Arizona citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Pima County, A.T. [i.e. Ariz.]) 1870-1880, 1876-09-23

QulIt 10 W ltdlCu ny lHt CIlbIlu lLiiS
process in order to save a large percen-
tage of the silver the ore contains, i. e.,
silver glance. brittle sulphuret of sill
yer, black oxide and tenantite, all of
which are here associated with blue
and grey malachite.
THE FIRST MINE DISCOVERED
In this part of the district is called
the Champion, located late in 1873.
The Champion company had $50
pounds of ore smelted at a rude MeXi-
can furnace, which yielded 81 pounds
pure silver, and eight pounds of silver
were afterwards taken from the Stag.
1t is situated on the southwestern
slope of Chrome butte, (the reserva-
ton line now is marked out over the
butte, leaving the Champion about
one-uuarter of mile outside of the
boundary and about 200 yards from
the gap or gorge IN said Chrome
butte. which is somewhat isolated
from the great Apache mountains.
This mine is on the eastern border OF
the mineral belt which crosses the
district in northeasterly and south
westerly course. This course refers to
number of mammoth tissure lodes,
lodges or veins that are traceable for
several miles and pre-empted under
different names, varying from thirty
to fifty land l might say mOre) feet
wide which / will classify separately,
of which the Champion is the first.
1t is in the syeniuc grauwacke group
! inferior, stratitied series, transition
rocks of the upper sllurlan or lower
devonian of the geological systems.
| Ii is quite immaterial 10 which IL De-
longs, rs both Of them abound IN the
precious metals. This group OF rocks
at some remote time has been consld-
erably upheaved, which accounts Tor
the limestone deposits mixed with the
! grauwacke beds which cross the cOun-
/ try in a northeasterly and Southwestern,
.Ily direction for several miles and
about six miles wide. In their llteO-
logical structure they differ a great
deal. but in their mineral constituents
very little. This refers to the rich
Imineral-bearing belt of rocks OF the
grauwacke group, in which the large
i true fissure veins are found, sending
loft a variety of branches and spurs
producing many varieties OF silver ort
iron the surface, averaging from 70 &c
l65 per cent. silver, in quantities rang
ling from few hundred TO several tons
OF such ore.
/ THE GENERAL COMPOSITION
OF the grauwacke indicates its having
been formed of fine detritus( mattel
washed from and produced by the dis
indignation of other rocks, and 1T
having been deposited slowly; but /
sometimes has fragments of rock, o
various sizes under that of man.
head. imbedded in it. This is nota
blv the case six miles southwest o
the Champion, near RarhbOz camp
where it occasionally passes into con
, glomerates, crops out at the surface
f after being capped over with quartzit
(about four miles, in segregated mass
es: compact, and in some few instan
+ ces inclined to be foliafOrm; very hard
: brittle and crystalline, of various col
ors, but generally a reddish brown
especially where the iron hat crop
out at the surface in the proximity @
c the fissure vein that underlies 1t.
/ assumes IA stratiform position in II
n normal condition. Up TO the presen
d time no rich deposits have been foun
: on the surface lin this district in tn
r ouartzlte formation.
;; The Champion vein is about tire
- feet wide. well defined, between tw
walls of grauwacke, (sycnitics) with
I din about 10 10 - degrees from III
Il perpendicular, northwesterly. Tn
n Ganruc or matriX is principally con
e 1oscd of sulphate of brryta, silici
:. mixed with carbonate of lime and q
Il cIllaceous earths. Near the surfaC
/ the present workings are about - fee
$ deep. open cut The matriX is in
IS hirh state of crystalliZatiOn, prOdu
% inc large and beautiful specimens
lcrystallized chloride of silver, ass
ciatcd with argillaceOus chloride
silver, brittle sulphuret of silver, silv'
r. glance (argentite), and the result
Is accommodation of the two latter varl
:. ties. produced by the surface infiue
Ices. black sulphide of silver, after Il
'' upheaval and infitrations of salt wat
Is into the vein which undoubtedly pr
es duced the chloride by the natural pr
= cess termed metamorphism. l wi
also state here that
FREE GOLD
Is found in this fissure vein, Chief
confined TO those rocks that are quart
= ose in their character, interspers'
= with mineralized brown gneiss, esp
.. ciallv where white quartz, decompos'
:, feldspar and chromate of iron predor
: mate. This portion of the stratum
! to a certain degree more or less aur
- erous. I believe it to have been d
V posted by infltratiOn, the gold belr
at IN solution in the salt water, while Il
IN stratum was inundated and subsequer
- " precipitated in the gangue or m
in trix of the vein by the excess of ire
~ in the same, assisted in their depo'
:, ton. (the chloride and free gold
,T the decomposition of one chemic
substance acting on another WI
which it has an affinity, conioint
f producing kind of electro-metallr
~ Inv the nnlnr clcclric currents. \