The Black range., 1884-01-11

pings OF the two and resolved that AT
the first opportunity lie would return
and more thoroughly explore this spot.
This opportunity did not occur until
about the tenth of November last,
when having occasion to pass along the
road near, he drove over to the hills.
At the base of the ridge he picked up
some copper stained float and follow
ing tins up the steepest incline past
the prominent iron reef mentioned. he
came upon some more iron apparently
mixed in among the line. This he
broke and finding it to be stained with
copper he secured such of 1t as he could
conveniently and had aSsayed made
in Chloride, receiving a return from
one piece of sixty ounces of silver.
With this encouragement Mr.. Foster
had his location surveyed. its boun-
diaries well marked and about the mid
die of December he took five miners
down there, erected a house and two
tents and began prospecting the claim
in earnest. AT the point of the original
discovery perpendicular shaft Axe
feet IN dimensions has been sunk
about fourteen feet deep on the foot
wall. From it has been taken five
sacks of ore which will run $4,000
per ton, one hundred and forty-fve
sacks of $1,000 ore and some ten or
twelve tons of 800 ore which is dump.
I'd. Not a pound Of waste is handled.
About half of the body taken out
is thlrd-class and is piled up; a crevice
averaging some five inches is first-class
and the remainder is the second-clasS
which is sacked. The irst-class ore
has the form of crystalzed and horn
silver and will melt down like wax
when held in the flame of a candle.
The secOnd-class ore is red and yellow
Ochre and "A substance blue, red and
gray, resembling decOmposed wood as
much as anything, being easily whit
tied. The third-class is heavily cop
per-stained iron rock. Not much at
tenllOn was at first paid to what is now
sacked as second grade ore, until Alloys
Preisser OF Engle, assayer for the Hum
boldt Mining company, visited the
camp and remarked that this rock look
ed valuable to him and assayed some
of it getting 5000 per ton from it.
Then it was handled more carefully.
From the discovery shaft last week
two men in two days mined and sacked
one hundred sacks of ore. A piece of
lloat from the hill weighing two and a
half ounces, ,assayed by Mr.. Preisser for
Mr.. Foster, gave button containing
81 60 in silver. The deposit, or posi-
hly veln,upon which this shaft is open
ed shows upon the surface over space
25Xl00 feet with occasional small chin
neys ut spots considerable of distance
away. Alta point some live hundred
feet south ard little above the origi-
nal discovery point on the same claim
II second cropping of ore was found
which assayed S5,2OO per ton althou gh
it was III small quantity. A shaft
several feet deep has been opened here
in expectation that the crevice VIII
Iead down to the main body of ore. On
location made by Richard Manifold
White, called Jaqua, a southeast ex-
tension of the Equator, sixty-live dol
lar mineral has been found and on the
Meridian south extension Of the
Equator owned by j. NJ. Smith and V.
B. Beckett, mineral running from three
to sixty ounces is abundant. S. b. Fer
rec, Oscar Pfotenhauer. w. II. TIum.
Dor and Jack Farrell also have adja-
cent locations which show more or
less mineral.
The formation of these hills consists
of lime. iron and qnartZite distinctly
stratilied resting upon a granite base.
The hills appear to have been formed by
avolcanic upheaval of the west side,the
formation having strong incline to
the east, the granite base showing only
on the west. The wall of the ore BODY
of the Equator as shown by the shaft
goes down perpendcularly and it is ex-
pected that the ore chute when follow
ed will lead to the iron reef and pos
sibly continue with it to the granite
contact. The large amount of mineral
ized rock which is already known to
exist throughout the extent Of the
ridge precludes the possi biity of the
Equator deposit beng easily exhaust
I'd. However, if only the surface
showing is there it will prove quite a
bonanza for its owner.
Promptly upon the discovery of the
Equator mine being of value district
was formed and the name of the Iron
Reef given it. The law was also enact
ed that ten foot discovery hole or its
requivalent must be sunk within sixty
days from date in order to hold a
claim. This law is good one and
should and will be strictly enforced
and the location of the whole country
by one person will thereby be prevent
ed.
Ao tba nanc Of fh;o Of friGa haoop,ao