Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-01-07

ton became at once a believer in the
value of the discovery. fastening
home, the matter was laid before Mr.
Seth Whittier and DR.. E. g. Kelley of
this city. These three gentlemen visit
ed the grounds, and on the day follow
ing, Aug. z, DR.. Kelley, accompanied
by Prof. Robert Ell. Richards, of the In
stitute of Technology, went again to
Highfeld pasture, and Prof. Richards
obtained four specimens, on which he
made an assay. From that report it
seems that the rocks in the vicinity are
gneiss nodes, and quite hard. The
strike or line of out-crop is about north
10 to 800 east, the dip about 800 to
the northwest. AS he found it, the line
of the vein was about north 70 . east by
the compass. The pieces taken from
the pit as dug by Mr. Adams exhibited
vein structure, the upper five inches be-
ing composed of galena, while the un-
der three inches-the three inches next
the supposed foot wall-contained con-
siderable gray copper ore or tetrahedrite,
galena, quartz, copper, and iron purites.
Four specimens were assayed. The
first, coarse grained galena, assayed for
silver, yielded $3.50 81; and the second,
fine grained galena, 1888 per ton.
The third, comparatively pure piece
of gray copper, containing also some
qnartz and galena, assayed for silver,
copper, and incidentally for gold, yield
ed, of silver s. ,270 per ton; gold 1929
per ton and about q per cent. of cop
per. The fourth specimen, weighing
about three pounds, tried for lead, was
found to be nearly pure and hammered
quite readily. The lead was SO per
cent. of the whole matter. The report
removed from the minds of DR.. Kelley
and Mr.. Chapman all particles of doubt
remaining. Not so Mr.. Whittier, who
withdrew from the whole business, and
the mutual arrangement that had been
made by the trio was broken. Messrs.
Kelley and Chapman decided, however,
to continue operations, and during the
same month they obtained a right to q
great deal of land by purchase and
bonding. Mr.. Adams bonded his twelve
acres to DR.. Kelley and Mr.. Chapman
for 800, 900, to be paid at any time,
they pay him royalty of $40 ton for
all ore that they remove before purchas-
ing MIR Chapman about this time sold
his quarter share to E. Z. Shaw of
Newburyport DIR. Kelley owning the
balance. half of the adjoining lot,
forty acres was secured by Messrs. KEEL
ley and Shaw and Z. M. Boynton of
West Newbury, who retained the other
halt. So Messrs. Kelley, Shaw and
Boynton, with MIR. Chapman as practi
cal superintendent, began the work,
which is now turning out so prosper
ously.
MINING OPERATIONS
Early in September systematic mining
operations were begun by the sinking of
a shaft ten feet square. As the shaft
increased in depth the vein, which is
what is known as a fissure vein is,
metal between two walls of granite,
where, in all probability, it was thrown
by volcanic actiOn-the vein broadened
from three feet at the surface to seven
feet at present w0rking-twenty-ti
feet down. AS the men descend the
vein grows richer and purer, the proper
ton Of 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 per-
fectly perpendicular. In consequence
of this fact, which is totally withC ut a
parallel in mining history, there is but
the smallest possible expense incurred
in removing the ore about 81 per ton.
About ten tons are taken out, being
hoisted up in baskets, every twenty
hours. To work this quantity only four
men are required by day and relieving
gang or equal number by night. This
ore, which is piled in a storehouse, as at
present mined, yields 800 per ton of sill
yer, $40 of lead, and 81 of gold to-
tai of $171. The cost of smelling and
separating is 800 per ton, SO that 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 October. This is of about the same
size as the frat, 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 fouqd,
work in this Shaft at night and four dur
ing the day. Shaft houses have been
erected over the mines, and large store
house and boarding house for the men
built near by. Housing the shafts will
enable the men to continue work during
the winter. About 1876 tons have been
taken out and stored in the storehouse-
AS this house Is on the property OF Mr..
Adams, the owners have not the royalty
to pay. .@.+.. ..-........ ........ ....