The daily gazette., 1875-01-05
DISCOVERING MAMMOTH FOR
TUNES IN SILVER.
NEW MINES IN MASSACHUSETTS, FAR
MERs ON THE RAGGED EDGE EXCITE

MERs ON THE RAGGED EDGE EXCITE.
MENT.
+ They have discovered mammoth sill.
yer mines in Newburyport, Essex
county, Mass. Early in September
systematic mining operations were
begun by The sinking Of a shaft ten
feet square. AS tho shaft increased iu
depth the vein, which is WHAT'S known
as fissurc vein-that is;mctal between
two walls OF granite, where, in all pro.
bability, it was thrown by volcanic
action-the vein broadcncd from
three feet at the surface to seven feet
at present working-twenty-fve feet
down. AS they descend the vein grows
richer and purer, the proportion silver
and gold increasing, while that OF lead
remains about the same. The south
wall has not yet been reached. The
men are therefore working on the pure
metal, the north wall being perfectly
perpendicular In consequence of this
fact, which is Totally without a paral-
lei in mining history, there is but the
smallest possible expense incurred in
removing the orc-about 81 per ton.
About ten tons are taken out, being
hoisted up :. in baskets every twenty
tour hours. To work this quantity
only four men are required by day
and relieving gang of equal number
by night. This ore, which is piled in
storehouse, as at present mined yields
$50 per ton of silver, $40 of lead, and
$l1 Of gold; n total of $171 The cost
OF smelling and separating is $50 per
ton, so the profit is about $3.50 per ton
Near this first shaft, on the forty acre
lot, they have sunk the second shaft,
begun in last Octeber This is of about
the same size as the first, and is down
almost as deep, the vein working about
four feet in width, and the ore being
Of similar purity. This vein like that
first found, broadcns as it is dug out.
Four men work in this shaft at night
and four during the day Shaft houses
have been erected over the mines, and
large store house and boarding
house for the men built nearby. Hous-
ing the shafts will enable the men to
continue work during the winter.
About 125 tons have been taken out
and stored in the store house. As
this house is on the property of Mr..
Adams, the owners have not the royal
W TO pay,
Thus it will be seen by the most
sceptlcal, who have characte rized the
excavation as mere float ore, and not
worthy of the importance which has
been attached to them, that il the hopes
OF the owners are fallacious as to the
great future for the mine, certainly
81 500 net profit day is worthy of
Delng taken care of; and this from
single shaft only twenty five feet down
without operating the drifts or later
veins. Mining experience, however,
has demonstrated that fissure vein is
always without bottom. This vein is
estimated by geologists to extend in
Its general direction twenty degrees
east OF north about sixor seven milesiin
length. Bearing this fact in MUD, the
wealth to be reasonably expected from
this "fnd' can only be estimated by
comparison. The Comstock lode in
Nevada hitherto supposed to be the
richest silver mine in the world, Yields
only $45 per ton on the average, while
that atNcwburyport yields just double
that. The Mariposa mines, which were
sold few years ago to q company for
$1O, 600, 900 yield only SIS per ton of
silver. The Belcher mines in Colora-
do, which yield about $40 per ton, di-
vided $500, 600 among the stockholders
as the profits of working during the
month of August, 1874. And these
mines had not the additional profits
accrulng from the product of lead.