Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1882-05-20
SEX IN MINERAL VEINS.
4 New Theory, the Sonndness of Which
Can Be Tested In this Section.

Can BE Tested In this Section.
The following curious communication,
signed by }. Van Cleve Phillips, appears
in late issue of the London Mining
Journal:
In reading Fourier's Philosophy in a
new book by Van Buren, Denslow, called
Modern Thinkers and having read
Erasmus Darwin's Love of the Plants
dublin, 1895; grandfather of the late
DarWin), find my idea of sex in min
eral veins fortified. MY study of the up-
per Mississippi lead fields was from lsIi
to 1888, and of the Missouri lead fields
from 1856 to 1880: !. The lead fields are
basins of limestone, these being from 100
yards to five miles wide, and the vein
system duplicated in each basin. 2. All
the discoveries of ores in the upper Mis-
| sissippi and Missouri lead fields NAV be
located geographically in the basin
i where they occur, and stratagraphically
4 in the rock and family of veins to which
they belong. The lead ores mined in
these flelds have yielded to date $780,
ooo, 900 worth of lead, all of which has
been taken from the small basins, or
along the edges of the larger ones, and is
from the edge of the vein system, and
will not include 1-20th of per cent. Of
the ores contained in the basins, AZ
shown in my unpublished geological
surveys of the upper and lower Missis-
slppi lead fields. 1t will be seen from
this that the existence Of lead and zinc
is now known which will supply the
people Of the center of the continent
with these metals when it shall have q
population Of 300 to the square mile, d
England has to-day
My first attention to the physical out
line Of the crystalliz; ton Of lead ore wa.
IN lSls, while experimenting lead fur
mace Ia Wisconsin. The teams were
bringing III ores from twenty different
lead discoveries, having north and south
VEINS, east and west veins, and stratitieC
VEINS from the rock and clay. The east
and west veins had regular cubes. The
north and south veins had the edges OF
the cubes truneated, and the horizontal
veins had the solid angles Of the tubes
cut Oft or truncated. The ores from the
clay were amorphous, and this form q
crystallization was duplicated in eacl
lead basin. This went to establish The
fact that the d-producing and crystal
line acton had been directly connected
with the vein system in all parts Of tho
lead basin; that the same force whicl
had been eAerttd to fill the vein system
IN one basin Of limestone had duplicated
that system in the adjacent basins, anl
the physical outline Of the ore was an in.
deX OF IFS geographical and stratagraphi-
Cal position in the basin. Afterwards
was LED TO the conclusion that the
north and south veins were the
positive or male veins, and thu
sast and west the negative OF
female veins. The north and soutl
veins were few in number, the eas,
and west veins many, and the nortl
and south veins always pointed tow
ards the basins of the east and ives,
veins. This law is noticed in thu
animal and vegetable Kingdoms, il
the sheep and goat families, and il
the cherry and apple trees, the males
beng IN the minority. In applying
this law to iron ores we sup, ose the
magnetic ores are the positive OF
male ores, other varieties the mega
tive or female ores. In the silver
fields the Gomstock, being north
and south vein, would be positive
or male vein. and the east and west
Niens OF New Mexico and old Mexico
the negative or female veins.
The great vein known as San Pie
tro, IN the town Of Hidalgo del Par
raj, is an east and west vein; also
the largest and richest mine worked
at the old Spanish mining town OF
lnde, in the State of Durango. Mex.
leo, and known as the Del Aqua
water mine), is an east and wesl
vein. | am not sufficiently ac
quaintea with the courses Of the
veins IN the mountain States to ap
ply this law OF sex To the vein sys
TEN OF the numerous silver and gold
bearing fields, yet | have identified
1T IN the vein system of the upper
and lower lead fields Of the basin o1
the Mississippi, and feel assured
that it can be applied to all the fam
lies OF veins which, as rule. are
aggregated around central knob OF
Boofa, which forms the watershed
of individual families of veins, ant
which families as aggregated form
the great stellar silver belt from
Montana south through New ane
Old Mexico, and that by close OBJ
servation the explorer and miner ma,
profit BY its application.