Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1869-09-10
Communications.
TEHE IgTEETE PI.VE SILJ'Bh .uJ.v-
F.vGi DESTRICT.
PurNrY. W.. Aug. goth. 1869.

Editor Of the Vermont IhGnir, BrdtiebOr0: !:
Dear Sir Agreoably to your request, l
send you a few items of general interest,
relative to the section of country in which l
have spent most of the past five months,
having returned from the White Pine Sill
YER mining district 2lst Aug, $500 miles,
which by aid of the Pacific Rail Road, I
made the trip in seven days less five hours,
including 40 miles by stage from White
Pine to the c. p. II. II. at Elko.
l will now proceed to describe the New
La Plata, ondeavoring to give the simple
authenticated facts as they came under my
observation. But to go much into details,
it is quito impossible to confino my COM
munication to a simple newspaper para
graph. The most of our people in this east
ern section of our continent have but very
limited idea of the immense deposits of
hidden treasure in the mountains of the
Pacific slope. Stretching from the northern
line of Idaho, south and east, through Mon
tana, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona to
Chihuahua, Mexico, is a broad belt of
metalliferous country, as yet but partially
explored, of which White Pine seems to be
the centre.
The wonderful discoveries of the silver
mines at White Pine has stimulated an ar
my of prospectors that are now travelling
through those mountains with pack mules,
and picks, spades, bacon, flour and blankets,
the results Of whose labor are daily bring
ing to light new discoveries of great impor-
tancc, not only to the present generation,
but for those who may live centuries to
| come. What field is here open for the
| investigation of the adventurous American
people!
The gold deposits of California added so
many millions to the wealth of the world
as to unfiX values and affect the whole COM
merce of Christendom. What California
did with her gold, this new silver land is
apparently about to do with its silver.
White Pine District takes its name from
the White Pine Mountains, bold range
with peaks rising from the alkaline plain
some C,00O feet above the level Of the sea,
and is situated in White Pine County,
State of Nevada, and i'm latitude 800 2O'
north, and longitude 1l5o 90 west White
Pine mountain runs nearly north and south,
and is about Is to 90 miles in length. Run
ming parallel with this mountain on the
eastern side is lower mountain called the
Base Range, which is five or six miles long,
and 5000 feet high. Parallel with this
Base Range on the east, is Treasure Hill, on
which the richest mines in America are
found. This hill or mountain has an alt-
tude of 1868 eet,-wth a mineral deposit
thus far defined, about six miles long by
two and a half wide. In the White Pine
mountains and Base Range are numerous
valuable deposits as yet but little develop
ed the ore is rich but mixed with base
metals, that in the process of reduction will
require the furnace in place of the battery
while the ore on Treasure Hill is free and
easy to reduce. Ascending Treasure Hill
towards tho summit, you come upon . sin
| gular outcrop of dolomite or coarse brown
sugar colored limestone. This ledge runs
along the top Of the hill, sharply defined
| for two miles. The hill slopes rapidly from
the summit towards the west, and on the
east has a sharp precipitous side, the lime
stone having been broken squarely off, ex-
| posing layer upon layer, from four to ton
feet in thickness, and in some places two
hundred feet perpendicular. 1t Is along
the edge of this precipitous face of the hill
between the layers Of limestone, that the
great deposits of silver, now being worked
are found. The ground above the ledge o
limestone abounds with detached frag.
ments of lime rock filled with marine fos-
sis. In some places there is layer o
coarse calcareous slate under the top'dirt
and the deposits of silver lie between thi'
and the limestone; while in others th(
limestone both overlies and underlies the
silver deposits; and in other places there
appears to have been an upheayal which
has displaced both, and jumbled the lime
stone and ore together. The deposits, o
metal bearing lodges, though extensive
mostly lie horizontally, and in thickness
from two to fifty feet, and under this laye
of ore is found another layer of limestone
then layer Of ore again found sandwichet
in between each Of the successive layers o
dolomite, like jelly in Washington cake
In going down through the successive lay
ers of slate, dolomito and silver in its va
rious formations, no one has as yet "toucheC
bottom"-that is to say found out whert
the silver finally gives ont. 1t is the opin
ion of many that the whole of Treasure
Hill, is metallifcrous from its crest dowr
to its foundation, 1900 or 1000 feet perpen
dicularly.
It is n singular fact, that while Treasure
Hill, which dips westward, is full of de-
posits of silver of wonderful richness, The
same corresponding hills on the eastward
do not contain pound of metal of any kind
Chloride, Bromide, and Pogonip Flats arc
flats Of some four or five acres each on the
western slopo of Treasure Hill, whore some
hundreds of shafts have been sunk through
the limestone TO depth of 20 to 100 feet,
and deposits of horn silver and chloride OF
great value are found to underlie the whole
ground, but few shafts having missed the
| precious metal.
The silver Is found mostly in forms of
chlorides, bromides and sulphides inter
mixed with dolomite, with now and then a
deposit of ruby and horn silver. No gold
is found. The orc is free from base metals
on this hill. Tho formation of this part of
tho district is unlik that of any other
YET known on the continent, but was told
by parties who professed to know, that the
mineral deposits are similar in character,
though far exceedingin extent and richness,
those Of the famous German mines of the
Hartz mountains, and those of Potosi in
Peru, which have been worked for centu-
ries, and not yet exhaustod Tho ore is
mixed with black and white calc-spar, red
quartzite and quartz.
The origin Of silver deposits is n matter
of conjecture. If as generally supposed,
the silver originated deep down in the bow
els of tho earth, and has been forced out
ward and upward by volcanic action, thon
it would seem reasonable TO suppose that
the lode seam or fissure through which it
came may be discovered by following
down the ore between tho limestone layers,
and then may prove inexhaustible; but
there are other theories which materially
conflict with this. The fossils above and
below the silver indicate that the hills have
been thrown up from the bed of what was
once sea, and the limestone breaking