The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-02-20
TEXAS MINERALS.
THIRD ARTICLE OF THE SERIES BY
HON. z. T. DUMBLE, STATE
GEOLOGIST.
An Interesting Article ON the Copper
Lead, Gold and Silver Ores of
the State.

While ores of the precious metals most
assuredly exist in Texas and are both album
dant and RICH it is nevertheless fact that
| they are not so widespread as many seem
! to think and that outside of certain well
marked areas they have not yet been found
in quantities sufficient to justify mining
operations.
Every little while there appears a state
| ment of the finding of gold or silver in 9TH
| er localities than these, sometimes causing
ripple of excitement, at others falling
| fiat, but all ending in the same way-in
| disappointment. In such parts OF the state
where these finds have been made there
has been much more expended in the
search for fortune than has ever been
| found and it is doubtful indeed whether
any returns whatever have ever been Sc
| cured in them. Such failures are in nearly
all cases Just what could be predicted by
any one really conversant with the facts of
| the geologic distribution of the ores. They
| are reported from place after place where
the conditions are entirely against their
occurrence, and when further search
| proves the falsity OF one report after anoth-
er, it causes the general public to become
distrustful of all such enterprises. In some
otner localities, where the conditions are
more favorable, and where The ores really
occur, the prospectors, often men without
an adequate knowledge of minerals and
mining, have, for this reason, been unsuc-
| cessful in developing mines, even after
| finding tair prospects.
| Two of the areas of which gold and silver
are positively known to occur are the Cen
| trail mineral district (Llano and surround
| ing counties) and the mineral district of
| rrans-PeCos Texas. Free gold has been
| found in both of these districts, and there
is one extensive mine in west Texas, min
| ing ree-milling silver ore, but outside of
| this the precious metals are best known in
| their connection with the lead and copper
ores of those districts, and for this reason
they will be treated of together.
In the Central mineral district there are
veins which carry ores of carbonate and
| sulphide of copper in such quantity as to
/ Justify far greater expenditure for develop
| ment than has yet been applied. The char
| acter of the work that has been done on
these deposits, and the present condition of
the "diggings" are such as to make it ex-
tremely difficult to form correct estimate
of their value, but the distribution and
value of the ores and the structure of the
| country" is such as to suggest accumula-
tons of considerable importance at greater
depths.
| There are also indications that the geo.
| graphical distributions and actual occur
| ence of the lead ores of this district are
much more extensive than is now known.
New discoveries are frequent and aside
|
mineral of this region, but 1t is nowhere
mined at present, and no extensive bodies
have been discovered yet 1t is fact, how
ever, not generally known that the search
for this ore of lead has not been conducted
in the places where the chances were best
for finding it. ROCKS equivalent in horizon
to those of the galena-bearing beds of Hi
nois and Missouri are abundant i'll central
| Texas, and there is at least much hope that
these may eventually yield reliable sup
ply of the ore.
| Analysis of both the copper and lead
ores show that the precious metals are as
ISOLATED with them to q greater or less eX-
tent, and this must prove an additional in
centive to their investigation so soon as at
tention is properly drawn to them and the
areas in which they occur is definitely
shown, as will be done in the reports on
this district, now ill course of prepara-
| ton.
The Trans Pecos region has been more
| fortunate in the results of the work of the
prospectors, as, in addition to the numer-
| Gus good prospects" now open, there are
several mines in successful and profitable
| operation. This district comprises those
counties lying between the Pecos and Rio
Grande rivers, being territory of over 3d.
| 600 square miles in area. In elevation it
| greatly exceeds any other portion of the
state, some of the peaks reaching from
| 1000 to 5000 feet above sea level. Its gen
| era, character Is series of widespread
| flats, stretching for miles in every direc-
| ton, broken here and there by mountain
peaks and ranges. Some of these stretch
| along in lines of bluffs with seemingly hor-
| izontal tops, while others show their erup-
| tive character by their broken outlines.
| These ranges and peaks are the direct con-
| tinuation of the Rocky mountains, which
here cross Texas in their trend from New
into old Mexico.
The rocks of which these mountains are
principally composed consist of GRANTEES.
porphyries, quartlites, sChists ETC., to-
gether with limeStones of various ages.
That many of these mountain ranges are
mineral bearing and certain ores of copper
| and lead is proved conclusively by the ex-
amnations already made by the survey,
and by the many prospects and mines es-
tabIished on the veins existing in them.
Nearly every range examined showed good
ore indications, and many surface speci-
mems taken from the various leads i'll the
showed the presence of the precious metals.
In the franklin range, which extends
northwest from FL Paso, good indications
were found, but little prospecting has been
done.
In the Quitman mountains, prospecting
has been carried on quite extensively, and
with success. This range lies about seventy
miles south of FL Paso aud is composed of
GRANTEES and porphyrieS, surrounded by
limestoncs Both lead and copper ores,
the former carrying silver, the latter both
silver and gold, are worked The number
OF well developed prospects is quite large,
with shafts and tunnels from 30 to $50 feet
III lcugth. In the Bonanza, which is the
principal mine at present, the ore averaged
in a shipment of 400 tons, thirty ounces of
silver and thirty per cent, of lead per ton.
Specimens taken from the dump yielded
much larger per ceutages, in some in
instances double the amount. Develop
ments in this and adjoining mines show an
ore BODY $50 feet in height by 1000 feet
in length. carrying a well defined lead of
galcna, to 10 inches i'll thickness. The
Alice Ray nine is also well developed, and
is located on the same lead as the Bonanza,
and contains similar quality and quantity
of ore. Galena taken from the different
prospects by members of the survey yielded
on analysis to 90 ounces of silver per ton;
| lead - to 80 per cent. Besides these, nu-
merous mines and prospects ON galena
ores. there are very fine copper prospects in
| the mountains, among them the Hunter,
Crows Nest, Chief, etc, from which ores
have been obtained yielding considerable
amounts of gold and silver. Ores collected
| by members of the survey from different
localities in the vicinity of the present Hun
ter mine, show, in addition 10 the copper,