New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-21
SILVER IN NEW MEXICO.

IFROM AN OCCASIONAL CORREsPONDhNIof ihh i''i""''
LAKE VALLEY, n NJ, Sept 15.-A1ter
twelve mile drive the plains from Nutt St"
the fourhorse mountain stagecoach cntered tho owc
mart Of the glch which Is known at the Post once De-
parment as DAILY, but pow called Lake Naley' athousn
the lake Is five miles away AS the stage pasSeu
I'D the valley there presented the curious mixture
Of activity and confusion which attends the birth oil
frontier town The level ground little below the mil
has been mapped ont for the tOwn-site Here
wagon had Just been unloaded and woman
sitting on tho ground amid medley
of bedding stoves and frying-pans, trieu
IN improyise shelter OF blankets for herself and her
children Near by a blacksmith work in his shop
which consisted simply of roof Of canvas stretched
across poles sharp report rang ont "a drunken
cowboy discharged his Winchester at flock of hens
but the carpenters busy knocking frame houses into
shape and various OF sixshooters starting
out to prospect 10 return to their camps hardly
turned their heads Just above was the
building used by samplng company
and then came in the middle OF the gnch little lake
Of black mud the tanes from the mill which have been
damned up. Passing the thunder OF the stamps tne
office Of the Sierra Company was reached beyond inc
mill From this pitch stone to the main smart
of the Sierra Grande property sunk on the Lincoln
chain. low oblong hill extends nearly across the head
of the guch and four sierra mines are on its eastern
slope All along this slope found cropping out
freely and lying on surface I'm darkcolored float
containing iron and manganese. BY open cuts ana sl
low shafts along the upper part OF the Plata ana Grande
and TO less extent along the Bella and Apache much
Of this ore has taken ont simple surfac workings
The amount piled along the side of the street just below
the workings is estimated at from 5000 TO 5000 TONS
and its assay value has been shown to be from $50 to
500 ton. This which is called here loT-grade ore
has found in irregular pockets and deposits above
the main line Of workings in the limestone formation
which prevails here In the Plata property Ike the
others comprising four claims which extend from the
nj init hash
body seems nearly continuous tine hill side. so far as
can he Judged from the short shafts and cuts but no
deep work has yet been done IN the lower ground
The Sierra Grande has been developed by shaft
about 80 deep the line OF the Grande and Plaia
from which there are short drifts aud gallery Just
under the surface of the ground running norihward Tor
perhaps 600 feet This work is held to demonstrate tha
true contact vein exists here and not blanket deposit
with pockets At first supposed. This vein seems
10 run along the easterly slope OF the hill,
having trend about northeast by southwest while the
dip of the vein eastey at angle of about 43' The
work at present consists in following the vein in its
downward PITCH which will carry it beneath the street
II this is true vein rs apparent foot and hanging
walls seem to Indicate it can Of course be struck at
points the line Of the dip considerably In advance oil
the present workings. ana time ago shaft was
sunk sevcntyhve feet deep the other side OF the
street No ore was reached, however; the shaft was
closed up and nothing known OF until within few
DAYS some heavy rains caused snaing in which it dis
closed its existence This however, cannot be taken ~
conclusive testimony against true vein, for according
TO the angle OF the dip would have beon necessary to
sink the shaft considerably deeper in order to reach the
VEN.
Ientered the Grand, by an open cut or adit into the
gallery, and walked southwark throughout its length
10 the main shaft. Ore WIS exposed on both sides
similar in character 10 the surface groupings have
spoken Of and Of about the same assay yae Along the
lower side Of The gallery in several places the miners
were following the vein downward. This gallery runs
only little below the surface, so that on the right In
walking toward the shaft the ore is seen extending
upw rd to the top Of the ground
aud on the left hand tho vein, which
of "a of varying thickness, pitches down
ward at an2le rather abrupt than the slope OF
the hill. The shaft has been sunk In the richest
part Of the mines yet discovered Descending from one
staging to another in the shaft its walls 20 be
composed rich gaena ore for depth Of more than
thirty feet
SOME RICH ORES.
Not far from the bottom the shaft was shown some
Of the extraordinarily rch specimens OF horn
silver, native silver and chlorides which have
gwen this mine its notoriety. lump lay there
recently taken out OF horn silver, which could be cut
with knife like lead, and almost block of metallic
silver lis weight estimated at 5000 pounds, and
its value shown by assays OF chips from Dorngs at
different points considered to be $4,000. 1t was
piece Of ore similar this smaller that sent to
the Denver Exposition and that placed the Sierra mines
ahead Of the Robert T. Lee In their rivalry
for the best showing Near by, mbedded
in the wall Of the shaft, another huge
block Of horn silver and chorides worth SO to go
a pound. All the in tle shaft walls at this
point was exceedingly rich Besides the 1
have named and the native silver there to be seen
depOst of sand carbOnatcs, which add to the minera
logical interest Of this curious rrcsurehouse Like most
visitors ess iyed TO repeat the experiment now become
familiar of melting ont beads OF silver from some OF the
richest ores I'm my candle flame, but
I am forced to confess that deposits of
hot taow on the bare hands interfere materially with
sciendc investigation. The walls Of the main shaft
have for part been left intact and the richest
specimens In place Breasts Of have been left in
place too in the drift running downward FROM the lower
part of the shaft
Near this ia the bridal Chamber" OF which so
much has been said, which kept under lock and key
and reserved for holy The foreman unlocked the
door and climbed up ladder TO the opening 10 be con-
froned with the immense mass OF chofdos aud native
silver which have dubbed up from the depths
Of earth and been suddenly cooled by the action OF
water into the likeness of a miniature glacier. There
can be doubt of the marvellous richness OF the In
this particular part of the mine. From the fact
that the main shaft is just on the line OF the
Plata 1t probable that the latter will
prove very valuable property, although now little
more than very promising prospect. As to the
Grande may repeat that there appears TO be true
VEIN ten or twelve feet thick along the lower side OF
the hill and that thus far the Grahde appears 10 hold
the richest part this vcin since there at and near
the main shaft those curosities in mneraogy in the
form OF deposits and blocks Of nearly pure
silver which have forced their way In
molten state from unknown source
during some upheaval OF the earth's strata The
amount OF these extraordinarily rich in the nine
and Of the vein Of course only be
determined by development, OF which, as what
have written shows. comparatively little has yet been
done.
IL Is noticeable that the Grande is left 30 az TO
present the best appearance possible, for all
tLa nhnai nrn fnr IL LInahln In