Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-07-24
SOUTHERN ESMERALDA.
A Region Rich in Gold and Sill
Ver.Bearin1 Ores.

the mines Of southern Esmeralda:
\ great gold belt lies to the south
ward of Silver Peak, extending down
10 the northern border of Death Val
ley. Silver Peak will probably prove
to be u good gold camp. The mines
were worked in the early days for
silver, and some very rich chloride
ores were found This Spring par
ties resumed operations at this camp
and will doubtless develop some good
gold properties a great deal of low
grade ore was left on the dumps by
the early miners. Assays made show
that the dumps carry $l2 per ton in
free gold. Selected ore from this
district worked at Columbus yielded
from $500 to $500 per ton. Formerly
nothing could be done with tbs low
grade ores.
Aida valley adjoins Silver Peak
ON the southeast, and the MINES of
the two districts are about twenty
miles apart. The country rock is
limestone aud the veins are from six
inches to three feet in thickness. The
iodes carry both silver and gold. Ia
1873 there was an eight stamp nAl
in the district at which ores were
worked that averaged over 5000 per
ton. Some of the ore worked at this
mill paid over So, 900 ton in silves
and gSl9 The mineral belt is eight
miles wide. In early days much ore
was packed ON mules from Aida dis
trici to the Deep Spring mill in Inyo
county, distance of 80 miles. The
ore thus packed yielded from $400 to
$500 per ton. All low g,ade ore was
left on the dumps One nine packed
ore sufficient to yield 500, 900 to the
lnyo mill.
Twenty miles south of Aida val
ley lies the old Gold Mountain camp.
1t is situated at the northeastern ex.
tremity of Death Valley. The mines
of tins district were discovered in
1866, and were at first thought to be
the lost veins known as the Brey-
fogle find" The veins are almost
innumerable, and are from one to
five feet in width. All are gold bear
ing. In the early days over 200 min
ers were located in the district.
The first discoverer was Thomas
Shaw. He found groupings so rich
that he was sure he had reached the
Breyfogle ell dorado. A large bowl
der found lying on the surface was
alive with golden nuggets. 1t was
broken up with sledges and thous-
ands of dollars worth carried away
in the shape of nuggets. Shaw called
his mine the Oriental The forma-
ton is granite, but at a depth of $50
feet it changes to slate. Gold is
found in the groupings Of nearly
every vein in the district. OF the 200
locations made not 20 ever had as
sessment work done on them In the
early days two men built a six foot
arrastra, in which they were able to
work 200 pounds of ore a day. yield
ing SIS to $40
TIE SYLVANIA BELT.
In this same belt of country, lying
Is miles west of Aida valley, is the
old Sylvania district, organized in
June, 1873 1t is situated in Califor-
MIA and Nevada, the principal mines
being in Nevada. 1t is low range
of mountains. southwest of Fish
Lake valley. The belt is eight miles
long and two miles wide. The for
nation is granite, limestone and
quartzite.
Between Sylvania and Aida valley
districts lies Tule canyon district. 1t
is about ten miles from Aida and
three from Pigeon Springs and the
old Palmetto mill. Here is a region
of rich gold placers that have been
worked more or less ever since 1867.
| This gold field is about ten miles
square, but the only water in the
district comes from few small
springs. Owing to the scarcity OF
water only small patches of the plac-
er ground can be worked by washing.
In.places a good deal of work has
been done by digging over the
ground and picking out the nuggets
seen. In these placers Jumps OF gold
weighing several pounds have beer
found The principal rocks are gran
tie and limestone The veins show