Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-08-14

we last week promised to give our
readers. 1t will be read with inter-
est not only by the friends of Mr..
Young, but by all who take an in
'terest in the mining operations of
Colorado. The letter has been
kindly furnished US by Mr.. Duncan
Marr:
IN CAMP NEAR LAKE CITY,
Duncan Marr, Esq, Cgarbsvilze,
Tenn
DEAR UNCLE-I have delayed
writing you longer than I intended,
hoping we would be able to make
some mineral discoveries, which /
knew would interest you more than
anything else; but as yet we have
received no reward for our labor
beyond tired limbs.
We left Lake City on the 10th of
June and came to this place, which
is the location of Mr.. Boyd's mine.
Our intention was to work the as
sessment on his mine and then pros
pect for other leads. Upon our ar
rival here, however, we found Boyd's
mine full of snow. 1t is located inn
mediately on the edge of a very
rapid branch, which is made by the
snow melting on the mountains,
and it continues to run until the
last of August or the first of Sep
TENDER. After we had removed the
snow, the water prevented our doing
any more work unless we could dis
cover the lead on higher ground on
the opposite side of the branch,
which we failed to do, although we
spent several days prospecting for
it. While we were engaged at this,
however, Tom Harris discovered a
vein CT quartz about $50 yards higher
up the branch. Mr.. Boyd examined
number of pieces broken off near
the surface and pronounced it very
rich ore. So we went to work with
drills, picks, shovels and blasting
powder, and spent three and half
days in getting down to what is
called the base or bed rock in order
to get a better quality of ore and to
find out the thickness of the vein.
We found it about four inches thick
and apparently very rich. Mr..
Boyd selected some specimens and
left for Lake City to have them
assayed. He returned after three
days absence with the report that
it contained iron, lead and copper,
with a trace of gold, but not a parti-
Gle of silver. The assayor told Mr..
Boyd that he thought it a splendid
quality of quartz, and thought it
very likely that he would find silver
by going deeper in the ground, but
this ne refuses to do, says it is too
expensive, and that he can find
plenty of mines before winter that
will carry silver from the top Of the
ground. We have it staked and
can hold it for sixty days as it
stands, and by doing a half-day's
more work and paying $3.50 to have
it negotiated, we could hold it for
twelve months, but Boyd says it is
not worth while. We have dug
altogether five holes in the noun
tain-sides without any success. 1t
is devilish hard and rough work,
and rather calculated to discourage
a "tender-foot," but Boyd is so san
guine that we manage to keep our
spirits up pretty well. We found a
lead day before yesterday about
three-fourths of a mile from our
camp, and it took us just one hour
to get up to it yesterday morning,
the way was 50 very steep and rug
ged. The vein of this lead was two
feet thick. We selected what we
thought the best place to commence
work, and pitched in and worked
until dinner without getting down
to the mineral. After finishing our
meal Boyd and Tom Harris con-
cluded that they would examine the
vein nearer the top, as we could see
it as far as the eye could reach. So
they took a hammer and climbed
to the very top of the mountain and
followed it a half-mile on the oppo-
site side, and after examining pieces
of the qnartz selected all along the
line, and failing to find any mineral,
they concluded to work no longer
on this hole.
We have decided now to leave
this range of mountains and goover
on what is called Clear creek, about
twelve or fifteen miles east of here.
Mr.. Boyd says he has seen some
very rich specimens which came |
from that country, and it has been
prospected but very little. He does
not intend TO 60 over to the Gunni-
son country until the government |
has made some final disposition of
the Ute Indians. The mining dis
triets adjoining the reservation are
flooded with the prospecting parties,
and a large number of old miners
have left in disgust.
Although believe there is paying
at this place that could be
had by going to some expense, 1 am
not opposed to leaving here for the
country we are going to, for this
reason The nearest smelling works
are at Lake City, and it viii he a
while before there will
be one nearer. For sixteen miles
rom Lake City up this way-in
act, as far as Sherman-the road is
Splendid and for five miles on this
tide of Sherman there could be
made very good road, although it
S now impossible for any kind of
Vehicle. Bhe remaining two miles
5 only a trail up a steep mountain
ide, and is only wide enough for
uses to travel singIe-file. 1t was
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