The Elk Mountain pilot. [volume] (Irwin, (Ruby Camp), Gunnison County, Colo.) 1880-19??, 1880-08-19
SILVER DEPOSITS.

!
speculations in New York need some
information concerning the natural
formation, or deposit, Of silver bear
ing ores. There are at least two gen.
eral kinds of these formations, which
may be sub-divided as follows:
lst-The true fissurc, and
snd-The qualification, or blanket.
The first, as its name indicates, is a
fissure in and through the crust of the
earth, varying from right angle with
the surface of the earth to a dip or in,
cline of several degrees; but again, as
the name indicates, true fssure is
continuous formation OF ore, between
walls, of country rock, commonly
called hanging and foot walls. The
Presumption is that the true fiss,trc for
nation extends toward the centre OF
the earth for an III known depth, Ger
talnly more than 5000 feet, because
true fissure silver bearing veins have.
been followed even lower than this,
and ores taken therefrom at a profit.
True hssure silver bearing veins gen.
orally bifurcate either near the earth's
surface or lower down. 1t may be
here remarked that true fissure silver
bearing vein OF an average width of
two feet of pay ore, averaging sixty
ounces of silver bullion 70 the ton of
ore, situated, say in the State of Colo
RADIO, not too remote from a railroad,
will pay good profit to the investor,
but mines in that State, with a mar
rover pay streak and with less bullion
per ton, are now made to pay well.
A true fissure silver bearing vein. sub.
ject 70 the above conditions, is mole
reliable in its yield Of profit than a
good eastern farm. OF cotirse, there
are many veins much wider, and with
richer ore than that above indicated.
and which give increased pfoKt to the
operator. The operator of true fis-
sure silver bearing vein can almost to-
a certainty tell to-day just how much
ore he will mine tomorrow, or on the
tenth day therefrom, because Of Its
unvarying regularity in yield.
The second kind of ore deposits
under consideration known as the
blanket or qualification deposits are
almost wholly confined to Leadyillc,
Colorado, and its vicinity. AS their
name implies, they consist of stratif-
cations somewhat similar to the Goa!
measures of our country, although Of
course not nearly SO extensive either
generally or locally. These deposits
are also called silver bearing carbo-
mates, and are found in both hard
and soft condition. In fact, some of
these silver bearing carbona,es are as
soft as mortar ready for the walls.
The grand difference between these
stratifed carbonates and the true fs-
sures is permanency, while the blanket
deposits were and are yet to some ex-
tent immense in quantity, much Of the
orc is very low grade. They have the
advantage Of being cheaply worked,
yet they do not seem to have given
satisfaction to those who have invested
in them. As has been already re-
marked, the objec: of the writer is
merely to give to those who are not
acquainted with mineral formations,
a little information concerning the
two general kinds Of deposits of silver
bearing ores, and while, although the
writer is of the opinion that the true
fssure formations are entirely reliable
as producers Of bullion, he does not
wish to be understood as condemning
wholly the qualification or blanket de-
posts. They are good SO far as they
90, but without doubt the true fissurcs
of Nevada, Arizona and Colorado, es
pecially in the San Juan region, and
the Elk Mountain country Of the last
mentioned state are safer Investment.
-Exthangt, ". Y
S. Cullom & Co., the popular Tenth
street merchants, have purchased the
building recently occupied by J. +.
Black & Co., and moved their i'm.
mense stock Of groceries, hardware
and general merchandise into the
same. The building is situated on