Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-19

lUASAE, lex, Jan. 10, 1899.
To the Gazette.
Thinking that you would be interested
in knowing something of the mineral
wealth Of this county, as also the law OBJ
structing the successful working of the
mines of this class, 1 send you the follow
ing statement Of the mineral resources of
Hardeman county:
Commencing on Red river near the line
Of Hardeman and Wilbarger counties,
and running in southwesterly direction,
crossing The south line of Harde-
man near the middle of
the county, there is an almost continuous
belt OF eopper-bearing lands from one
half TO two miles wide, and also along
some Of the tributaries of the Pecas river
scattered over about seventy different
sections OF railroad and school lands.
All Of the deposits so far opened and
examined through this belt, consist
Of cupriferrus, arenacious, schist, un-
DERIVING masses Of gypsum, and are
principally blue and green carbonates
intermixed with hard and soft
Ignite sulphides, and in few places are
found the black oxides Of copper and
manganese.
These ores are found generally on
southwestern slopes and are in blank
cts from one to three feet thick, vary
ing in extent from one square yard to
thirty acres, and are covered with from
three to ten feet Of gypsum and earth
Along the foot of the Yourparika hills,
small quantities of drift ores of blue and
green carbonates and hard Ignite mug
gets are found on the surface.
All of these ores are rich in metallic
copper and easy TO reduce.
Scattered as these deposits are over a
large scope of country it is absolutely
necessary that any person or company
should own not less than GAO acres of the
land to Justify them in putting down
plant, the cost of which would be not
less than $50 900, which cannot be done
under the existing mining law. See
p. p. 100, acts of the Eighteenth legis-
lature Nor can they pay per cent. of
the gross proceeds to the school or any
other fund, nor allow the school board to
superintend or control their mining
operations. Mining under the law as il
now stands would soon reduce the sur
plus in the United States treasury if
Uncle Sam were to undertake to mine
under it. Having been nearly three
years in the employ of the Grand Belt
copper com pduy as engineer, ana living
at the mines for more than two years,
and after prospecting over all of the cop
per bearing lands in the county, have
correspondent with several capitalists in
terested i'll mining operations, and am of
the opinion that as soon as the above
mentioned law is repealed or so amended
as TO allow these mines to be worked
with profit TO the owners, the capital viii
be forthcoming to put smelters i'll opera
tion on the whole copper belt, extending
through HaTdeman, Knox and Stonewall
counties, as any company wishing to in
vest in copper mining could not do better
anywhere in the world than here.
These ores cropping ouls as they do
along the foothills with dip of about 10
degrees need no tunnels or shafts, and
can be delivered at the smelter for 81 per
gross ton
After mixing al of the different varie-
ties of ore in the proportion in which they
are encountered IN this country l find
the following to be a fair qualitative and |
cumulative ANALYSIS, to-wit: