Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-10-19
Tin Treasures.

the Harney Peak company's tin proper
critics in the Black Hills, which, on ac-
count of it's volumnious character, we
are unable to present in full. After
giving very full and complete descrip-
ton of the company's properties located
in the vicinity of Hill City and beyond,
embracing column and half of space,
he refers TO the exceedingly promising
tin groups owned by the company in
the immediate vicinity, and directly
tributary to Custer City, closing his very
interesting communication as follows:
Groups of exceeding richness are
found on the southwest circle near Gus
ter. They include what are known as
the Ruby, Tin King, Tin Reef, Darwin,
Gar, and Tenderfoot groups. These
were visited after an inspection of the
groups around Hill City. The Ruby
group is three miles from Custer. The
outcrops are unusally rich, aud the
veins apparently immense. They lack
development. but they carry great
blotches of ruby tin. All the develop.
ments are trenches opened along the
outcrop.
The Tin Reef is even more remark
able group. 1t is nearly 5000 feet above
sea level. An unparalleled series of
vast ledges or lode outcrops are to be
seen. They stand almoe, perpendicular
above the ground. and are from II to 40
feet thick and from to 80 feet high.
They have all the characteristics of or
dinary veins. The slate walls are dis
tinct and regular, and the ore is fire.
quently charged with tin oxide. The
Custer lode is very rich. Its ore looks
as though il had been sprinkled with
No. s shot. The group includes twelve
claims, and rich placer of 100 acres
irrigated by Laughing Water Creek
Shafts nave been sunk in various places,
and a tunnel is being driven upon one
Of the veins. The Tin Reef carries no
tourmaline. The slate walls are gnarled
and wavy. In some places they are
crimped like woman's hair. The
slate has bronze color. 1t has been SO
much affected apparently by the action
of heat that at one place / took out "A
slate cup big enough to hold pint of
water. The group is u mineral phen-
omenen unusually rich in tin. With
two years of development it ought TO
turn out 5000 tons of assorted ore a day,
with an average of not less thau 80
pounds OF tin TO the ton. Assays show
from 9 to l2l pounds.
The Gar, Darwin and Tenderfoot
lodes lie along the road from Custer 10
Hill City. The Tenderfoot comprises
eleven claims and sixty acres placer
ground 1t lacks development, but
seems to be rich i'm tin oxide. 1t car.
ries, as far as explored, wolfram, which
detracts from its value. The wolfram,
however, only occurs in spots, and is
probably not uniformly distributed in
the lodes.
The Darwin is one OF the richest
| groups yet discovered. IL is placed in
three claims, but neither claim has been
proved 10 contain lode. Immense
boulders loaded with tin have been dug
from the soil near the foot Of a cray
crowned hill. At least quarter of each
boulder is tin oxide. One weighing
twenty tons has been sent to England,
and another attracts great attention at
the Paris Exposition. The ground is
filed with these boulders. The hill is
being thoroughly prospected, and tun.
nels are being driyen by the use of air
compressors and Rand drills in an
effort to find the vein from which the
boulders came. Some think that they
came from break in the cracks at the
summit of the hill. The crags, however,
show nothing rich enough to connect
them with the boulders. 1t is thought
that the Missing Link l,;de of the Ten
derfoot group is an extension of the lode
that gave birth to them. Whether this
is so or not, every foot of the hill has
been taken up by prospecters, each OF
whom fancies that he may strike the
rich but unknown lode. 1t will proba-
bly, be found within the compaLy's loca-
tions. Assays of the boulders show 334
pounds of metallic tin to the ton. This.
rich as it IS, does not equal an assay
from the Cowboy. Eleven hundred and
thirty pounds of ore rom the latter
mine assayed over 747 pounds of tin to
the ton.
The darwin group lies between the
Tenderfot and the Gar. The latter is
$500 feet above sea level. 1t comprises
six locations and twenty acres of stream
tin. The Czar lode shows we'll. defiin-
ed vein peppered with tin. The
location also contains ridge of rocks
100 feet high, studded with massive
boulders. All are very rich in tin.
Some show crystals as large as walnuts
They are even more heavily charged
with tin oxide than the Darwin boulders.
A tunnel is now being driven TO inter
sect the lode from which they came.
An English expert says that when this
lode is opened ND il will disclose ore that
will create sensation i'm mining circles.
Several veins have already been opened
in the Gar group. The most noted
are the Delaware, White Eagle, and
Tinker lodes. They are all about three
feet wide at the outcrop. They have
been traced from 648 to 500 feeet' The
Car group is one of the longest lodes
owned by the company. The tin
crystals are evenly distributed, and
when Thoroughly developed the group
will undoubtedly prove mine of great
wealth.
The last group visited was the Tin
King, the latest acquisition of the
Harvey Company. The only develop.
ment is shaft thirty feet deep. The
ore taken from the shaft was 80 rich
that 1t has been sent to England. Some
of IL was stolen before IL reached the
plain, and was used by prospectors to
salt new dicoveries The company's
experts detect such sailing at sight.
One Of them tells from what group ore
comes by simply glancing at It. have
tried him repeatedly, and never knew