The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-22

but he found that it would be Illegal and
did not do it.
The vein was followed out by the men.
however, who found that it trended from
northwest to southeast, and was about
three feet in depth. The width and length
are not yet accurately determined, but
enough has been found to show that it is at
least $50 feet long by so feet wide. If this
were all it would be a fortune. but there is
no reason for supposing that the ledge ends
there.
Owen McHugh, the grading contractor,
said yesterday afternoon:
Il have known for eleven years that
there were cinnabar deposits around here.
Al that time | was grading a lot across the
street and struck the same kind of rock as
this. didn't ray any attention to 1t, but L
found out afterward what IL was. | wasn't
miner, and thought ia be wasting my
time on H..
Mccarthy, the owner of the lot on which
the find was made, was seen last evening at
his home, 1912 Treat avenue. He said:
Both myself and my family are natural
ly excited over this quicksilver that has
been found on my property. Whether ii is
to make me a millionaire or not remains to
be seen. l have already had offers for the
property, and two propositions to form a
stock company, but the mining fever has
taken hold of me, and | am going to see for
myself just what there is n this thing.
1t looks like an immense deposit now.
and very rich one. ! have n specimen
here that is 70 per cent quicksilver, and an
expert has told me that 1t is worth $3.50 a
ton. OF course, that is probably a very
fine piece OF rOck-much better than the
average of the deposit; but none of it has
run less than So per cent, and that will be
worth at least 500 ton.
Il had made all arrangements to 60 to
chicago next week, and was going to start
building as soon as returned; but all my
calculations are upset now, and VIII stay
here until this thing is developed. II it
| turns cut as it promises | shall work my
mine. even if it is in the center Of town
Tons aud tons Of this valuable ore have
been carted away and used for macad-
amlzlng and other purposes, and no one
suspected what fortune was being lost.
The way l happened 10 discover that
my lot had other value than as real
estate is this: A few months ago | was
told that quartz was being turned up by the
| plows. but paid no further attention to the
matter Last Tuesday | met an old quick
silver miner, who looked at the quartz and
| told nue. that it was cinnabar, and looked
like very rich ore. then decided to take
some specimens of the rock to an assayer,
and did so.
The result was the greatest surprise of
my life. The expert at once told me it was
valuable cinnabar-I5 per cent quicksilver
II this was so it meant a fortune, for the
supply seemed inexhaustible. i was not
sure even then OF its value, so took it to
Arthur +. Price, and he assayed it, and
said that it would run 80 per cent This
satisfied me, and l shall make fun inyesti-
CATION Of the matter"
Mr.. Price. the assayer, says that the ore
is very rich. IF the whole lead can be
judged by the samples shown me-" said he,
San Francisco will soon have mining
camp planted in its midst. Quicksilver is
becoming very valuable now, and 1t pays 10
work ore that shows only three or four per
cent OF the metal. There has been plenty
Of ctnnabar found in the city, but all in
such small deposits that it would not paw
for working But this ore is the most valu-
able that has been found anywhere for
years. If the indications are not mislead-
ing"
The deposit is what is called of serpentine
formation, and resembles the one at New
Almaden. Should large amount of it be
found to exist on Mr.. McCarthy's property.
the difficulties of working would be reduced
TO minimum, as it is so near the base of
supplies, and the Inconvenience of getting
the product to market would be done
away with entirely.
A few days will show whether Mr.. Me-
earthly has bonanza or an elephant on his
hands. In the meantime he firmly believes
that his Investment of $3.50 three IN on tbs
ago Is the best he has ever made.