New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-09
MINES OF COLORADO.

BELT-THE HECLA MINE AND THE EXCITEMENT
1T CAUsED-A SURPRISE TO ALL THE OLD MIN
FRs.
lFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT THE TRrBUSE.l
SILVER CREEK. Col, July 22-Athough the Sill
yer Creek and Plata Verde Mining Companies are
the only ones owning property on the chloride belt
of this camp which will be prepared to reduce the
ores which they produce for several months to
come il by no means follows that the mines owDedb
them are the only that valuable that other
ms are not certain to be erected here before Sill
yer Cliff is year older. The treatment of a new
variety of ore, with which miners and mill men are
not familiar requires experiment, and experiment
costs money, which only few courageous capital
sts who are full of faith and enterprise willing
to risk. More tmid people wait to see the results
of such experiments made by others, and then profit
by them. This has been the history of the develop
me of many of the most promising mining dis
tr IT'S i'm the West The great California companies
h; so made the Black Hills one of the
most certain and regular of the gold-pro-
ducing regions on the continent. When
other people timidly ventured small sums
of money in the erection of little mills and found the
business losing one. these great capitalists spent
hundreds of thousands of dollars, built the largest
gold mills in the world and saw, in consequence,
the value of their property increase twenty fold in
few months. In Butte, Montana, the richest mining
camp OF that remarkably rich Territory, there was
only one firm, the Walker Brothers, of Salt Lake
City, which dared strike pick below water-line,
for fear that the rich of the surface would give
Mace to barren rock at depth of 80 feet. That
firm with courage that was heroic, in the face OF
public opinion and popular fears, struck for " the
Deep put their shaft down 800 feet and reaped the
reward they deserved. Now all the owners of other
mi in tha 1rpf their
Silver Cliff is to-day passing through similar
experience suppose that there at least dozen
mines in the gently rolling hills north of the Ra-
cine Bow whose owners either have or can raise the
necessary capital for their thorough development
and for the erection of reduction works. and who VIII
go about il as some one else, by experiment,
shows them the best and most economical method
of handling and treating the strange ores OF the
district The Silver Cliff Company, although its mill
has not in all respects been a success has proved
one thing and that is that the chloride ores are
free-milling and are adapted for treatment by raw
amalpamation. The Plata Verde Company is al
ready profting by some of the Silver GINS mis-
takes. and have no doubt will make its operations
successful The next company which starts mill
will have the experience of the two for its guide,
and in year should not be surprised to silver
mills built in this camp with as much confidence as
gold mills are now erected in the Black Hills.
Ihaye not had time nor was it necessary for my
purpose to visit all of the promising mines on the
chloride belt around this camp. / came here hrst,
TO study this wonderful mineral formation as Il
WHOLE learn Its character and extent, and ascertain
as nearly as possible what its future is likely to be
and, secondly. to examine the particular mines III
which Eastern capitalists have invested money ana
the stock of which is offered for sale to the Eastern
public and to describe accurately as possible
what saw. In pursuance of the first OF these OBJ
iccts have been over the ground several times on
foot and examined the ore III many mines which 1t
will not be necessary TO mention here, even ny
name. They are the property of private individuals
and await a purchaser the raising of capital Tor
their proper development. Some time they may be-
come great producers of bullion. To-day they are
simply holes in the ground, valued, few of them, at
fabulous sums There are several of these mines
which believe are soon to attract public atten-
tion. and Of those propose to write something in
this letter.
TIE sARANE PROPERTY
The SaraEe Company was organized in New-lork
last January, the moving spirit III 1t being Dir. MILO
Ii. Parsons formerly OF that city, now OF Silver
Gin it Owls five claims most of which lie IN the
chloride belt. The more important work done on
this nropery is confined to the julien mine in winch
larger body of ore, probably has been exposed
than in any other mine of this class in the camp,
except in the Racine Boy and Plata Verde In this
claim large cut has been made into the side of the
hill showing good ore most OF the way. don't be-
evc any estimate that can be made OF the amount OF
ore IN 81 eht in the Julien or either of the other claims
belonging to the Saranc Company would be OF any
value. The developments are not such as TO make
even an approach to accurate measurements posi-
bic. should say however, that with the showing
IA, al Iy-h has n
taking into consideration its position and the char
acter of the surrounding country, the owners would
be justified in incuring the expense of mill. There
is good reason TO believe that the Julien alone can
supply the ore for forty stamps. and large bodies of
ore arc very Likely to be found III some of the other
claims.
The Sarane Company claims an interest in, if not
the entire ownership. of twenty-stamp wet crush
ing mill called the Adelia situated on Grape Creek,
about two mills from Silver Cliff This mill was
buIlt TO do custom work and the Sarane Company,
rs have been told furnished n part of the money
winch was paid for it. One of the first runs which
the mill M de was on Julien ores, and some contr0-
versy abont the returns If the product of that ore
has arisen which do not understand, and which IS
not of public interest. The Sarane Company, be-
licve will be producing bullion in mill OF its own
before many months.
OTHER MINES IN THE TEIGHBORHOoD.
Another mine in the same neighborhood, and al
most as much developed as the Julien. is the Plate
Piedra which is owned by company in Galveston,
Texas of which Mr. j. j. Hunter is president
This company is represented in Silver Cliff by
Captain Nathaniel Turner and Colonel George l..
Patrick who arc old California miners of great
experience not only on the Pacific Coast, but also
in Mexico and South America. These gem
tlemen also look after the interest of
two other Texas companies which own mines
here the Galveston and Colorado and the Chloride
The most important claim belonging to the latter IS
the John Hand, which is in the foothills northeast
of this place. and is a true assure vein. shaft on
this property has already been sunk to Il depth of
about 100 feet. The Plata Piedra Company is