Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-05-03
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Tin Mines of the Black Hills

Tin Mines Of the Black Hills
Metal Worker: The newly discover
tin mines are on Harney's Range. The
location is near Custer City Ore has
been assayed. Much Of it contains from
z! to 81 per cent Of metallic tin. 1t will,
however be necessary to treat quantities
of the average tin.bearing strattication
! by milling and concentration before the
enormous find of tin ore is duly appre-
ciated. In the ensuing spring and sum
mer mills and concentrating apparatus
will be erected. The ore is Of grade
high enough to make mining and re-
duction profitable, and to give the
brightest promise Of the growth Of the
interest to mammoth proportions. Speci.
mems sent to noted mineralogists and as
savers have yielded largely in tin, and
experts who have visited the region
have given testimony to the existence of
great deposits. The tin ore Of the Black
Hills are no myth. Professor Black, of
the American Institute of Mining En-
gineers, reports the ore massive in
lunches, with spodumene, feldspar and
quartz. He also finds granular tin dis
seminated in micaceous aggregate of
gneiss. In the massive form the ore is
associated with the spodumene, which
here attains an unusual size 1t is not
only in direct contact with the spodu-
meme, but it actually penetrates it, so
that it appears to partly replace portions
Of the crystals. A specimen weighing
d pounds is two thirds lin stone and
the remainder spodumene. About one
ton Of fragments has been taken out.
Some Of the heavier masses weigh from
so to CO pounds Lumps weighing and
4 pounds are common. Most Of the
larger Jumps were too heavy to handle
with ease. A quantitative assay Of an
average sample showed the presence Of
40 per cent OF metallic tin. The rock
can be crushed with great ease, either
under stamps or by rolls. The tin ore
separates easily from mica and spar,
and, after crushing, can be washed out
by the ordinary methods of panning or
concentration This was demonstrated
by many trials in panning. There is
very loss. The ordinary concentrating
apparatus will handle tin efectually.
The tin mountain is in a very rugged
crountry drained by the tributaries Of
Battle creek, one Of the largest streams
of the Black Hills. Although the peaks
and ridges are rugged, the intervening
spaces are comparatively smooth and
open, and permit the construction of
roads at small expense. There is thick
growth Of pine timber and an abundance
Of pure water in springs and running
brooks. The rock, the vegetation Of the
valleys, and tine climate, all remind you
Of the mountainous parts Of northern
New England. Mr.. G. +. Kendall, an
English engineer, says that the first tin
ore is found about half mile from the
base Of the mountain, at which point
there is ridge Of quartz rock 300 feet
wide and from 100 to 500 feet high. This
ridge extends for over mile and crosses
the two branches Of Palmer Creek,
affording suitable sites for mill and ade-
quate water power for concentrating
works. The rock is composed Of mica
silica and porphyry, carrying a large
percentage of black tin crystals. No
rock could be more favorably situated
for mining. He was able with an or.
dinary hammer to break it at any point
In some hundreds of samples which he
examined he was unable to discover
any that did moi contain nigh percent
age of tin crystals. The crystals In
many cases are so per cent Of the quarts
rock, the black crystals. in contrast tc
the white spar and shining mica, pre-
senting most beautiful appearance
This rock needs no mining whatever
but simply quarrying, throwing the rocl
into shutes and ore bins and carryin,
the same to the mill for crushing anc
concentrating. To form any estimat,
Of the extent of this deposit is impossi
BILE. These mines ought to rule the tir
market Of the world"