Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-03-16

PROF. OWENS REPORT.
The most important mineral locality
which has vet come under my Observa-
! ton, in Pulaski county, north of the
! Arkansas river, is situated on KellOgg's s
creek, and known as the "KellOgg lead
mines" The principal mines are in
township three north, range eleven west
and about ten miles north of Little
| Rock. When first discovered, these
! mines created considerable excitement,
and the right of mining was leased by
/ the proprietor of the land, Mr.. Kellogg,
| to a company, who were to hold this
rightso long as they paid him regularly
l A stipulated amounted Of the ore. Some
forty or fifty tons Of this ore were mined
and shipped to Europe, for the purpose
/ of ascertaining its value. No account
was ever received, at the mines, regard
| ing the sale or disposition of this ship
ment of ore; and the company, whose
means were limited, becoming Involved
in debt and discouraged, finally aban-
doned the enterprise.
From long dIsCse, the shafts from
which this ore was raised, have become
filed with water, rubbish, earth and
rocks, washed in o. detached from the
mouth of the pits, so that there is no
opportunity, now, of inspecting the con-
dition of the ore in place. In giving an
| opinion, therefore, in regard to these
mines, we have to Judge from the ma
| terial thrown out, from the general
| geological structure Of the country, and
| rom information derived from Mr.. John
w. Purdom, who lived close by the
mines at the time the ore was mined. 1t
! appears that the ore was found, not in a
single vein only, but OccupyiDga a num-
Der Of veins, which traverse the argilla-
| ceOus shales under the milestone grit at
/ this place; these seem to have very
| much the same distribution and relation,
as those previously mentioned as occur
ing on the property Of Or. Lewis, at the
Bull mountain, IN the northeast part OF
Conway county, as well as those Observ-
ed near Mr.. Twins in this county.
To convey a clearer idea of their
geological relations, L will observe that
milestone grit occupies the highest posi-
! ton. not only in the hills adjacent to
the mouth of Palarm bayou, and in the
ridge dividing the waters Of that stream
| from Kellogg's creek, in Pulaski county,
| but also in the Bull mountain, in the
northeast corner of Conway county.
The underly siliceOus and aTgillaceous
shales are exposed, in section, on the
Arkansas river, near Mr.. Twins, at
| Palarm bayou; as well as on Bull bayou,
in the northeast part OF Conway
county. 1t is through them that the
veins of quartz reach the surface, on
the property of Or. Lewis, in Conway
county, and near Mr.. Twins in Pulaski
county. Locally, bed of soft sandstone
is intercoIated amongst these shales, sue
I. Il. ,,f hnrH 40 or
slate, intersected with lines of cross
fracture, probably caused by shrinkage.
The lowest stratum of this section COM
prises the shales forming the valley of
kellogg creek, which are traversed by
a system of metalliferOus veins, contain
ing a rich silver-lead, associated with
quartz, tale (tallOw rock o. the miners,
/ copper pyrites, spatkie iron, and blende.
The principle veins have course nearly
east and west. st the Kellogg mines,
metalliferOus veins are found, occupying
belt of country from north to south, of
more than half mile, and the whole
system of quartz veins and tilted strata,
Of which the Kellogg veins form part.
must have a width, in the same direc-
/ ton, exceeding twelve miles.
From forty to fifty tons of silver-lead
/ ore have been taken OFT of one of the
shafts sunk at the Kellogg mines, ac-
cording to information derived from
Mr.. Purdom, and one lump carried TO
! Little Rock, as a sample, weighed one
hundred and eight pounds. In follow
| ing the vein, this shaft was carried one
| hundred and eight feet through shales
of the section, after which the work
was abandoned. The vein was found to
contain more or less lead throughout the
whole depth. Another shaft, known as
| the "Wel or MOreland diggings, -
passed through two hundred feet of the
same shale, which still continued be-
meath. This vein also afforded a cOnsid-
erable amount of argentiterous lead, as
sociated with the minerals before men
| toned as belonging 90 this locality; but
! the amount of ore taken out of this shaft
could not be accurately ascertained.
Mr.. Purdom was of opinion that it had
not produced as much as the one hun
dred and eight feet, or johnson shaft
/ A large quantity Of copper pyrites was
! found amongst the rubbish thrown out
Of these shafts, and it is believed that
good veins Of this ore might be reached
| BY following the veins.
The lead and copper bearing shales OF
| kellogg creek are Underlaid by the sub
| carboniferous limestone, which, we have
| reason TO believe, would be more favor.
able to mine in than the overlying
/ shaIes; besides, the surface indications
of this system Of veins give evidence,
that the deeper they are followed, the
richer they become; for the quartz veins
of the Palarm, which l conceive to be
an extension upward of the veins ot
| Kellogg creek, have not as yet yielded
| any ore, either of lead or copper. | be-
/ lieve it, therefore, to be a fair inference,
that the deeper the veins are followed
the richer they will become; more es-
pecially when they reach rocks more
favorable for the reception of ores.
The analysis Of two samples of lead,
from the Kellogg mines, gave the fol-
lowing result: No. I, a bright crystalline
looking ore, gave, by reduction Sl.7 per
cent Of metallic lead. BY cHpellatiOn,
this lead gave a silver bead weighing
LOG per cent. Of the lead employed
which is equally TO 539.2 ounces Of sill
yer in ton Of 200O pounds.
No. ,, porous fiEe-grained ore, witt
: particles ~ tale disseminated, gave
70 IS per cent. OF matahc lead this, by
cupellation, gave o : per cent. of silver
equal 10 224 ounces in a ton of 200
The silver-lead ores of Great Britain
and Ireland, worked in 1852, according
10 Dir. Hunt las quoted in Whitney''
lMetalic t0eGith Of the United Statesl
ranges as low as ounces OF silver in 3
ton of lead. The Cardiganshire and
MontgOmeryshire lead ores sometime:
contain as much as IS or so ounces o
silver TO the ton. At Wilberg, il
Prussia, the lead contains SO ounces o
silver to the ton. TIE silve-Aead of the
Upper Hartz, belonging to Hanover
; contains from 10 TO Us ounces of silve
to the ton. From 20 TO 50 ounces OF sill
yer Is obtained from, q ton Of the argen
tiierous lead of CbernhOf, in Saxony.
From this il will be seen, that the sill
yer-lead from the kellogg mines greatly
exceeds in richness the silver-lead ore
OF Europe, and in the comparison
leaves margin for profits so broad, tha
no doubt can be entertained of the prac
ticability Of working these ores, not on
: " for the lead, but the silver.
Why these mines have been so loni
abandoned, after having been one
partially worked, ! was unable to learn
The situation is highly favorable for ricl
lodes Of metal, not only silver-lead, bu
also copper.
III the property, belonging to thes
mines, can be obtained on REASONABLE
terms, and 3 ludicious and ecen0mica
system Of mining instituted, there eal
be bat little doubt Of q profitable result
: The stratum Ct argillaceOus shale
! easily mined, and there Is no difficult,