The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-13
CAMP FLOYD MINING DISTRICT.

Ld4lS iOE I0S campaign
CAMP FLOYD MINING DISTRICT.
New Field of Gold discovered by a WIGHT
Explorer.
Mercur, Utah, June 12.-(Special.-
The Camp Floyd mining district lies il
the Oquirrh range Of mountains, fort
miles south and ten miles west of Sal
Lake City. a comfortable ride of ~
hours on the Eureka branch of tn
Union Pacific road takes you to Fair
field, a station within seven miles b.
direct line Of the great Mercur mine
There you take the Salt Lake and Mer
cur road, appropriately called the Rain
bow route. This little road was bull
| under the supervision Of J. G.. Jacobs
! formerly of Kansas, and is at once {
! practical route, and a novelty in engi
/ reering. In traversing The seven mile!
| OF direct distance the summit 1900 fee
above the starting point was reached
! by building twelve miles of road, tht
! grade at no point being greater than !
| per cent, and all curves being within Il
| degrees. The line is now being ex.
tended two miles further, down inc
! Lewiston canyon, the site Of the town
seems 10 have provided all the means
! for building city save that Of suitable
| ground for houses. Grades and angles
Of all degrees are provided save that Of
level ground and straight lines. The
new, implanted frame house is much
in evidence, rents are high and the real
estate market very dull. Mercur realty
had its boom along with the late ex-
element in mining stocks, but values
went down with the collapse in these
speculative shares.
Mining in this camp is getting down
10 legitimate business. 1t is but fair
to say the camp has been doomed be-
yond what is warranted by the present
state OF development. 1t has been adj
vertised as tine johannesburg Of Amer
lea, while up TO date, there are but
five shipping mines in the camp. There
are, no doubt, great possibilities, and
even fair probabilities, but II is prena-
fure to make such comparisons where
so little has been done in development
work Mr.. John Treweek, superinten-
dent Of the Mercur Minis ridicules the
comparison with the great camp il
South Africa which il so miles in length,
and embraces an area four times great
er than the whole Camp Floyd district.
Mr.. Treweek Is an old miner, having
had nine years experience in Australia
and New ealand, and some twenty-five
years in this country. He figures that
these over statements work an injury
20 the camp, and says the best possible
advertisement now IS to turn out the
ore. His estimate of the mineral pro-
ducing area, as far as ascertained, IS
about 10 by 20 miles. He claims, how,
ever, that the percentage of minera!
producing ground within a given area
is greater in this camp than any place
on the continent. In certain localities
in the camp the mineral zone is so ex-
tenSive that the pay ore may be esti-
mstd by acres rather than by feet and
inchs.
The opening Of the great Mercur mine
was made at the apex of the gold bear
ing ledge. The outcropping showed pay
ing mineral almost at the surface, and
the horizontal drift of but a few feet
developed good shipping ore This
drift has been continued 1900 feet.
every inch of which has been rich in
The ledge is called a contact
VEN, and lies beneath a covering Of
talcoch shale, and rests in a bed of lime
rock, the vein varying in thickness from
-
mineral is $12 per ton, and the daily
output now is $50 tons. The sinking of
perpe ndioular shafts al a higher level
develops a gold bearing vein both
above and below this main ledge. car
rying good values, though the extent |
and thickness is not fully known as
yet. Underlying the lower gold bear |
ing strata is a silver producing ledge, |
said to carry good values
The Mercur property embraces fif- |
teen claims, averaging nearly 6O0x1, 800 |
feet zach. Calculating that these great |
blanket veins" covers oue-fourth Of !
this area, the figures mount above the J
dream Of avarice. and it is little won
Ger that the thrifty American prospec- ,
tor is attracted to the bleak SUBMITS |
Of these snaw-clad mountains. Up 10 l
this date the Mercur mine has paid |
s520, 900 in dividends 10 its stockholders.
The property Is capitalized for s., 0OO.-
600 shares Of a par value of SO |
each. The stock, with the exception of |.
30, 900 shares is held by four men
Messrs. John Dem. John Heinrich, w.
5. Brown and E. II. Airs, all Of Ne
oraska.
Other mines in the camp promise as
great yield as the Mercur, notably the
Golden Gate. the Marion. the Geyser.
sacramento, Sunshine, Gold Dust, Row
r. Overland, Brick Yard, Malvern.
Iela, Gladstone, Wonder and East
folden Gate In the Golden Gate mine
developments now show mineral in
light TO the value of 81 900. 600. This =
he property lately purchased by Cap
ain De Lamar of Nevada for $40. 600.
)ther mines named are in various
tages Of development. but most OF
hem promise a good yield. It is ascer-
aimed that the main ledge dips to-
ward the northeast at an angle of Il ,
o "a degrees. Shafts are going down
n the mines above named with the ex-
'ectation of striking the ledge at the
over levels. /
\ Characteristic Of all the ores in
his great mineral zone is that they re-
rire different treatment to that Of !
ny deposit hitherto found in the his
DRY or mining in this country. In fact
he discovery Of gold in the Mercur dis ;
riot is not new. Mines were opened !
'ad mills erected more than thirty ,
ears ago, but, in all cases. rebellious !
metals prevented the separation Of the I
re from the crude metals containing II !
he late discovery Is rot in loca ting a /
ew mining camp. but in the new pro-
esS Of treating this class OF ore. II i ,
nown as the McArthur-Fo-est. or ,v- :
hide process. This method was frs. :
mployed in the Transvaal mining dis. ,
riot, and consists simply in teaching :
he crushed ore in a solution Of cyanide
{ potassium. In the Golden Gate m:na 7
large percentage Of arsenic IS found ! :
small mill for experimental work i J
ow in operation. and. IL IS believed. by :
FASTING this ore ii VIII soon be treated / q
ICcessfully. /
Summed Up. the practical miners ?
gree that this is camp Of great prom 7
e. but what is needed most Is time. 4