The weekly Arizona miner., 1873-08-02
Prospecting.


 It seems to have been the design of the Superior Wisdom to make all other created matter contribute to the pleasure and happi- ness of the superior terrestrial intelligence and masterpiece of creative workmanship Man.
 Certain conditions, the requirements of which are also conducive to his well being, are imposed; paramount among these-labor, The richest treasures are buried deepest, and the wildering charms of radiant beauty the most difficult to win. This incites action and begets energy and enterprise, the fruits Of which are health, prosperity ,nd plenty. These axioms are well illustrated in the sub
 feet under consideration-prospec or gold huntinC-ihe means by which mining property is discovered The homes of the ores bearing precious metals are deep Assures in the primitive or secondary formations their immediate surroundings, solid granite, or dense gneiss, or granitoid, or gneissoid rocks. The location of these are in the deep rayincs and rugged steeps of mountain ranges. The guide to mineral bearing Assures or lodes is the 'blossom rock" one of the numerous varieties of quartz which is always portion of the contents of mineral bearing veins in gold and silver districts. This quartz is po- | rous and stained reddish brown by the oxide ! of metals, mostly brown and red hematites, | and when usually found by the prospector is, ! like himself "traveler,' and has in the in- terstices of its numerous cells what the pros pector wants in his pockets-the precious metals. The first object of the prospector is 1 to find this "blossom;n the next, where it comes from. Both require much industry, patience and perseverance. which are the
 characteristics of the experienced gold hunt CT His outfit is pick, pan and shovel The
 pick and shovel for their usual purposes, the
 pan to wash earth or decomposed crevice ma
 terial, supposed to contain particles of gold
 dust. He is supplied with as much solid
 provisions as he can carry. Thus equipped,
 outwafdy and inwardiy, flied with hope
 and confidence, he starts out. His way Is
 through dense forests, along .he slopes oi
 deep mountains, over rugged crags, and across
 towering ranges. He moves along with a
 slow, measured step, carefully scans all the
 ground within the range of his vision, turns
 over loose rocks, examines the beds of noun
 tain torrents, and the crevicss of rocky
 lodges. He notes the formation and outline
 of mountains, peculiarities of surface mate
 rial and drift, and the character of rocks oye which he passes; in short, nothing escapei , his educated vision. When piece of "blos som rock" is found, it is carefully and skill [ fully examined. When it's corners are round ed by contact, while in motion. with haIde , material, be knows it has travelled some dis I tance, and the creyice from which it came i
 remote, perhaps right up on the mountain a
 whose base it has been found. When tn corners are sharp, and the fracture, where i ], has broken from the mass it originally forme, e part of is recent, he is satisfied its home e near by. In either case he makes dilligen n search for the crevice from which it came | ,o f,,p1 roaA;tx s,, bo e cases his search continues for days and weeks A Every inch Of the ground or rocks tor thou e sands of feet around is carefully and skilfull, if inspected. His labors end only with discov V cry or night, and he lays down where tn latter oyertakes him, with no covering sav
 the canopy of the star and moon lit, or elou i. and night darkened sky; his lullaby, tn d soughing of winds through mountain pinei ~ or the roar of mountain cataracts. Unrem it ting travel, which is extremely fatiguiDg
 great elevations, insures sleep and his vision r. are golden -hued-the great Assure vein ha le been found, filled with precious nuggets er mountains recede, beautiful valleys appear d the kiss of love is on his cheek, and the loV Id ing arms of home are around him. At earl $, dawn he awakes, partakes hearty meal, an re the search is resumed. When the "blossom e. is found in considerable quantities or ed lodges, he digs down in search of erevice mi ch terisl (decomposed quartz and minerals wit ,k metal ores) and other evidences of a fissur s- in the country rock, with well defined wall IT, The earth and crevice material taken out e. carefully inspected and washed, and the Sec
 or" anxiously watched for This may H. worth million or nothing. It requires muC ch skillful labor and considerable expenditure nd money to define this. What follows is pra
 ticsl mining Colorado Gazetteer