The San Francisco call., 1895-10-16
THE GREAT MOTHER LODE,
G. M. Ward of Grub GuICh,
MADEIRA County, Talks of
That Formation.
ADVICE TO PROSECUTORS.
Suggestions In Regard to Searching
for Gold Chute in
Mountain.

Charles M. Ward, of Grub Gulch, Ma
dera County, is one of the delegates at
tending the State Miners Convention MIR.
Ward is an enthusiast in regard to the
great mother lode of California that has
been so completely described and mapped
by THE CALL that the attention of invest
ors all over the world has been drawn to
Californias gold-producing possibilities.
MIR. Ward is practical prospector, who
has devoted over twenty years to that par
tlcular lode and its formations and was
among the first to claim the existence of
such a lode. In an interview yesterday
Mr.. Ward said:
On June Is, 1890, drew sketch which was
published in San Francisco paper to show
that the great mother lode extended further
south than Mariposa County.
l found after nearly five years tracing of
formations that at a point about two miles
south of the town of Mariposa the mother
lode and its formations were split up and scat
tered into thousands of strata and veins, wind
ing their way through broken and mixed
formation, caused by a cross-belt passing a
little quartering from HornitoS toward Mount
Raymond nearly due east. In this crossing,
which is in the neighborhood of sixteen miles
wide, found bunches of ore that had changed
in character, and the gold was generally in
the form OF what is known as wire gold and of
poor quality, and also | found native silver.
In my opinion the silver has worked its way
down the cross forme ton in the form of chlo-
ride through the watercourses and made It's
deposits at the point where the two formations
mingled in crossing and that it worked its
way from the silver belt above, which passes
along on the west side of the summit of the
Sierra range at Mount Raymond,
Now, this mother lode and its belt is scat
tered here for distance of sixteen miles, COM
mencing two miles southeast of the town of
Mariposa and extending to q quarter of a mile
southeast OF the Chowchilla River. At the last
mentioned point the straight original mother
lode states and formations appear, in place and
well defined but of lighter color than that of
the states north.
until depth OF 250 feet is reached. At this
point it makes its appearance. Sometimes It's
stains show in seams of the formation on the
surface near the town of Grub Gulch and two
miles southeast OF the town also.
Now, what wish TO say is this: After this
lode is scattered into so many veins through
this sixteen miles OF country they must natur-
ally drop back TO their place and form against
the great strong reef of slate that is the head
ing or hanging wall of the mother lode, and
there form great junction of many thousands
OF veins and ledges coming back to place and
building great mammoth bodies OF ore deep
down i'll the earth against the reef, where all
feeders and ledgeS commence to dip into and
intersect the mother lode in place through
the cleavage of the formation, generally COM
ing from the west side of the lode.
The Groupings of the mother lode change in
the character of ore as they pass through dif-
ferent sections of country. In places the crop
pings show to be inviting to the miner or pros
pector, being of nice lively ribbon ore, show
ing the slate cleavage running through the
ore with light trace of arsenical sulphurets.
This is seldom the case, but If so there is likely
to be good pay ore at a much less depth than is
generally expected. My idea of this is that the
water level is close by, or has been at the time
of the forming period, and that the feeders are
close by in tn ose cases.
In other localities the groupings of the lode
show to be blocky, coarse-grained quartz,
and very spongy. Throw piece of it in q
backet of water and it will be soaked through
in short time. 1t looks dead and dry and
shows very little sulphurets. If any, they lie
in punches. Ii there is gold, it lies the same
way in streaks or spots and in narrow chutes.
On those groupings great depth is required, as
the ore is dead and the feeders are long way
off and below water level.
On other groupings the lode shows streaks of
ore and micaceous slate. This generally pros
poets regularly. The gold is usually light in
weight but in depth the ore hardens; then the
regular gold lode, for in depth the gold retains
its value and fl leness, and it is the only lode
that continues 10 grow gradually richer below
water level.
My idea is ore that will show So or $3 per
ton on the groupings of the mother lode will
show a rich mine at a depth of 800 or 1000
feet Too much praise cannot be said in favor
of the mother lode, for in time it will prove to
be clear beyond all expectations OF its value at
the present day, and will be many links added
to the golden chain.
To the prospectors who are in the field will
mention few points on prospecting.
First-Be sure you are on the mother lode belt;
tnen keep 10 JDe west SIDE OF tne strongest ana
largest slate belt, which sometimes is nearly
black and OF fine texture, while in other local
ities it is OF grayish color and more of q
coarse grain. In some localities the slate is
broken up or hidden under the ground. Then
again it makes bends and is inclined to be
wavy. On the west side are the porphyry
dikes, serpentine and various kinds of forma-
| tions. AS a general thing the green stains or
greensboro are found near the lode.
Second-Keep close run OF the grade OF gold
| in the gulches and rivers at about the point
1 ftn lodi hn 1o1fh
| lode gold will run in value about $17 to S1S
| per ounce and is fine if direct from the crop
pings Of the lode, but in its feeders the gold is
| sometimes coarse and pockety, though also of
| good quality.
Then to find a GOLD chute: If the mountain
| is very steep ana rugged take your pan OF dirt
| to exceed four iuches in depth. Remember
| that as gold works down steep hillside from
a ledge it naturally works out to the surface
instead of going TO bedrock. Follow up the
! gold TO where it begins to go down, then make
a wide cut and you will nearly always be re-
| warded by finding new and entirely blind
ledge. But if the ground is fiat and the soil is
| deep go about hallway to the bedrock and fol-
| low the gold by means of cuts. Always find how
wide the run of gold is by panning around the
| hillside, and then follow the center of the run
| to the ledge or lode.
| On the crossings of ledges or points where
ledges strike dikes or reefs are favorable places
| to look for gold. Furthermore, there are
| many functions of ledges and Ssure ledges
| that make splendid mines in the vicinity of the
| mother lode. The panning system / adopted
| fourteen years ago in TuOlumne County. 1t
| works splendidly to find out the length of a
pay chute by panning below the groupings of a
| ledge. 1t will tell you every time sure, and
| there will be no mistake.
| The mother lode carries very little galena
sulphurets, and it is well that this is true for
if it did the gold would not retain its value in
| the deep mining that is to be done on this won
| derful old lode.
Mr.. Ward explained that there are other
points required for the success of prospect
ors, but that these may be picked up more
quickly by operators in the field than by
verbal explanations.