits Is
mystery How came they thereY Upon my honor,
have not the faintest idea and don't know any man
who really knows any about it than do, If the
truth were told could hazard a guess, Of course,
and so could the reader, and that is all
that anybody could do. The deposits are
here, however: there is doubt of that.
COMPOSITION OF THE oRE--How IT Is REDUCED.
Almost innumel able notifications and minor COM
bmatOns of the precious and baseT metals found,
but chloride and bromide are what sought after
and hit upon. The silver is not mixed with gold as
in the great Comstock Lead Of Western Nevada, the
bars OF bullion produced being 9O01,OO to 9S5-1 900
fine The ore is mainly reduced in stamp mills with
out roasting by what is known as the " dry crush
Ing pNCtN6 ludJ u " say II - ltuuOtu " Wy
powder under stamps and then amalgamated with
quicksilver in pans run by steam. The pulp in the
vans is reduced TO a thin paste by admixture Of
water aud kept in constant motion by revolving arms
until the silver is taken mp by the quicksilver when
the TeSiduum runs off down the hill sides, and the
amagam taken out and TetoTted, then run into bars
ofabout 100 h weight and worth in coin from $500 to
$500. each according to the standard Of purity.
These bars are stamped by the assayer with the
weight in ounces and hundredths of an ounce fine
ness as 900 g27, 965, OF $50 and commercial value
and in that form go out East and West to Europe,
New-York, San Francisco or China, TO find a ready
market and be rendered into articles Of luxury
in the end have seen uns of them here within the
last few days and my not visible on any of
them. ITegret it, have been riding around among
these mines and mills all yesterday and to-day, and
will tell the readers Of THE TRIBUNE what saw in
my next just now have got better thing.
".
A TOUR AMONG THE INSTRUMENTATION
GALENA-FUEL-THE ASSAY oFPICEs-SHIP-
. PING THE MISUNDERSTANDING
URE CITY.
TREASURE CITY, White Pine County, Nevada, Aug
p,-To-day / have been riding around among the
mines and the mills visiting the three towns of
Hamilton Shermantown, and Treasure City, at the
northern end, the southern end and in the center Of
the mines. The more see of the district, the more
am impressed with its vast mineral resources. At
Swansea little hamlet away up in the canon IN the
Base Range between Hamilton and ShermantOwn,
men firing up smelling furnaces for melting out
bars Of lead and silver from the dullookng of
the Base Range, Of which there appears to be no
limit. The lead out with the use of charcoal
and mountain mahogany wood. contains from $2j to
300 In silver per tun. Pure lead sells in San Fran
cisco for about cents per pound and the smelters
here hope to make the silver pay for getting ont the
bars and shipping them, leaving most of the lead as