Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-07-07

debatable ground. Yet notwithstard-
ing the adverse criticism which know
is in store for me, propose to go right
on and state what believe to ba true.
This belief is based upon the experience
and close Investigation which / have
given the subject for thir'v-three years,
spent in the different mining fields Of
this country, seventeen years of which
has been passed in the Black Hills Of
South Dakota. The only reason which
impels me to give my ideas to the pub
lie is that there is demand for all the
! light which can be thrown upon the
subject, and my only motive 10 10 do
what can to save the prospector who
is new 10 the business from unnecessary
toll and trouble.
To begin. then, ii is my settled belief
| that all Of our minerals-gold. siTyr.ss
copper. iron, and all the rest, together
with the quartz or siIIca-has been in
liquid form and has crystalized from a
solution. When say solution do not
mean suspension, but a perfect solution
where the liquid remains clear and
transparent as salt in solution in water.
Mineral in this condition will go wher-
ever water hows--you cannot filter il
out. although you may precipitate il by
chemical action-always remember this
when you are prospecting, and espsci-
ally when you are puzzled to think now
the mineral got into the rock Second
That this mineral solution came up with
the dykes of porphyry or granite, or
other igneous rocks, or what may be
termed the fre-made rocks, as distin-
guished from the sedimen:ary or water
made rocks, such as sandstone, lime
stone, slate, shale, etc. Third: That the
dykes Of igneous rock came up soft aad
watery, and under great pressure from
below, breakup through ali the sedi-
mentary stratas Of the earths crust, and
this watery solution containing the
mineral and silica has oozed away into
the surrounding formation through the
seams and crevices which have been
formed by the upheava. This miseral
solution in its passage through the earth,
characters of rock, some Of which have
a chemical affinity for some Of the min
eral constituents of the solution, aad
Immediately there is an effervescence,
and new combination has been formed.
The silver IN the solution has combined
with the chlorine found in the rocks
and the chloride of silver is formed or
the iron has combined with the sulphur
and formed pyrte Of iron; or with the
lead, forming galena, and 50 on through
the whole list which comprises the
mineral kingdom.
Wherever is found dyke of porphy-
ry or granite or any of tie igneops
rocks, it has produced an ore zone or
mineral belt, and these may run north
erly and southerly. or easterly ard west
erly, and the width of the mineral belt
is determined by the strength or extent
of the upheaval Of the igneous rocks.
What is meant by mineral zone or
belt is certain stretch of country of a
certain general width which contains
mineral Not necessarily in veins, but
mineral diffused through the country
rock. As a matter of fact, however,
these mineral belts do contain veins of
ore, although have usually found that
where the zone is single the veins are
too small and too poor to pay for work
ing. But where two mineral belts cross
each other, here it is that the largest
mineral belts always cross each other at
nearly right-angles, and it is the crossing
which gives the veins double strength
and richness, and here it is your pay
chutes are found.
may say in passing that much Of the
foregoing is founded upon my reading
of other authorities and adopted because
1t agrees with my experience, observa-
ton and reason. But what havo said
in regard to the cross zones have never
seen laid down in any work, yet feel
as sure Of it as can Of anything, and /
say that believe il to be so, because
have found it SO.
Again The length of the ore chute in
your vein is regulated and determined
by the width Of the cross zone by which
your ore chute is fed and from which 1t
derives its excess Of mineral. A single
ore zone is not often more than 500 feet
in width, but Is often much wider where
they cross each other, and as said be-
fore. the length of your pay chute is
determined by the width Of the zone.
1t sometimes occurs, however, that there
are companion zones running parallel
with each other with barren rock be-
tween, except at the crossings where
they widen out and often very nearly
connect I have found, however, that
where this is the case, that they always
differ in the character of mineral they
carry. For instance, if the predominant
ing precious metal in one should be gold
in the other it would be silver or copper.
or some other metal as the case might
be. and this is the reason that there is
often found vein which in its extent
contains more than one pay chute, but
the ore in this case will be Of a different
character. This is owing to the fact that
the vein has entered another cross belt
or zone.
Again, there is another feature which
you will do well to consider. 1t is the
dip Of your pay chute. ] do not mean
now the dip Of the vein--ths vein near
ly always has dip, but your ore chute
has another dip. All Of the old pros.
pectors understand this, but 1t 10 difficult
without diagram. to explain it 80 that
the new beginner will comprehend it
We will suppose that your vein has
dip Of forty. i've degrees to the west
while the strike Of the vein is north