Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1884-11-25
ATLANTA.
The Mineral Formation Of this Rich
District. rs Described By = bistin-
gRished Foreign MineralOgist.

DsSNNss 10 A'oSCst Uvu ~ 0AStsus
gaished Foreign Mineralogist.
1t will be remembered that, last
summer, Judge V. S. Anderson, of
this city. escorted party Of wealthy
foreigners to Atlanta, where they re-
NAMED few days, and thoroughly
examined the ore bearing veins. One
of the party was James Thomson, F.
G. s., distinguished Scotch miner
alogist. MIR. Thomson has just arriv-
ed in Scotland, and delivered lecture
on "The Mineral Resources of the
Great Northwest" in which he dwels
at some length upor Atlanta and
her mines, as follows:
In the Territory of Idaho there is
range of mountains known as the Saw
tooth Mountains. Some Of these are
from nine to ten thousand feet above
sea level. The body Of the rock in
the range is dull gray granite. At
Atlanta City the series is more or less
circular in outline. In the centre of
the circular depression there is noun
tain which is isolated from the series,
and is fully 1000 feet higher, occupy
ing space of about four miles square
between the Middle Boise River on
the north side and the Yuba River in
the south. The junction Of these
streams takes place at the western ex-
tremitv of this mountain which is
known as Atlanta. The altitude
above sea level is about 1000 or 5000
feet. The rock is, like the surround
ing mountains, a gray granite, with
large crystals of feldspar. Along the
SUNNI, there are indications of a large
dssure extending from the east to the
western extremity. This assure, when
more closely examined, is found to
contain both silver and gold, and
along its margin there are a number
Of smaller assures. Those near the
eastern extremity converge in more
slanting direction towards the central
area of the great central fs,ure, while
those in the western side also con-
verge inwaruS to the centres from the
opposite direction, indicating that the
centre of the main ti,surc is the focus
or main body of the precious ore. In
all of these assures the walls are com
posed of more or less decomposed
granite. In several of them there
were discovered few years ago indi-
cations of both gold and silver. the
presence of which provoked further
research, resulting in the discovery of
the large tiSsure vein which traverses
the mountain from east to west. 1t
is Oh an average fifty feet broad.
The lecomposed granite is largely i'm
pregnated with gold and silver, and
has been desienated as low grade ore
Further research revealed that in the
central decomrosed granite there
ere veins OF silver ore from one to
fully three feet in thickness, which
when assayca in the Omaha Reduction
Works, were found TO be worth from
one to eight hundred dollars per ton
These operations were conducted by
the Monarch Mining Company (now
the Atlanta Silver Mining Company
Subsequently,, another company ac-
quired 500 feet in length of the cen
trail 6ssurc vein, and 1876 began te
prove the continuity OF the rich ore
zone. This was called the Buffalo
Gold and Silver Mining Company
They began mining operations, driving
first a crosscut and level near the sur.
face $50 feet long, then main adj
435 feet long, which intersects the
lode 70 feet below the uppe- level,
and then they excavated the gold anc
silver along the main lode 1928 feet
The company has not the necessar.
appliances for the reduction of the
ore, and, consequently, had to forward
it TO Omaha. The nearest railwa,
station to the works was 26O mile.
distant, and the ore had to be trans
ported that distance on the backs O.
mules, thence to Omaha by rail Sub
sequently ten-stamp mill was cree
: ted, and up till this date they have ex
cavated the ore to the depth of Is;
feet and 800 feet in length. The,
have thus extracted upwards of 1000
600 dollars worth of gold and silver
, Hitherto the company have only millee
the high grade ores, which according
to the assays or mill runs, have yielded
from 100 to 500 dollars to the ton
c They have left all the low grade or,
unworked, which has been assayed
!. and has Yielded from Is to 30 dollar
, TO the ton, willie some of it has yielde,
much higher percentage of thu
precious metals. The Buffalo Com
pany have driven adit levels, AM
have proved the continuation of ricl
vein of high grade ore to the depth O
$50 feet and 500 feet in length. Al
2 examination Of these levels showed
q continuation Of rich vein of ore
foot wide, and allowing ID cubic fee
to the ton, and calculating the width
myth and depth, it was found tina