Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-11-12
The Harvey Peak TIN Deposits.
JOSIAH THOMAS REPORT


After an interval of over two months
the directors of the Harvey Peak Con-
solidated Tin Company have issued the
report of Captain Josiah Thomas. man
ager of Dolcoath, on the property in
America which he inspected in August.
The report has been awaited with in
terest.
Captain Thomas says he was informed
that the mining properties owned by
the company consisted of LOO claims.
1900 feet by 500 feet each, ard those
claims extend for q total length of about
thirty miles in a somewhat circular form
for upwards of three-fourths of the
distance around Harvey Peak. In the
ten days he spent On the property it
was obviously impossible that he could
visit the whole Of the claims. He was
able, however, to inspect all the i'm
portant points where mining operations
had been, and were now being carried
on. as well as what were considered to
be the most promising lodes and lodges,
which had for the most part been par
TALLY explored by pits and shallow
workings. On a large number Of the
claims he understood little or nothing
had been done as yet beyond the "as-
sessment work." which was necessary
in order TO retain possession. He was
accompanied by Mr.. Beringer, principal
of the Camborne Mining School, an ex-
cellent assayer and analytical chemist,
who, during the whole of his stay on
the mines, was engaged in asssying the
samples he personally took from the
several workings and from the heaps of
ore raised from underground and now
lying at the surface. Rich stones as
well as rocks containing 20 per ZEN and
upwards of tin could easily be selected
from several points, but very rich stones
could generally be found in tie poorest
mines. and the selection and assays of a
few picked stones would not enable one
to form anything like a correct opinion
of their actual commercial valre. Some
of the ores in the Harvey Peak district,
which were thickly i~mpregnated with
black spots, and which, to a casual OBJ
server, would appear to be rich in tin,
were really very poor-the black spots
being principally schorl, calumbite, etc.
Harvey Peak itself vas composed of
granite, in which rock, he understood,
no lodes had yet been discovered, The
various lodes and ledge were in states
and schists surrounding the granite
peak, and, generally speaking, were at
about right angles to a line drawn from
any point to the centre thereof. Thus.
where the lodes and lodges were situat-
ed to the north Of the Peak they had a
direction Of about east and west and
where they were to the west Of the
Peak, their direction was about north
and south. In almost all instances the
the lodes and lodges we're either nearly
vertical or dipping away from the gran
lite. The lodes were generally small
but continuous, being from one to three
feet wide composed principally of
quartz. Both lodes and lodges were
very different in their character and
composition from the tin lodes of Corn
wall, but closely resembled some of the
tin deposits he had seen in Spain, and
some of the tin ores from New South
Wales exhibited at the Crystal Palace
exhibition.
Captain Thomas then proceeds to give
details Of the various workings he in
spected, beginning with the eastern.
mos, at Eta, proceeding westward to-.
ward Hill City, and thence southwark
to the neighborhood Of Custer City.
Eta he describes as a very peculiar and
irregular deposit, being in the form of a
mountain, and haying no defined direc-
ton or dip. y -" \
A sample from the Colossal" pio-
duced rs lbs, and from "Mewonltock,"
l6lbs. The large ledge or lode, upward
of 20 feet wide, at white Whale" has
every appearance of being of continuous
lode, composed principally a quartz fire.
quently interspersed with branches of
rich tin from two to four inches wide /;
samples produced SO lbs. on an average.
Early attention should be directed to
the last three lodges mentioned and the
result would probably be the laying
open of a large quantity of productive
tin ground of more than average value.
A sample from Nevada No. y
produced 80 lbs. ~Of"Cowboy," Captain
Thomas says the lode is not large but if
as reported, it is becoming larger and
more productive in depth, the prospects
for still deeper sinking are very en-
couraging. More efficient pumping ma
chinery is required for the purpose Of
sinking deeper. Samples from Goats"
gave a produce Of 18lb. At the 400 feet
level at Gertie the lode is four feet wide,
well defined, and containing good tin,
which could be plainly seer for 100 feet
in length to the north of the shaft. In
the last 20 feet driven northwards the
lode was small. 1t was important to oh
serve that that lode, unlike many OF the
lodges, was improving in size and quail
ty as depth was attained, and although
the good tin ground was only about l2O
feet long, yet by continuing to- drive on
the course of the lode other paying
shoots of tin might not i~mprobaly be dis
covered, The sample produced an aver
age of 6Slbs. Butte (Truax Group"
produced 49lbs.. and ''Tin King" was of
similar character and quality. The
ledge at deacon Wright" SO far as yet
developed, is of inferior quality sam
Piles producing 5 lbs. A sample of stuff
from "Naiad Queen" only showed q
trace of tin. Some richer boulders than
Captain Thomas saw In any other part
of the property he observed at surface
at "Tenderfoot;" sample, 81 lbs. The