The Elk Mountain pilot., 1881-08-04
ON THE GEOLOGICALs FOR
MA1IONOF RUBYMZN

ON THE GEOLOGICAL FOR
MATIONOF RUBY MIN
ING DISTRICT
An opinion is quite prevalent among
the miners of this camp, that the fact
that we are surrounded by slate,-or
geologically speaking. shale forna-
tion-casts suspicion upon the per-
manency of our mines. Nothing can be
more erroneous. Many miners who
are working here, have had no exper-
ience in mines, except in the hard and
silicious primary rocks, such as are
found in other parts of this state and
in California and Nevada; and this
experience has led them to conclude
that mines must necessarily be loca-
ted in primary rocks to have any sta
bility. The facts are that some of the
best and most productive silver mines
that the world has ever known, have
been located in precisely similar rock
formation to this that surrounds Ruby
Camp. The mines Of old Mexico and
South America, that have been most
notorious for the production of silver,
are the very counterpart of these about
US. In South America the Chilian
mines are on the western slope of the
Andes, and are mostly connected with
stratifed deposits, of shaly, (slate, J
sand stone, or conglomerate character,
the veins intersecting with porphyries.
This is exactly the condition of the
veins in Ruby basin. Dana tells us
that, "the mines of Potosi, in Bolivia,
occur ir mountain Of argillaceous
shale, (clayish slate, whose summit is
covered by bed of argillaceous por-
phyry. The ore is the ruby silver, and
argentite with native silver" If this
had been written as a decription of
Ruby basin, it could not have been
better wcrded. The summit covered
with argillaceous porphyry is all there.
Again, the silver mines of the Hartz
mountains in Europe, which have long
been noted, produce the same charac-
ter of ores as those of ruby district;
and the rocks intersected by the veins
are mostly argillaceous states. The
vei:: of Guanaxuato in old Mexico
the most productive vein in Mexico,
and which has produced more than
eighty millions Of dollars-intersects
argillaceous green slate and porphyry.
Here then are some Of the most noted
silver mines of the world in the same
formation as that about us, and in
stead of the presence OF slate being a
barrier to the permanency or presence
Of silver, it is really one of the best
indications or accompaniments, where
veins exist.
AS to the permanency Of sucn mines
it may be mentioned that the Potosi
mines were worked for over one hun
dred and fifty years and operations
were then discontinued only on ac-
count of the presence of water. a
project has lately been set on foot in
England to reopen those mines and
oy the aid of improved machinery
pumps. once more make them available
for silver production.
Mining in this camp is hardly yet
begun, and the magnificent proper
tions that it will assume in the next
twenty years are certainly not appre-
ciated. The great veins of Ruby
basin, will be worked for century to
come and will be the source of i'm
msnse profit and fortunes. Fear not
the formation, it is a standard one al
though dissimilar to the hard rock of
Nevada or San Juan. What we want
here on these great veins is work.
Break the outside crust and the fruit
will be found within. Nature is like
a pastry cook, she don't put the meat
on the outside of the pie.
If you have good vein begin and
mine it. Go deep into it and the
treasure will appear. Adopt Whit
tiers couplet, but with an application
to mining:
"IdsA No longer, for know
fhat whsre the p,ow + deepest driven, the best
ftuih grow"
c. H. MURRAY.