Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-10-26
Custer Tin District.

nent groups Of tin locations in the Gus
ter district is taken from recent COM
munication of Hon. Amos j. Cummings,
to the New York Sun:
The Custer City is the richest of all
the districts. 1t comprises groups upon
the divide between Spring and French
Creeks, and along the tributaries of the
latter All are within five miles Of the
most charming little city in the Black
Hills. The Willow Basin was first
visited. 1t contains the Last Chance
group. Ii runs southeast along Willow
creek for nearly three miles. 1t is from
1000 to 2,l00 feet wide, and contains
more veins than any group in the Har-
ney belt. There are thirty FIVE lodes in
800 acres of ground. They are from
eighteen inches to over fifty feet wide,
mostly fiasure. A few huge dykes are
among them. The greatest develop
ment is upon the Flora lode. It is com
fined to a deep trench along the outcrop.
The vein is abnormally large and rich.
The rock is fairly loaded with the oxide.
Great purple patches show the presence
of ruby tin. This mine alone would
evidently be an ample foundation for a
tin mining company. Assays make the
astounding return Of from 3S to l,l06
pounds of metallic tin per ton. The
other lodes in the group show simple
assessment work. All have been re-
Gently located.
Another remarkable group is the
Manitoba. 1t lies upon divide near
Custer City, and includes twenty-five
locations and 226 acres. No. IL is the
heart of the group. 1t outcrops at the
summit of the elevation, and is really
one of the most interesting veins in the
Hills. 1t is the only mine besides the
Eta that contains rock with green
stain. 1t is what is termed a contact
vein. Two shafs over thirty feet deep
show walls beautifully defined. One is
granite and the other slate. The lode
connects the two formations. 1t is fully
thirty feet wide and richly impregnated
with tin. Detached boulders can be
traced 1000 feet down the slopes. I'M
mense bouders in the valley are stud
ded with the oxide. From one crystal
as large as mans fist has been taken.
The group was located in May, 1888. 1t
ranks as one Of the best IN the district,
and will undoubtedly produce high
grade ore in large quantities for centu-
ries. The assays return from 80 TO 362
pounds of tin per ton.
The Portland group, not far away,
contains eight lodes and eighty-two
acres. True fissures are being tunnelled
for development Assays reveal from
ten 10 sixty pounds to the ton.
Ihe Polo group, covering twenty-three
lodes aud 236 acres, shows veins unusu-
ally wide we'll defined, and rich. The
ore is Of the same character rs the ore
in the Last Chance, and the group
promises to be equally AS productive.
The locations, however, are new, and
await needed work. The same may be
said Of the Moro group, comprising
twenty-three lodes and 23b acres. Moth
ing is known as To the value Of the ore.
The outcrops are bold, and can he traced
for from sou to 500 feet. The Stockade
is another undeveloped group. 1t covers
thirty five lodes and 579 acres. The
latter includes placer of li0 acres.
The Truro is another immense group.
1t absorbs Al lodes and 455 acres. 1t is
in fair way for development. The
outlook is bright. Its ore is apparently
above the average, but | could secure
no assay. Another group, known as the
Pansy, with 10 locations and 1875 acres,
has been in existence only few months.
1t looks well, but there is hardly a hole
or even scratch upon its lodes. The
last gioup examined was the Black
Diamond. 1t should not be confounded
with the Black Diamond lode of the
Remington district. The little work
upon its veins has exposed great guam
titles OF ore choked with large crystals
of black tin. The veins are from eight
| IN tua faAat u,iHn anH ha fro oal
5000 feet.
This closed my investigations in the
Harney region. Most of the claims in
these districts have been located within
the last twenty months. The assays in
each case have been made by Prof. Bal
ley of the School Of Mines from ten
pound samples of three grades of ore.
He says that he is conyinced that these
groups contain the largest and most
valuable aggregation of tin veins ever
brought to the attention of the world.
He estimates that the main .odes of the
Martha Washington, Evergreen, Cali
fornia, and Semelias groups, if cut to q
depth of 500 and length of 500 feet,
would yield 6,0S5 tons of metallic tin.
He thinks that the main lode of the
Last Chance, with q cut 1000 feet long
and 500 feet deep, would turn out %, 1888
tons. These are only five of the 700
lodes near harney's Peak. Such cuts
would be only a fair development OF
each lode, and the aggregate would be
2S,4lS tons of tin, worth, at twenty cents
a pound, $500 net ton, or $ll, ,767, 200
in all. Deduct even rs per cent from
Prof. Bailey's figures, and there is not
the shadow Of a doubt that the Harney
n n n a
whole world with tin. The total pro-
duction of the world in 1888 was less
than 10000 tons. The United States in
the same year paid over $4,000, 900 for
tin from abroad. The importation at
the port OF New York alone was 1886
tons of tin and 2,0l9,649 boxes of tin
plate. Strauss & Go. Of London report
ed that the total visible tin supply OF the
world in the London market on July 81
last was only l2,753 tons.
These fig,ircs certainly give an inkling