Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1881-05-26
THE MOTHER LODE.
Captain FoIey's Account OF q he
cent Important Discovery.

Captain F0ley's Account Of q Re
cent Important Discovery.
Captain Foley claims to have discovered
recently the boss ledge Of all the Lodges in
this section. In the subjoined commune
cation he tells all about it
EDITOR SENTINEL: 1 have 10 inform you
that another milestone on the highway ia
being added to the progress Of Eureka. ]
have discovered the great contact lode Of
Prospect Mountain. The Eureka and
Prospect Mountain tunnels will strike this
lode at a great depth, and at that depth
it will be the richest ore yet discovered in
Eureka District. I made up my mind to
the fact some two years ago that another
| great ore channel existed in this district
the great contact lode Of Prospect Noun
tain. 1t set myself to the task, come
what might, of discovering that lode. !
have been on that mountain in search Of
it in snow storms, rain storms and wind
storms, through cold and heat, n after
many abortive attempts, I have been sue
cessful.
The lode bulges out in many places
through the everything limestone, which
enabled me to trace it o distance OF nearly
four miles. The Ruby Hill lode was easily
found, because it showed iron at the sur
face. There are no iron groupings to be
seen along the course of this ore channel,
and this may account for the ~incredibility
and skepticism Of prospectors relative to
this part Of the old mountain. Hundreds
OF men have been over this ground again
and again. / found several small flag
poles put up IN conspicuous rocks all along
the center Of this great lode by the scien-
fists who were geologizing this part of the
country last Summer. Little they knew
Of the vast amount Of wealth that lay en-
tombed under their feet. From the Basey
Canyon on the south to near the head Of
New York Canyon OF the north this lode
continues without q claimant, except the
writer's discovery near the head Of New
York Canyon. The strike Of the lode is
deep into the bowels Of the grand old noun
tain. And here is where the tunnel enter
prise will be Of more advantage to the de-
velopment than shafting. That the lode
continues the whole length Of the noun
tain, / have no doubt, from the fact Of
eruptive rocks being connected with
it as far as I have discovered,
and rocks Of the same origin
are seen buiging out ct the northwest
terminus Of the mountain in the course Of
the lode. The ore channel is Of immense
size, and is capable Of vast development.
Where I am working on it it is 40 feet in
width; in another place it is more than
200 feet wide. The discovery Of this great
lode will settle definitely and for Q long
time to come the long agitated question as
to the stability and permanence Of Eureka.
The geological structure is marked on the
western flank by q heavy belt Of silicate
of lime, which will probably become the
foot wall as depth is attained. On the
eastern flank the structure is marked by
clay and lime shales with q belt Of dolo-
mite underlying both. The lede is en-
cased in this dolomite. the matrix or vein
stone being feldsparatic porphyry, has
the appearance Of syenite, is composed
Of a white soda feldspar, q greenish horn
blend and o black titanic iron. 1t is not
| syenite, but diorite, allied to porphyry.
The Irish Ambassador, which has pro-
duced SO much ore, has, as we'll as the
Basey Mine, spurs running from this
| great ore channel. As work is continually
| progressing on the Ambassador Mine it
| will soon reach the great ore body. The
Geddes & Bertrand is on this lode as it
continues through Austin Hill. The work
ing Of this great ore body, as it pays to
| ship from near the surface, will soon
bring this long neglected part OF the
mountain to the front, and will be the
corner stone to the success Of Secret
Canyon. A series Of short tunnels will
tap this lode from 800 or 1000 feet or
more in depth. The geological record Of
the rocks that encase this lode is . sue
cession of events reaching back through
millions Of years. One Of the last Of
these events was the forming OF the lode.
Before Prospect Mountain rose from the
scene Of fire, an ocean OF water rolled
over its site. Time passed, and these
rocks were sundered by up-streaming
floods Of porphyritic rock. Prospect Noun
tain received its birth through this agency,
hoisted from an oceanic deposit to the
elevation 1t occupies to-day.
JOHN M. FOLEY.
Secret Canyon, New, May "a, 1881.