Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1877-08-28

suffic emily broad to embrace deposits
OF the several metals or ores here men,
toned. In the construction OF stat
utes. general terms must receive that
Interpretation which will include all
the instances enumerated ~ comprs.
hsndei by them. The definition of a
lode given by biologists IL. that OF a
assure in the esrth's crust filed with
mineral matter. OF more accurately, as
ag~grepations of mineral matter con
tanning ores in assures. (See Won
Cotts's Treatise m Ore Deposits,
Primes Translation, 26.) But miners
used the term before biologists at
tempted to give 1t a definition. One OF
the witnesses in this case, DR.. Ray
mond, who for many wears was in the
service of the General Government "a
Commissioner Of Mining Statistics.
and in that capacity had occasion to
examine and report upon a large mum
b4r of mines in the states OF Nevada
and California, and the Territories OF
Utah aud Colorado, says that he has
been accustomed as a mining engineer
to attach very lutte importance to those
cases of clxssifications Of deposits
which simply involve the referring of
the subject back to verbal definitions
In the hooks. The whole subject of
the classification OF mineral deposits,
he states TO bs M in which the inter
ests of the miner have entirely over
riden the reasonings of the chemists
and biologists. 1.-THE miners" To use
his language, "made the definition
first. A. used by miners, before
being defined by any authority,
the term lode simply meant that for
nation by which the miner could be
lead or guided. 1t is an alteration of
the verb lead; and whatever the miner
could follow, expecting To find ore.
was his lode. Some formation within
which he could find ore, aud
out OF which he could not expect to
find ore, WAS his lode" The term
lodestar, guiding star, or north star.
he adds, is of the same origin. Clnna-
bar is not found in any assure Of the
rarth's crust, or in any lode ~ defined
by geologists. yet the Acts OF Congress
speak, az already seen, OF lOdes of
quartz, or rock in place hearing CHINA
tar. Any definition of lode as there
used, which did not embrace deposits
of cinDabar. would be rs defective Is
IL it lid not embrace deposits OF gold
or silver. The definition must apply
To deposits OF all the metals named, u
it, apply to a deposit CT any one of
them. Those acts were not drawn by
geOlogists or tor g~eologists; they we're
not framed in the interests of science,
and consequently with scientific accu
racy IN the use Of terms. They were
framed for the protection Of miners in
the claims which they had located and
developed. and should receive such .
construction as will carry out this pur-
pose. The use If the terms Detn and
lode in connection with zach other in
the act of 1866. and their use i'm
connection with the term ledge in the
Act of 1872, would seem TO indicate
it was the object of The legislator
to avoid any Limitation in the applica
ton ut the acts which a scientific def
milton of any one Of these terms might
impose.
1t is difficult to give any definition
of the term a. understood and used in
the Acts of Congress, which will not
be subject to criticism. A tissure in
the earth's crust-an opening in its
rocks and strata made by some force of
nature, in which the mineral Is de-
posted, would to he essential to
the definition of u lode in the judy
IlltIlt VI ~ktOiOkiStS. Dut W tu0 pTdC-
tical miner, the fissure and It's walls
are only of importance az indicating
the boundaries within which he may
look for and reasonably expect to lind
the ore he seeks. A continuous body
OF ore lying within any other similar
we'll defined boundaries On the earth's
surface and under il, would equally
constitute in his eyes, a lode. We are
.f opi,.t,n thnrafNrn that thu forsV. oS
used in the Acts OF Congress is appli
cable to any zone or belt of mineral
lied rock lying within boundaries
clearly separating it from the neigh
boring rock. 1t includes, to Use the
language cited by counsel. all deposits
Of mineral matter found through a
mineralized zone or belt coming from
the same source impressed with the
same forms, and appearing to have
been created by the same processes.
Examining, nov, with this defini-
ton in mind, the features of the zone
which separate and distinguish it from
the surrounding country, we expe-
renee little difficulty in detei mining
its character. We find that it j. con
tanned within clearly defined limits,
and that il bears unmistakeable marks
Of originating, in all lis parts, under
The infiuenceOf the same creative forces.
1t is bounded on the south side, for its
whole length, at least so far As explOr-
atoms have been made, by a wall of
quartzite of several hundred feet in
thickness; and on its north side. for a
like extent, by a belt of clay, or shale.
ranging in thickness from less than an
inch to seventy or eighty feet. AT the
east end of the zone, in the Jackson
mine. the quartzite and shale approach
so closely rs to be separated by a bare
seam, less than an inch in width.
From that point they diverge. until on
the surface in the Eureka mine, they
are about 500 feet apart, and or the
surface in the Richmond mine, about
800 feet. The q%nartzite has a general
dip to the north, at an angle Of about
As degrees, subject TO soIne local varia-
tons, rs the course changes. The clay
or shale IS more perpendicular, having
a dip at M angle of about 80 degrees.
Al some depth under the surface, these
two boundaries of the limestone, de>-
cendinx at their respective angles,
must come together. In ome Of the
levels worked. they are now only from
two TO three hundred feet apart.
The limestone found between these
two liinits-the wall Of qnartzite and
the seam OF clay or shale- has, at some