The New York herald., 1869-06-14
COLORADO SILVER MINES.

Of the silver Mines Being Worked In the
vicinlty-Results Already Realized and Ex.
pected Developments In the Future-strikins
Exenplincation Of the Universally Of YAM
kee Enterprise and Skill. = --.-..s----'.-r,
sns 2k2sGETQEr, Col, June 8, lscs +.
Everybody Anows where the Rocky Mountains are,
and the recent completion OF the Pacific Railroad,
thai great highway our Continent has brought
Them into closer familiarity. but the location OF
Georgetown Ia piece Of geographical information
with which everybody is by no means familiar. The
place is new and not laid down on many maps, ana
very few OF the cacOees scrt6edt school OF tourists
have ever visited IT, As matter Of timely
preliminary Information to those unacquainted
with its locality WILL therefore, state that the
town where we now write is f0rty-eight miles west
OF Denver City and 16S miles from Cheyenne, where
1t s necessary to leave the Pacific Railroad In order
to reach here. Stages-very comfortable ones, too
connect the three places. The ride, moreover, Is
through q most delightfully."- picturesque section OF
country-n0w across brown heathery slopes blazing
with the brilliant sunlight; through gorges dark
with frs and deep In shade, where the night dews
rest till noon now along the edges Of precpices the
depth Of whose yawnng abysses are frghtfu TO look
into, and now dashiDg onward with feeling
OF inexpressible relief over a smooth, broad
highway, and the scenery becoming more
Tuty Apuc us VIC duNduCc. AZ tuiS sSdoou
Of the year the forests, valleys and slopes
are arched in all the glories of leafy June; limpd
springs make pleasant music over the moss-covered
rocks by the waysde, and the air is fragrant with
the odor OF wild flowers. Gradually the mountains
close in about US. Our road is now winding with
sleeper ascending grades. The air becomes cooler
and more electric with life. We feel the cool breath
Of the mountain tops. We look at the mountain
heights and see the gigantic forest trees dwndle into
shrubs in dizziness OF distance. Still winding on
ward and upward, huge peaks and precipices ali
around us, we cross plateau OF bare rock and
enter a valley about half a mile wide and from
two to three miles long, encompassed by mountain
heights. We first see church steeples and then
town outlined before us. The road Is broad and
hard and even ana dashing up wide and well
built street, filed with stores, and every variety
OF merchandise pendent In the show windows and In
front Of them, and busting people moving about
we stop In front OF capacious frame hotel. THIS
valley Is Georgetown valley. this town Georgetown
and thus hotei tel the Barton S, p' House Kept by i've
not been long In finding out, one OF the best hotels
west of the Mississippi river Three years ago there
thriving miniature city Of 5000 Inhabitants contain
ing four churches two hotels, one bank, q weekly
newspaper lsoon to be made daily and a large
number of fine stores, besides public buildings and
dwellings, some Of which are models OF architec.
tural taste and beauty And here is this town, the
Of the Rocky Mountains. Looking down upon
1t is Guys Peak, the highest OF all the Rocky Noun
tain range, and other mountains whose SUBMITS
are covered with perpetual snow. On one side the
eye looks on La Platte valley and the view OF
thus ravine and other streams whose waters wind
their way to the far distant Atlantic and on the
other side looks upon the Pacific SLOPE and, with the
silvery thread OF the inceptive streams beginning
here, bears thought and fancy far westward and
INTO that future when all this vast section shall
become thickly settled and resonant with the busy
hum Of commerce and industry.
Gnar fntun 10 Ia N n
Of the products OF the growth OF the mining interest
that has largely developed itself IN Colorado. Ex
pectations Of finding gold as plentiful here as at
fike,s Peak led as is well known, to the discovery
OF the silver mines abounding IN this region. We
indicated TO resident, with whom we were convers-
ing shortly after our arrival, that the building OF
such town the top of the Rocky Mountains, with
no agricultural facilities whatever, evinced great
faith In the extent OF the silver ore to be found
here. "There is silver enough within a radius OF a
dozen miles from here" quickly answered this gen.
tleman, 'to pay of the national debi.n We nave
since learned that this Is the general sentiment Or
IN other words. and which Is about the same thing,
that Ia the UNIVERSAL belief that the silver here IS
tnexhausribe. Nearly al the people are practical
miners or interested in mines. The tax Ia about
mines. all the business hinges on the mines and the
dreams, doubtless, are OF mines and vast acquisi-
tons OF their hidden stores OF WEALTH. and here are
still traces OF the early working OF some OF these
well known, found great difficulty in prosecuting
their mining lab0rs account Of the hostility OF the
Indians. These early mining ventures run back
200 years ago, since which time, until within
the past three years, none OF the mines
have been worked. In some places the silver
croJs out on surface but generally the deep,
derground mining process has TO be gone through
with before reaching the argentuerous ore. This Is
believed to be about the centre OF great silver belt
some thirty miles wide and extending from Mexico
across the Continent.
One cannot go in any direction from town without
coming upon mines and miners busy at WORK and
amalgaInating and smelling works. Indications OF
the ricn mineral deposits reveal themselves at every
step Many as are the esrs a1a hu
the amount OF silver already taken out It is
apparent, upon the least observaten, that tue
country is only just beginning 70 pe developed and
that with capital energy and patience II s destined
to become one OF the most valuable mining districts
ali this region The average yield OF ores taken out In
is about 800 a ton though that OF some mines, OF
course is much less, and OF others much more. The
course OF the lodes is from northeast to southwest,
and as a general thing they are nearly vertical,
though there is considerable dip In many OF them.
These odes from 20 10 $50 feet apart and In tun
nelling lodes are struck that nowhere appear
on the surface. In these days of extended
familiarity with the processes OF mining it Is
unnecessary TO describe the various processes en-
able ore, and the subsequent processes OF analga.
nation and smelling, by which the silver, solidined
into "brickss' or buttons" is prepared for the
market or the mint. IL is equally unnecessary TO de-
scribe IN detail the multiplicity OF mines that are
being worked. They are scattered all about on the
mountain slopes. These mountains, by the way,
have queer names, as the Republican Mountain,
Democratic Mountain and Anglo Saxon Mountain;
ian, Leavenworth, Griffith, Brown and others
less pretentious In name anu OF lesser sfgnin-
canoe. we Will refer only tO u lew Ol tne leau-
ing mines. The Griffith lode Grifth Mountain is
OF the nearest TO the town. well as Of the
largest. The work on this mine began only last
winter, and already about ssQgO00 worth OF silver
ore has been taken out. Tile ore OF the first exca
vations yielded about $500 ton, but recently. In
tunnelling they have struck on TO very rich vein,
yielding about $1,000 the ton. The Terrible lode,
where the ore was not reached until eXcavating
some 200 feet, has yielded thus far about $500 TO
the ton. The Equator lode, on Leavenworth Noun
tain, is being worked by party from Chicago.
Here the excavations also extend some 200 feet aud
thus far the products have been OF most satsfac-
tory character. They ship their silver TO Newark,
n. j., and not long since sent one piece alone worth
s11, 000 coin valuation They are now working on
solid mineral vein forty inches thick, yielding $1,000
TO the ton. very valuable lode is the
Lilly lode, and then there ls the Good
Hope lode discovered last winter. The ore here was
picked up ON the surface. THIS Is known as a
'softv lode. No blasting Is required, and tue ore
Is shovelled right out and yields from $3.50 to
$4,000 q ton THIS Is the ore IN the rough. selected
ores have returned as high as $4,000 ton.
The Mendoza lode, being worked by Mr.. Tooker,
shows one OF the strongest mineral veins. ON Sher
man Mountain are some valuable lodes, owned by
AZ "A tran hn IN fhn fta ~,