New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-26

relating Trat saw Il and about the Bassick. The
country rock is the trarhyte, the Bassick mine
being situated near the northern boundary of the
great dixie and very near its contact with the
granite which cOmpOses the Wet Mountain range.
Whether a crevice has been formed in this rock ex-
tending across the brow of the hill on which the
mine is situated. or not. has never been definitely
determined. Professor Newbcrry. who visited the
mine last year. says that from the fact that trial
pits sunk at several places east and west Of the
shaft contain ore he concludes that the deposit is
in true ssure vein reaching through large
part Of Mr. Bassick's original claim boJh east and
west of the discovery, although he adds that ex
tensIve explorations will be necessary to determine
the form and superficial area Of the orc-body now
open in the mine and to ascertain whether all the
deposits of ore found in the immediate vicinity are
connected with this or represent several somewhat
similar fssure veins"
The character Of the ore is as remarkable rs that
in the Bull Domingo mine, and ia. apparently, of
similar origin. The chimney creyicc in the rock
has been iled mp with mass of trachyte pebbles
ant boulders which have somehow been worn round
and smooth. but. as is shown from their compost
ton, must have had their origin not far from the
mine. That they were precipItated washed in
from the top and not thrown up from below as b.
geyser is proved by the fact that occasionally
fragments of vegetable matter like silicifed and
charred wood have been found embedded in the
rock by which the pebbles and boulders have veen
cemented together After the cavity filed i'll
this way. solution carrying silica and metallic
sulphides came up from below forming deposit
which cemented the mass together and forms re-
markably rich ore
In the Bull Domingo mine the metallic compound
of most value ID the cementing material IS argen-
tiferous gaena which. As | described in a former
IL +1,a inf la+.U
sometimes in an almost solid mass and sometimes
mixed with felsite and other yein-matter through
which II runs As streaks. In tine BassIck mine the
metallic compounds sometimes fiji all the interval
between the pebbles and bOulders, but more com
monty they have crvstalized around the outside
Of the stones IN the form Of concentIc shells which
are a quarter of inch or more IN thickness
and completely surround the pebble or boulder
nucleus except at the points of contact. In this
mine. also. the galena forms a very small part of
the bulk OF the and carries much smaller part
of It's value. The argcntifcrOus galena Is generally
found next TO the surface of the stone and IS not
generally more than one thrty-second or one
sixteenth Of an inch in thickness Outside of this
is a LAYER of telluride of silver and gold in which
are sometimes found very fine wires Of native gold
and small specks OF iron pyrite, Surrounding this
there is thicker coating Of sulphides of copper and
zinc the zinc blend bcin- most plentiful. The
outer surface of the zinc and copper sulphides is
frequently crystalizcd. Filling up the spaces be-
tween these metal-cOyered stones Is mass of chal
cedony and kaOlin carrying very little of the pre-
cious metals but there are sometimes found en-
bedded Id them broken pieces of the metallic shells
of the pebbles and boulders. showing that tie
cementiDq material was the last to come into the
vein and that after the ore had been deposi ed
some disturbance Of the mass took place. The
rangement OF the different metallic compounds
around the stone nucleus also shows that the ne
post was very gradual one AMI that the mineral
solutions which came up at different times were Of
different characters. From the surface to a depth
OF about 800 ieet the suphdes in this ore have
been converted into chi"udes.
CoNCfNHaUNG rlH ORE.
From the description OF the ore given above il
VIII be seen chat very large proportion of the
mas, Of rock as 10 is taken from the mine viii con-
sst q the material of the b1u.ders which IS barren
and worthless. While The metallic shells are easily
broken off, 10 hand-snrt.ng 81 tue ore can be bN
any means perfect. The richest portion OF the
rock VIII have large barren fragments oI stone
clluCng TO it, and an enormous quantity of rich
particles VIII get I'D with the waste concentra-
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