New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-07

down to the primitive rock or even to contact
with limestone /; and il is because the public nave
gradually come to the conclusion that there IS no
ore in Fryer Hill below the deposits near the sur
face that the mines seems to be exhausted tneir
stocks are held in so slight esteem.
The geological formation of the hill, as far as u
has been examined, is one that is favorable to the
presence Of ore at considerable depth. Be
low the wash" that has been de-
posted on the surface by glacial
action. there is stratum of porphyry,
very irregular in FORM As rule the ore is beneath
IT, bu sometimes the volcanic rock rises in folds or
hills with the ore distributed over the top aud at
the sides Intimately associated with the slver-lead
Orc and yet antagOnstc TO 1t, for IT frequently cuts
off the ore shucs with great abruptness, are masses
of oxide of iron mixed with manganese and other
base metals-the ore, the porphyry bikes and the
iron often forming such tumble as to be very per-
picking even to the most experienced mining experts
1t will thus be seen that the ore ON Fryer Hill does
not lie in the contact between porphyry and lime
stone or quartze as in other mines in the vicinity
of LeadvilIe but far can be Judged in cavities
or pockets IN the porphyIy and oxide OF iron.
When Mr. Hcrricl took the management of the
Little Pitsburg mine last spring. there was shaft
in the Dives ground belonging TO that company
which had been sunk 1877 feet through barren iron
caused a hole to be made with diamond
drill 273 feet deeper and the cores for ali except
the last fifteen feet were preserved For distance
of $50 feet from the surface the ir0n-stalned por-
phyry continued and then the drill struck INTO
stratum of quarzite, which was % feet tnck. Az
depth of 2O5 feet from the surface soft material
was encountered which appeared to be sand but
the drill soon passed into quarzite again and con-
tnucd liz it until, at depth of $50 feet from the
surface band of iron ore six inches thick was
found, hichassaved from one-hall TO two ouncesoi
silver to ton The last fragment of the ore recovered
was i inches long and 1l2 inches IN dame
ter and came from Immediately below the lTon' IL
contained half-a-dozcn pieces of Gaena, each l16h
of an inch IN diameter The drill went fifteen feet
lower in soft material, but stuck so fast that 1t
could not be removed from The hole, aud was broken
oil.
The indications given by this experiment are
very interesting and important. They show that
while great masses of barren porphyry and quartz
ite lie below the ore bodies that were first dlscoV-
cred, there is rock at "a still greater depth which
contains at least trace of SILVER so that II GER
talnly would not be wise for the great companies TO
abandon Fryer Hill until it has been proved beyond
question that there rich ore in the true con-
tact The expense to each company Of sinking
combination shaft to depth of 900 or 600 ieet
would not be very great, but If no arrangement can
be made between the different companies. Mr.. Her
rick thinks that ne could put tho DAILY shaft on the
Little Chief down to depth of 800 feet at an cX-
pense of only about 500, 800, $4,000 Of which he
would have to cxpend for pump. The experiment
certainly ought to be made.
THE ROBERT L. LEE AND oTHTR MINES.
No description of Fryer Hill is complete without
some mention of one of the most remarkable mines
in the whole camp the Robert +. Lee. This prop
crtv Is on the east side of Fryer Ill., where slopes
TO the south toward Dry Stray Horse Guch. year
ago last spring, before discovered III H.
nearly one third of it offered for sale for Sl2OO'
and was thought to be dear at that price, even IN
those DAYS of inflated ideas. Soon after large de-
posit of vtry rich found in it, and ever stree
it has paid large profits to the five or Six gentlemen
who own it.
The orc-shu'e in the Little Pttsburg Little Chief
Anne ard Climax mines is cut off on the southeast
bya dixie of oxide of iron, which lies between the
great south shute of Fryer Hill and the Robert +.
Lee deposits. Still farther to the southeast and
the other side of Dry Stray Horse Gulcb extending
nearly parallel with the iron belt is dixie of dorte
The space between them is n deep sag, and in this
depression there is large accumulation OF very rich
chloride ORE as if it had been washed down from the
higher ground each side The underground
workings which visited have not been carried far
enough TO show the shape extent of the ore body,
but the ore seems to grow thicker and richer toward
the southeast as the basin increases in depth, and
there is every reason to suppose that 1T
extends across the gnlch until 1t is cut off by the
dixie of diorite mentioned above As the Robert L.
Lee mine is owned by private company, there is
no way of ascertainlng what its product has been
In seventeen hours, one day last spring, ore that
sold for $4,000 was taken out. Some OF the
chlOrides OF silver are the richest have ever seem
Considerable quantities Of ore running 5000 and
5000 ounces OF silver to ton have been shipped,
and | suppose that the average yield of all the
Robert f. Lee ore is more than 200 ounces to a ton.
Adjoining the Robert Z. Leo is a mine called the
Little Silver which is sinking a shaft that will un-
doubtedy strike the Lee orc body. Its operations
have been obstructed by a large quantity OF water.
which it has been impossible for the managers to
dispose of.
West of the Robert E. Lee and Little Silver is
the Matchess mine, owned by ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Tabor The ore in this claim seems TO be sort Of
connecting link between the great south shute and
the Robert 4. Ice deposit. and partakes of the
nature of both Its shipments now about $50
tons month"; averaging $50 ounces or silver 10
ton The first-class yields about 800 ounces the
sccond-class 10 to 100 ounces, and the tnrdciass
So ounces. Some very rich specimens of chloride OF
silver are fOnnd in the MatcheSs mine, and while
there not III IL large mass of ore IN sight. the
property has a thrifty promising look. r. L. ".
BITS or CRI1lCISM.
The ARTIST AND SOCIETY.-Sr Edwin Land