Mohave County miner., 1885-10-18

LOST BASIN.
A Visit to One Of. Our
Prominent Gold
Districts. |
THEIMMENSE GOLD BEARING
LEDGEs TO BE SEEN THERE.
-~--
AND WHAT IS NOW BEING DONE
ON soMI, OF THEM.

distai,t about sixty miles from Mineral
Park. Until the ptst two or three years
the location OF this basin was known 10 bu.
few, although exaggerated reports Of its
fabulous ricaes wore disseminated all over
the mining world. For years and years
parties Of prospestors have searched in
=, ala for the Lost IIasin,- and have made
long ard wearisonc trips through an nj.
NEST pakn0Sn country in search Of it.
Tha; TIE gold ied9ss Of the Lost Basin dis.
trict have been worked in former year
there remains abundant evidence in the
| shape of tgnnels. sbafts, and other old
workings. bssidss the discovery of the re.
Most u these old shafts aud tunnels are
| filed MP With rubbish aIid drift sand and
dirt, the accumuiations OF wears, but not =
| trace Of any of tho ore taken FROM those
I u1r%ings hIs oyei besa discovered, and
what WAS done With il. and how il was work
ed, shsther by arastra OF otherwise, vii!
never be knoan.
/ The frs. record sc hasr Of any work be-
ing doue in our Tine Is s,insl from a story
I related by old sstfi ~ Of this c0Gaty that
| psrty Of slo.rn,ns, xho came d1sn from
Utah soG5e twsntS years ago, crossed the
rivcf where Pieeccs ferry now is, and wan.
5ered OF the road, and while on the divide
between tho upper and lower basins. and
alJou. six miles from ths river. came across
a gold searing lodge, ON which they SINK
shaft some thirty feet deep. This shaft Is
ssill iE existence, but II. record remains Of
! who ths party we're or what becariocf them.
IN 1879 party Of miners. composed of j.
/ X. MacEsnzie. p. liach AID Charley Byers,
oroapecied this district in search Of this
MoriaOn shat; OF which they had heard 80
n1ea. Attfr so arch Of several days Mr..
Macg,nzir tiiscoTsri the shaft=Ia re-lotsat-
I sd tho ledge Sslr by he aiso fonnd 10
alton monument with notice Ia II, dated
ia 1874 and signai by John Hancook. This
patty prospeoted several days IN the upper
! i,asiIi aud made number Of iocaticas, bat
did not penstrate 20 the lower one, winch
was Eot discovered until the fall Of 1881,
wilen John kreiner, W. III. Gam, Tcm
] Barns, A. J. LBngstrset. u. Scanlan and
| Others prospes.s,i il and locatsd several
lsdgcs. Locations we're also niade by Iii
i-nour and others soon after, bat very lit
tie WI rs vas done Grtii April 1882. whsa
the distrie. was regularly formed under
the ran,s of the Lost Blsin district, which
included Ia it's bo,1ndirios b,:h the uppo'
and i1xer basins. I, 10 supposed bY maay
| .list tho ioger b,sit. 60 which this article
will be sooci,.lIy devoted, u t1creiy con-
tInasti0a of the ayper one, the general d'-
rectioI,. size and pitch .; the ledSca being
identical.
The boundaries Uf tie district are as fol
tl1ys: Commencing at tho center Of W ALA
psi wasi, whereit runs into the Colorado
river and running thence eastsriy ur nearly
y, along the s0uth bIuk Of tbs Colorado
river to Pierce's Ferry; thsnce up along .ee
! main wash and wagon road LEADING from
the ferry To Grass Springs in soItLsriy d.
i reetion 25 miles; thsnoe westerly TO Patter.
sos,'s well on the wagon road leading FROM
Grass Springs 10 tbe L. Dorado mine
thence further west to the eastern bound
ary Of GJid BTsin district; and from thence
p,rtherIy along the eastern boundary oi
Gold b sin dat riet to the csnter OF Wsli'e
pai wash ard plsce Of beginning.
Havia. long. been dssirous of visiting
this distric: We accepted an invitation from
4 friend to jim him on trip 10 the ne"
mines np5 bei,g opened up IN II, and IL
so,as Of which wonderfully rich strikes had
been Iepor;rd. Leaving Mineral PARK oi
sunday Oct. lss vo reached tbs mines oi
the follow iaa 70 ernoon, and spent the re
raaip1er of that day and most Of the Ds1
IN visiting the mines. We give orr readers
he result Ct our observations while IN th'
district. toEe;hsr with snch information a
We coni eGtLer in regard to It that VIII d
Of interest.
l There Is no VOID Of any kind in the dis
tri.t. bat niniug tiibsers, etc., enn bo pro
|, cared at Grass Springs, some fifteen miie
, away. or tLey may os aCsted down he riv
sr. For wa.eY the district depends antiEsi!
Oh The Colorado, which furnishes an inex
.ra us,ible supply for any purpose. au'
which il distant freq fcur to ak mile
froaa The principal n.Eos. Tue lodges ~
. General rule axe urge, strong and we'll dc
: tincd. With ao,,d walls, the Groupings show
ir- up in spInS iI,stbEceS seveI ri feet aoov
p ths sorfscs, and ranging froi: two I" thir'
fee. IN ~ia:s, the irdle matter etnsist'n
? Of hard aiaty quartz, sn'aa.sp'ss white be
8 more generally rose culorei, carrying ffS
. gold in all its forms. In some ledges thsr
Z a re st1eaks u hG nsy con bed quartz whio
sre iIep,erssIy rioh in wire gold, Very fe'
of tbs ledgrs in the lower basin sarry an
!. silver wit ere or two exceptions. lhsr
are uum srous large copper Iedees 10 IN
: dist rict, notably some located by hsdenoo
Grant. pIfard and Luthy. There are sis
uuirerous galsns lodges carrying about
ouncss an siipes ~ the ton, with ~ TO 90 pe
? cent lead. Mr.. Ln,by has oas VI thrss Cal
ryiog free g,,ld IN the esiena. a very rar
, occu rrsnoe. and which assays about w pe
touir gold and silver. So little Ii kno"
x,,a,,t the min ss Of this isolated district, o.
GET. by tie isw who are living in their Ia
y, u,s diste yiesai.y, that adstailed deserip't
il, of some Of the more pron.insnt aass eaiiHo
=, fail o be interesting,
Ons VI the best knogn claims, ana Oh
= VIII ieh has gained some notonefy from III
fact that tnic third interest was sold u
!, On. n ,iss .Cestors for 5000 some i'm
!. since. is the
y MAUD ASGPEC6B,