Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-09-03

pELvIHa FOR CURIOUS TREASURES AMONG
OLD AZTEC ''pIGGINGs.

pELylSa FOR CURIOUS TREASURES AMONG
OLD AZTEC ''pIGGINGs."
Prof. Silliman of Yale College is back
from New Mexico, which he has been
visiting as an expert mlneralogist for
several Eastern capitalists. In n conver-
sation with n reporter of the Chicago
Times he said his attention was first
directed to the Cerillos district This is
twenty-four miles Southwest of Santa Fe,
and 1t is bor,lered on the South by the
Galestio river, an afiluent by the Rio
Grande. The district has long been
known rs mineral region, the mines
having been worked by the Indians be
fore the Spanish conquest. This was
especially the case with the wonderful
and renowned turquoise mine, from which
Cortez sent back to Spain magnificent
Jewels for the crown.
The turquoise mine is the most con-
spicuous object i'll the district. 1t has
been made a very convenient landmark
by the erection near it Of flag staff, sur
mounted by n globe of silvered glass.
This mine was wrought by the Indians
in the time of the Aztecs, and was subse
quently worked by them, with no tools but
stone hammers, for their Spanish con-
querors. The debris taken ont Of that
mine prior to 1850 covers n measured
area of twenty acres. The turquoise in
| beautiful blue stone OF great hardness,
and it occurs i'll a white or creamy decom-
posed feldspar in little seams and small
concretions. The stones are never very
large, being rarely the size of n hazel nut,
and the seams are not often one-fourth of
an inch wide, and frequently are only
one-eighth of an inch. The cost OF
obtaining the stones is therefore very
high
In 1850 the Indians revolted, drove out
the Spaniards and to this day no Indian
will give any white man information
about any mine. The turquoise mine
lay idle till recently. L has now been
cleaned out by Mr. HYDE. representing
Eastern capitalists, who has spent good
deal of money on the property. In clear
ing ont the mine Mr.. Hyde unearthed
many interesting relics. Fragments of
Aztec pottery, vases, drinking and cook
ing utensils and tools were found IN con
siderable numbers. He found many of
the stone hammers used by the Indians,
together with wedges, mauls, etc. The
hammers are fashioned from hard
syeui.e winch forms the crest of a neigh
boring hill. They are ten or twelve
inches long and weigh about twenty
pounds each. At the upper end of each
is groove so that it could be tied on its
handle. One complete hammer had
been found, the stone head being bound
to an oak handle with strips Of oak bark.
This mine is interesting as the only tnr-
quoi4S mine. and probably the Oldest
mine OF any description i'll America.
Very numerous silver-bearing veins III
tercept the irruptiye rocks which form
the Cerillos District. The whole region
is one of porphyritic or irruptive rocks,
which have been thrown up III a com
paratively recent geologic period. That
they were thrown up since the tertiary is
shown hy the facl that the tertiary rocks
ON the SouthcIn border are profoundly
altered by the heat Of the irruption; the
sedimentary rocks arc mctamorphosed |
into CRYSTALLINE forms, and the strata are
standing on edge.
The area of upheaval is six OF eight |
miles one way by four or five the other. |
Without an oSeaI .;-,, oil the rork- i.- s:-.- |,
area belong to the irruptive class. In |
them are numerous assures, generally |
parallel and running from the Northeast |
to the Southwest, and filled with mineral |
veins Of argentiferous galena, and silver |
at the rate of about forty ounces to the |
ton for the surface ores. The veins are
not large they are well defined, and few
have been explored below the water level |
Most of them have been explored only by |
superficial prospecting holes. made t,
establish mining claims. To maintain
these 800 worth Of worl must be done
annually, but the miners i'll calculating
this assessment work call eight hours II
days work, and value it at 81 an hour,
when they don't care to do anything but
protect their titles.
Some of the hills i'll this district rise to
II height Of nearly 900 feet above the
general level, which is 5000 feet above
the sea. 1t is emphatically a dry coun-
try. There is not drop of water i'll the
Cerillos region except what is hauled
four miles from the Cerillos Greek to the
mining camp. Some mines, however,
have reached the water level, and this
gives assurance that in the future water
will be easily obtained. 4 few mines
have begun to ship ore, but it is still too
early to estimate the pr0iitableuess Of
mining i'll this region. Many mines.
however, unquestionably contain enough
silver and lead to give assurance of pro
fits. What Is most needed is deep,
thorough exploration. When few mines
are well developed there will no trouble
about the rest The veins will unloub;
edly continue and will llprobably increase |
in size Few mines have vet been open
ID below the influence of the atmosphere,
where all the minerals are more or les.