The Opelousas courier., 1896-02-15
MERCUR
Utah's New Ell Dorado Wonderful
Development of the CaE8p Floyd
Mining District.

The Camp Floyd Mining District of Utah,
distant but 40 miles from Salt Lake City, il
now attracting the attention OF the mining
world as the only western rival of Cripple
Creek, Colo. The district has had a most re-
markable history. The TOY of Lewiston rose,
lourished and passed into decay twenty-five
years ago, on the very spot on which. Mercur
has been built within the last eighteen months.
1t was renowned as q silver camp jim II, by the
Development of the SparrOw-hawk and Last
Chance mines, which. produced over 81 600, 600
in white metal. At that time there were 1000
peOpro..Lewiston and the district was very
Lively, but the rich pockets having worked out,
Lewiston's fame began to wane. The next big
strike in the district, one that is yet talked Of
by old timers. was in the Carrie Steele, from a
pocket In which some parties scraped out $685.
600 in about three months time. This caused
'73 the hill was swarming with prospectors.
Then the camp again declined until 70 and 80,
when it was abandoned. In 1890 attention was
called tD the MeArthnr,F Forrest cyanide process
such elaborate results that the old Sparrow
hawk or Marion mine was brought out of a
$4,000 or $500 o Indebtedness and put OIL q div
idend paying basis. The formation at Mercur
is very similar to the region about johannes
burg in South Africa, except that the Camp
Floyd ore bodies are larger and richer. GeolO-
and formation Of the ore body, som claiming
three distinct gold bearing veins while others
seem to favor thk single blanket vein theory.
On one point, however, all agree, that no such
6oASS 0S3o6hO AANo oNSA SS4oAo pOOA UtSOov
In the Mercur mine, recently bonded for 81, $780,
600, the ore bodies average $751; 0 in gold to the
ton, while some assays run into the hundreds
this ore is mined and milled at an average cost
Of $3.50 to Is 90 per ton, leaving a profit OF $12.OO
or 80. so per ton. On this basis the mine has,
In the year ju(E passed, paid dividends to the
the Golden gate, Marion and Geyser are
equally rich. NThe VEIN OF veins have already
been traced from the cluster OF mines at Mer-
cur to Sunshine-a distance. of six miles,
where the Sunshine mine and mill, another
large property, is located, together with nu-
merons claims of less magnitude. In the Mer-
cur mine alone 100000. tons of ore are now
blocked out with an average value of $14.0O per
Golden Gate is able to show Loo, 600 tons of
higher value than the Mercur, while the sun
shine has in sight more ore than either of the
above but OF lower value: II the discoveries
and far to the south, are uncoverings of the
same vein, then there is strong evidence that
the great deposit covers an area Of from 100 to
ali petitions Of the vein viii Yield fpfodtable val val.
ues, although that is the belief Of many, but 1t
is quite within the range OF possibilities as no
barren spot has yet been touched. Keeping
value per ton, can be mined and milied at o
handsome profit, there can be no question but
that the Camp Floyd district will yet be one Of
the largest gold producing camps in the world.
Owing to the nlildneSS OF the climate, pros
can be conducted at all seasons of the
year, and at the present writing, vigorous
work is being done at many points in the dis.
trict- The result Of this work will show itself
during the coming year in the opening of the
ore bodies in various localities throughout the
district, and numbers of claims that are now
mere prospects will undoubtedly become pay.
mines in the near future. Nowhere at the
present time can there be found a field for
speculation which will exceed that of the Camp
Floyd district. i