New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-02
MINES OF COLORADO.
THE HARDsCRABBLE DISTRICT.

MIN ES Ot tOLOhhDO.
THE HARDsCRABBLE DISTRICT
NEW MINING REGION n WHICH SILVER CLIFF
AND RosrrA ART THE CHIEF POINTS or lNrhR-
Est BOUNDARIES OF THE MINERAL BrLr 49,
CHARACTER OF THE FORMATION AND VALUE or
TIE DEPOSITS.
lFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBuSE.I
SILVER CLIFF. Colorado, July 1.-The new min
ine REGION of which Silver Cliff and Rosita are the
centres, is bounded on the east by line drawn
north and sonih from the Arkansas River at Canon
City To Gardner a small town on the Huerfano lpro-
nounced Whar-fa-nol. and is aboui forty-hve miles
long and ten miles wide. II is by no means certain
that what miners call the mineral belt" extends
over the entire section of country thus included In
one-haf of it, at least, no paving mines have vet
been discovered but the entire region has swarmed
with prospectOrs during the last three years, and
there IS hardly a square mile of it upon which some
adyenturer has not driven a stake or recorded
claim Everywhere the evidences of their work are
20 be seen in shafts and tunnels. of which are
only n few feet deep and represent the work Of only
a day or two. while Others down hundreds of
feet aud have eaten thousands OF dollars or IN
vested capital. For miles around the two principal
camps the hlllsdes look like enormous Draire-dog
villages. Rock which on beng assayed shows the
of silver gold, both is found in almost
every part of this region. and some of Ii Is rich
enough to allure the miner on 10 the expenditure OF
large sums of money IN the work or development;
but the good mines those which have already
proved themselves to be such. can be counted upon
mans fingers and those which have yet yielded
enough to pay for the work that has been done
upon them are the exceptions among the really
valuable properties.
THE MINERAL BELT.
The HardscraDbie mining district in which both
this town and Rosita situated takes ITS name
from small creek which rises in the foothills on
the west side of the Wet Mountain Range and fore
ing its way through a wild and difficult canon,
flows into the Arkansas River seven or eight miles
east of Canon City. The mountains themselves are
of red granite which has been thrown up IN the
widest confusion and which the winds and rains
have in many places carved into al sorts OF fanias-
nc shapes. The range is extremely rugged, almost
destitute of large timber except in tine raynes ana
on The higher foo,-hils, and Is impossible for
wagons, or presume. even for horses except where
roads have been built great expense through the
canons and over the divide.
The western foothills of the Wet Mountain Range
generally present. at distance. a smooth rounded
appearance, with now and then a ledge OF rocks
sticking out of the summit or side, and while on
some of them timber Of considerable size is grow
Ing IN most instances the vegetation consists solely
of a few stunted evergreen bushes and very thin
growth OF grama grass. which az this season OF the
year shows signs OF life. The soil on these nils
is generally very thin. and, approaching them,
the surface is found to be covered with loose pieces
of broken rock which the frosts have detached and
the rains washed ont from beneath their 81 ght Gov
eriug of earth It's IN these toothlls that all Of
the best mines of the Hardscrabble district have
been found.
The boundaries of the rich mineral belt are very
sharply defined not BY the formation of the rocks,
for as shall presently SHOW that Is not uniform,
but by the developments and explorations that have
been made upon 10 IN mines and prospect holes. The
Wet Mountain Valley at this point extends north
west and southeast. and the two mining camps OF
Silver Cliff and Rosira miles apart, stu
ated about equally distant from Grape Creek. which
flows through IT the latter which is the further
south. being a little further mp upon the foothills
than the former. The altitude Of Silver Cliff is
T. 900 feet and that of Rostl s.73G feet above the
sea- No valuable bodies of ore have been found
south THAT is on the valley side of line connect
ing these TWO camps. A. 5he valley is approached,
what liners call &c the wasn' THAI s the deposit of
sand. gravel broken rock and soil that has been
brought down from the neighOOrIng hills. becomes
deeper and the bed rock OF " rock IN place
winch lies beneath, is dIliicIit TO reach. The
southern or southwestern boundary OF the mineral
belt NAV be said therefore, he along the edge of
the foot-bils and about two miles above The creek.
The northern Ok northwestern boundary is line
drawn from the Bu-DOmngo to the Basslck mine,
which are respectively two and a half miles north
Of Silver Cliff and RosIta. rectauge, Therefore
of which the Bll.-D0mingo and Bassck mines.
Silver Cliff and Rosta form tie four corners. ex-
tending in It's longest direction northwest and
southeast being seven miles long and two and
half wIde.incudes within its boundaries all the
best mines of tins region.
A PECULIAR FORMATION
The geological formation Of this rich mineral
belt if peculiar and very interesting Resting upon
and against the granite Of the Wet Mountain Range
and Is higher foothills, and extending down INTO
the valley beyond the line of the belt, lies
an enormous deposit of porphyry or trachyte vol
canc rock which, according TO Professor Newbeuy.
who visited the district last autumn. was poured
out and consolidated during the tertiary period.
How great the extent of this deposit from north
west 10 southeast 49, do not know but Its width
IA AT least five miles and its length IS probably ff-
teen or twenty. Extending into the trachyte for
nation from the southwest aud following its general
direction s a tOngue-shaped mass of granite about
three-fourths of a mile wide and at least seven or
eight miles long. When the trachyte was poured out
this granite apparently formed ridge which rose
above the level of the fluid mass OF the surrounding
volcanic rock and therefore not covered by It,
That II does not now stand higher than the sur
rounding country does not disprOye this theory.
because there are everywhere to be found evidences
of terrible commissions since the trachyte was de-