New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-03

degree impregnated by the metallic solutions, only
the rich strcaks thus described have thus far been
founu profitable TO take out. The work Of pros
pectng therefore consists not in searching for tho
peculiar kind of rock which carries the silver for
that is everywhere. but in looking for those por-
tions of it which carry the metal in the largest
quantities These are distinguished by their color
being more deeply stained black red by the oxide
of manganese or iron. by being looser and broken
up into smaller fragments, and by the occasional
discovery of greenlsh stains of chloride of silver
little nodules of horn silver.
In the Silver Clin Companys mines a rich belt Of
this kind extends east and wes( diagonally across
its property, which, by careful prospecting, has
been found TO lie 500 feet long and at least 100
feet wide. After removing the soil and the cap or
surface rock which is from one foot to eighteen
inches thick the remainder of the rock in this large
body is quarred ont and sent 10 the mill without
sorting Taking il it runs, rich and lean together,
it averages TO contain from thirty TO fifty ounces oil
silver to a ton. person acquainted with the ore
could pick out OF almost any carload OF II small
pieces that would assay 900 ounces OF silver. OF
even moro, to n ton and the miners, by sorting
the rock rs it is loaded into the could easily
send to the i'll large quantities of ore that wonId
weld 400 or 800 ounces of silver to ton. The
depth 10 which this body of rich orc extends has
not been determined, but cuts have been made
into it at several places in the of prospect
ing which prove that it nowhere less than twenty
feet thick.
VALUE OF THE PROPERTY.
Ibave very little confidence in ordinary estimates
Of sore in sight" They look well or paper, but
they almost invariably raise expectations that are
certain to be disappointed The ore-bOdy turns ont
TO he smaller than was supposed or it is not as rich
as il was expected to be- the expenses OF reduc-
ton are greater than was anticipated, or some
other mistake is made in the calculation. But IL
seems TO ire that there cannot I've less thah
lOOG 900 cubic feet of ore " in sight in the belt
have described as running across the silver yin
ComLany's property Thirteen cubic Get OF orc
weigh a ton. making the weight OF the Dody
7G923 tons If this mass gives net proht oi 30
a ION. and il ought to give considerably more than
that unless have been misinfOrmed IN regard TO It's
assay value the dividends of this company from
this single body of ore ought to amount to million
and q half dollars To obtain this result nave
counted all of the ground owned by the company
outsde of the rich belt to be barren rs not to be
worth mining while il is my behef that IaIeo
proportion OF the entire ground covered Dy 'ne
Silver Gin claims will be found prohtaOle 10 WoIh
although the product per tom will be much less IMAM
that from the ore now being sent to the MILL
ask no one TO accept my CONCLUSIONS OF 10
base any action upon them. have deScrDed the
ore in this mine | saw it, and its average aSsaF
value per ton have given on the authority OF Mt.
c. C.. Perkins the superintendent OF the mlne VINO
has careful assays made Of each days product
may say that the dimensions of the rich ore-body,
as stated above were the same, So MI Perkins IN
formed me. as those given 10y Mr.. James d. Hague
the eminent mining expert, who VISITED the hilhe
n few DAYS before l did and who is reported 10
have said that the prospects OF the Silver YIN
Company are letter to-day than were those OF Inc
Uomcstake Company in the Black Hills, hen 1t
determined 10 erect its large millsthe former has
more ore in sight now than the latter had then
The ore in the Silver CEf Company mines and
Those of all other mines in the chloride belt, can
be gotten out and delivered the mill cheaper than
the ores of any silver mines ever before VISITED ana
cheaper than those Of any other mines ever saw
except those on the great ree-mllling gold belt III
the Black HIPS Mir. Perkins has driven tunnel
through the face of the cliff and from this winze
or chute has been raised to the surface As the ore
is Guarried down it thrown into this chute, ana
falls into car standing on the track IN the tunnel
below This is run out and emptied into an ore
bin from which it falls through another chute into
the larger cars, which take II TO the mil over
tramway about one-third of mile long These
cars are drawn by mules. When Mr. Perkins gets
will avoid one handling of the ore and save ex-
pense by having the cars that are loaded III tAe
mine sent directly to the mill.
THE CoMpANYs METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS.
have said that the rich ore body now being re-
moved has bern thoroughly prospected. The open
cIIt from which ore is now being mined is near the
centre of the south side of the Racine Boy claim,
and is. l should think, about 100 feet square.
of b1V take
West of this cat three CT four excavations have
been made on the line OF the supposed direction of
the rich ore-bOdy In one Of these a trench was
dug across the rich deposit 90 feet long the whole cut
being in good At another point shaft is being
sunk which passed through the rich trachyte at
depth of about thirty feet, and then struck hard,
bluish-whitc rock, apparently carrying more silica
than the rock above, and only trace OF silver.
Mr.. Perkins, who is very experienced miner,
thinks he sees in tbs shaft indications that there is
q fs,ure vein of galena ore somewhere III the In
mediate neighborhood. In another excavation IN
the face of the bluff, thick cap of comparatively
barren trachyte pierced before the rich ore was
reached and the indications at this point are that
the paw belt pitches down below the surface and
enters the adjoining claims at considerable depth.
The Silver Cliff Company has forty stamp dry
crushing mill, with sixteen anal ganatng pans
and eight settlers which is run by an engine OF
200 horsepower. The present capacity OF the mill
is forty-fve or fifty tons of ore day. The company
is preparing for the erection of another mill on
Grape Creek, about two miles from the mine. AS
there are many interesting questions touching the
reduction of these chloride ores the solution OF
which is equally important to all the owners OF
mines upon the belt. shall reserve what | intend
to write on that point for separate letter in which
shall also give statistics of the cost of mining
and milling the ores by the processes now EN-