Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-11-20
The Douglass Mine at Bluehill,

/ At Tue request III TIE President aud DE-
rectors OF the Douglass Nine In BinehiIl. a
careful examination of that mine has been
made by Prof. W. r Stewart, the well
known Comstoek geoIogist, scientist, ex.
pert and mining engineer. His examina-
ton Included the topography. geology aud
minerslogy al the Bluchili system of min.
erslized veins. His report was published
In full In III" Boston Advertiser of Nov
18th. from which We gather the folio , ING
extract. OF the general features Of th. ore
belt Prof Stewart says:
As will presently appear. the DEVELOPMENT.
which haNe bcen made during the past three
wears in the various mining loo .,ions AZ JtIup.
hill district furnish induhiable assurance M 4,
the owners OF those properties are respectively
on the verge OF realizing priceless bon auzas al
precious AMI useful metals. That | am neith-
rr eNtrsNagani nor premature IN hazaplinr
lhis opinion eau, think, b. fairly proved hy A
full presentation OF facts conurrtrd with The
present development Vi the mines. ami by 4
careful define stion 81 their geological and min
eraiogieai surroundings. | sm fully aware that
h,ueh popular -csp'cism exists. even here in
Mslne, ~ 10 the bare possibility of the eXi..
teBee OF valuable ore deposits in this purfion Of
the continent: but. knowing that y like scrati.
cism i"r long time prevailed ia relation to
'he repuied fertility OF the mines OF Colorado
I and h1kota and knowing a. We now IN NAT
sill doubt A. TO the richness OF those mir,s. h,s
been completely removed by actual eN mora.
/ ton. II j. -air 10 predict that the eon~cr, ,lt ~
caution and lack oflaith which now prevail. In
ibi- community will rapidly fade out a. The
Z forward.
The mean elevation Of the or,-bNartp, basln
above the level of the bay Is about 20o feCi. nut
! A. the minrraliXrd zone extend. cat and west
| to the distance of four or five miles. the cleya-
| lions aud dcpressous on the surface are very
variable.
! GEOLOGY or TIM PLuEHIIL SYSTEM.
/ A. before stated, the cnyirnning Of the rorks
/ Of The Bluehill basin are chiefly GRANTEES anil
! quantities.. while tho intervening minrraltkel
/ zone OF schisiose strata has already been r.
/ ierred To the iiuTouian period. Thi- remark
I able zone OF metaphoric schists extends from
the sea coss, on tn east 10 the granite ril-c on
/ the west. aud i tour mics or mon, in longitude
! aud Ia. an average diameter from north To
south Of from list 10 300 feet A. ssutirr
belt OF mctarhoTt- strata i morr or lrs. miner.
I aliIed with element. mnre Abundantlv cuncru-
I traird Ia wcli-'iesbcd veins. or ore channels, /
/ think II Is safe to designate the entire zone n.
I an orC-r0ntainirg lode. resting between wall.
I oi granite and 'UaftEitc. Ia other worfs-t
I J. an immense contact vein. containing rourru.
I ifaicd channels Of orr. precisely similar 10 tho
grcat oTv-bcsrns vein At Eurcka. Nevada.
E whl-h has an svrrasr breadth Of 49, feet srI
rsis hc,ween walls OF quartziie and ,l1lamits
II ! irrsh in the memory Of tho ptIh.ir thar
several Of the foremost BIOLOGISTS in this corr
try rrcrntIy tcstitcd 10 The tact that tho broad
Eureka ore hauncl /. 4 true contact fssurr
vein. OF lode and a. the Rlgchtl zone j. wall.i
IN = precisely similar wAy.-cxrrpt that ono
wall l. here granite. instead of dolomitr.-it ..
fair TO give both systems the designation 90
gcninue oouiart assure loi~..
The s;surtGral conditions % the Bluch.i
Tocks arr worthy % special attention. Ilr
orr channels. or heavily minsralzs,l srtu. li-
parallel 10 each other. and nvc mainly couhr,l
10 The northern half Of The Errai zaur. ~
surface irsclBEs and by sinking prospective
shafs al various points ia the basin. A. many
a. three. and possibly four. Of these parallel
orr-chAEnr.s have been sxpo.-d. aud IL !. .
noteworthy fat that the vein, or oTr-shauuv's
ali inatn,atu a conf5rmsb,c trend auI 80 VITA
u" qualification and inclination % the inrio--
Ing guartInsc schtst.: aud thcsc again are iu
perfect harmony with ih" lrvni sad Or oi The
massive quartz dyke which borders the north
eEu Fim oi the mlncraltzed zone. The genera
trend. OF direction % the cleavage. Or Ianiut-
ton. Of The sChi.is, a. well A. % the rurlpsfi
veins or channels. .. nearly ras; and wrsf .n.l
the strata AMI veins bold a uniform dlp or ir-
ciina'iou toward the south Of from -. lo ~
below the horizon. The granite rucA. which
Hank ihc south margin of the Zone ani which
unlrrie the south half u tho second Fuut.~
fAtf "a al HbANNlAN falAfHlhfE&s OF ION AtI Alff
north. and consequently unIcriic the upiurn.d
-raistu~c strata From thls autlciInal arrausr-
M nt % iiir granite bel aud Of thr oyrrlytuE
srAi-ts AMI quaTtEitcs. q will D. readily seen
that the broad mineralirci zone occupies the
channel Of 4 profound Trough with thf
.puthern edge % the Enav gradually thIHntrs
out a. u adsa upon the inciuri foot 10 tile
granite. A. g = not probable that fhv ogr-
vein. VII V"ucirs'r tho solid granite thl. thin
ming out Of III" schi-fs toward the south j. su..
arsr -. Nar.s o. J..
se'urc deep anl permanent sc.n. u that
quarter. Luckily the principal or-.ch sunrl.
arr situate! ur4r the extreme northern border
81 th' zone. ant o.. the lip of tho strais q. seer
y vertical, AMI the mlprra ned bolt B.
from 90 90 $50 feet broad A, the .urfarr the
orc channel. ar d1ubtles, profound iu Ivp,l.
The harhA fniucs have. from th- frst, main
iainrd The popular reputation ui b-ing simply
copper mine-, and they are Al iht- MON, 10
worked ostru.ibly Tor COPPER urelueI. That
these mines are surprisingly fertile in ihr RI
Gus crrs % copper = certainly tFuc, F8' '1T
rca.1ns % II gwen further on. atm f4i., .l...-
IT'D That the tim" j. not remote tn the lulurr
whcn the Blurhil mines will Yield abunIan.ly
FAR more valuable metal than copper matte.
TnE DOUGLASS MISE.
The property Of the Douglas Minln- Com
pany /, located In The we.irra end Of th- Blue
bill systrn. aud The prcscut mining wor.. ,r-
cuBy position about 80 feat FROM the Gurih
shorr-iinc Of Pond number .. The mine ',r.
IN the heart of Tract % land couiAiuln; h'ts-
two acres, 10 which the company hold t.t!r to
irr-sinps"- The COMPANY bold. .im .lr ;!r
to an adjacent ut containing t.rt. WIS. ~
timber AuI woodland. fLl, ashamed trl-l B.
\ valuable adjunct 10 the mining work. far i
not Only contains much excellent i've iut-T,
but u also secures the perpetual wAt.r-rish- 10
the stream which forms the natural outlet Il
Pond number 3 anil thi- ponj. Or IsAetrt,
has al elevation OF over forty ty,t above The
hosting works. 1t will always furnl-h an alum
dani supply Of water Tor all purpo>e, u the
mine.
A. before stated. the trend or strike q The
great ore channel /. nearly east aud w,.t. AMI
the Douglas Company own. l.lVp linear fevt
Of the lode, the east end line Of the lain c3m-
mencing nj the western boundary Of the Alan
lie property, and thence extending 10 q IJlit
west OF the bOugiAss hOi.tng works. OF the
possible Diameter Of the Douglas. loIr. no Juc
A. yet know, anything. Already, ~ the .hal-
low depth Of thiriy-iyc feet, solid ore-tody
has been cut, which j. twenty feet Ia diameter
and there is not the slightest indication Of a
wall on either side OF IL.
DESCRIPTIVE DELINEATIoS o. THE DOUG
Lass NINE.
The ore channel of the Douglass wa origin
ally prospectcd by deep opeu-cut on the slope
Of the hill 10 the west % the present works.
This open-cUt i about eighty feet Ia length,
and fairiy exposes he erect Of the ore channel;
but, by reason Of the oxidation Of the sulphur
ct, and from the action Of percuiating waters,
the vein Is greatly distorted, sud does not indl-
cate the true southern dip OF the lOle. The
Z principal work Of development has been per-
formed through an inclined shait,-de.ignAted
- Main central shait, which follow. the uatu-
| raj dip Of the vein 81 an inclination Of u.
| from The horizon. The central shaft has been
| driven bodily through ore TO the depth OF
seventy feet. A. the work Of sinking the -haft
went forward, erOss-drifts were opened east
| and west through the ore-chamber to the d.
| lance OF nearly one hundred feet. From these
| cross-driit. the work Of overland stopping was
| performed, and a body of ore from twelve TO
| fifteen feet in width has been extracted from
the bottom OF the Incline quite 10 the surface
| Although this excavation has not encountered
| the true wall on either side OF the lode vet il
ha. revealed the important fact that the strong
est ana richest portion Of the ore channel lie,
| toward the south under the hanging wall
| This fact Is In harmony with observed vein
| formations in other portions OF the world.
/ Even Hopkins long ago called attention to the
/ fact that, by reason Of magnetic attraction to-
ward the east and southeast, true assure vein
| which naturally dips toward either OF those
| points almost invariably contains a well-delned
| sewage or 'fuccan" on the upper surface Of
| the ledge. and that this huccan, as well As the
upper portion Of the vein itself, is almost in