The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-11-11


ami carried away by several parties, and
used principally n making bullets. ] have
the authority of Mr.. J. P Miller. now Ii :
ing ON the Sandy, Of Mr.. Js,hn Chapman
and his two sons, Isaac and Gnilford, all
living at the Cove. that they all and each of
z them obtained some of this mineral from
the pile, and in common bullet ladle, at .
biacksmith's forge, melted it and cast it into
hbnllets. They all say it maize hard
soAite outlet, and melted very easy, leaving
little or no dross. They describe the ore
as unlike any ordinary galena, but having
a reddish color. a bright metallic luster,
I when freshly broken, something of a radia-
ting form OF structure or crystal cation, and
OF great specific gravity. S,me of the Jumps
weighed seven or eight pounds. Such u
description, If correct, conforms only to
that of certain character of antimonial
silver-lead, and such belIive the mineral
TO have been. The proportion of silver in
this ore may have been as high as twenty
five per cent and l cannot think II was
Iess than ten per cent. Ii ten per cent.
only. the ore would be worth not far from
t lree thousand dollars per ton before m 1t
ing. lpresume this estimate will be deemed
high 10y many, IL not actually absurd; but
when the mine is again opened, as expect
it soon will be, 1 am inclined to believe
that The ore will be found even more
valuable than this. The tract of land
upon which this old mine is stu
ated was located by Maj. R" S. Nelghbors.
formerly Indian agent ut Fort Belknap,
about twenty-six years ago, upon informa-
tion gwen him by an old Indian guide, who
said much silver had once been obtained
there, and Major Neighbors,1 VINO was killed
about fifteen years ago, always believed the
Old mine would some day become quite val
liable, but he was no miner and made no at
tempt TO explore its hidden treasures
have heard Of a record in regard to this
mine in the hands ofparties now living not
far from Au, tin, vi hica was obtained fIom
an Indian noman some years ago. She
SAID her father probably a Mexican In
dian--once worked in it. She gives an ac-
cuIate description of the mine, and one by
which it was very e;ssllllY- ldGnlitied. She
said that very much silver aud lead ifissS mac
been obtained from the place now known
as the old mine, but that much more
mineral, and ore much richer in silver had.
BEEN obtained from another place
somewhat like a cave, about two or
three hundred yards from the old shaft,
and in certain direction from it. 1t is
curious fact that about twenty years ago
cave or opening in the rocky side of the
mountain, at about the point described by
the Indian woman, did exist, and was fa-i
miliar TO many of the settlers then living in
the vicinity. Mr.. John ChapnlSn says he
has been in it at least fifty times, and often
assisted in letting Others down into it with
a rope. Mr.. Crawford Stewart, also resi-
dent at the Cove. saw it, and think was in
| it. They say-the orifice of the opening was
only about two feet wide and four or five
feet long, gradually closing at each end. The
depth about twenty-five or thirty feet, and
nearly as wide at the bottom, the wall
rocks gradually coming together at each
end, leaving an opening lOngitudinally of
some fifty feet, filed with debris at the
bottom. And yet no one has been able to
find this cays or opening during the past
fifteen years, and not even trace of it can be
found that will positively identify its local
ity. There was once miner prospecting
about the place for some time, and when he
! left expressed the intention of going off
to some friends to get money and come
! back to work the mine. lie went to Louisi-
ana and soon died there. Since he left no
trace of this place has ever been seen, and
it is presumed chat he very carefully covered
the opening with rock and dirt, perhaps to
hide some discovery he might have made.
On careful examination find true tis-
sure cutting through the hill in exactly the
direction indicated by the Indian woman,
/ AMI l presume hat u few days labor viii
discover the entrance to the old cave.
- An old legend says that the miners who
once worked here were suddenly attacked
by the Indians and nearly all killed. 1t is
true that when some OF the settlers came to
the country they found several mining tools,
/ such as bars, drills and picks, scattered
about some distance from the mines, as
though they had been hurriedly caught
up and carried, perhaps, until their
! possessorst were shot down or tom
ahawked by the murderous Indians.
1t is also asserted, on the faith of some 9th
er old record, that quite quantity of sill
yer was thrown into some deep hole near
by, and, for aught any one knows, may re-
nuil there yet. The same record spoke of
u quantity of mineral being hauled away
from the furnaces on a cow skin and secre-
ted in thicket not far off. And it is true
that the mineral was found as described,
but the old COW skin had disappeared. One
part of the story being true, it is not impos-
possible that the rest may be.
Prof Buckley, in speaking of this old
mine in his report, says that .'arouDd its
entrance are some rocks that contain titan
ifcrass iron . The Professor is mistaken,
biof there Is certainly no titaniferous iron
a or about the old mine, and ! cannot
think that he makes the statement upon
the result of any analysis ever made. j
think Roessler first promulgated the idea,
for 1t, was in one of his reports that
first saw it called so. This iron ore
or mineral, sometimes compact and
massive, and at Others mixed in
timately with calc-spar and other vein mat
ter, is Of all varieties of either red or brown
oxyde, of all degrees OF hardness and great
. variety of color, some of it being very
soft and pulveruient red ochre, while other
portions are very hard and strike fire freely
with steel. 1t all gives either cherry red
or yellowish brown powder. The red yari-
ETY., when compact, crystalizes in irregular
cubes or rhom mboids; the brown in very per
! hfect octohedrons Titaniferous IRON is deer
black in color, magnetic, always giving 4
black powder, and is very hard. IL is gen.
orally found in the azoic rocks-mcst fire.
: ouently associated with quartz.
Prof. Ire says: Near ClAusthal, in the
HAITI Mountains, certain red 0zyde Of iron
occurs db0Ce the most abundant deposites oI
the ores of lead and silver; whence it ha.
been named by the German miners the
iron hat - And the iron ore about this old
mine on Honey Creek is of this character.
II is not a true iron ore, but is thrown oui
as one of the gangue minerals of an ore
more valuable than itself.
There are other interesting oil, mines il
the country which I have heard of. but moi
yet had the opportunity TO examine.
There are undoubtedly old Spanish rec.
ords in existence that would throw much
light upon the history of early mining in
Texas by the SpanIards and Nexicans. bui
the most Of these records were sent tc
Spain. and are supposed To- be now among
the archives of Simancas, and DR.. Robert
sDn, in his history OF America. speaking o.
the impos-ibtlity of obtaining these rec
! prsis, says: ..SpaiB, with an excess of eau
tioa. hss uniformly thrown veil over he.
transactions in America. From stranger
they are concealed with peculiar solicifude
Even to her own subjects. the arokfso o
Sims. r,,.,e e r,s,f r,r,ar,ed vrfthnnta . i.