Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-03-14

and the general plane is continued up
Tue primary or main eastern lode. B
tween that lode and the axis of the moul
tain, the incline ia much greater. Th
shows a true fissure into which the lod
material was interposed. The vein ma
ter was probably injected from beneat
by means of hydrostatic pressure, exerte
from the direction of the main axis, th
source Of supply being high to afford thi
pressure. The injecting force probabl
acting along the incline described by tn
| strata that were affected by the uplift
the lines of the injection were, no doubt
below all stratified rocks.
SANDSTONE CONSTITUTES THE MATg1x.
The sandstone that constitutes ths gen
eral matriI of the "country rock" is 81
soft and porous that all of the vein mat
ter that lies near the surface rapidly
oIidizes and its sulphur, in the form oi
su.phurous acid, is freed and sinks to the
lower levels, there to form crystalized
sulphidss of gold or other metals that
may have been encountered on the way
down. The oxidized "honey comb" uartz
remains with its vast supply of free gold
that erosion is gradually freeing and car.
rying down the slopes to feed the plaoers
below.
The great sinus or trough that affords
point or rather line of rest for these
enormous placer deposits is the bed of
the Galisteo river. This river is distant
from four to ten miles from the above
described main eastern lode and in still
closer proximity to the intermediate dry
placers. all of which are from hundreds to
thousands of feet higher than the river.
although this deposit extends in more or
less richness down to the banks OF the
river. Another fact is worthy of remark,
the uniformity of values throughout the
field. Placers of workable richness are
found almost anywhere, where there are
drift deposits, On the entire eastern slope
of the range.
Water supply is the only problem to be
solved by the miner; this, it must be can
didly admitted, is very difficult. Efforts
to obtain water by deep we'll have, so far,
not met with the success desired, other
wise this would be the most inviting field
in the United States to day.
The Cunningham mesa, or the "Old
placers' on the eastern slope, has been
WORKED for hundreds OF years. The earli-
est records are of the Spaniards, as be.
fore mentioned, but indications lead to
The conclusion that they were known end
worked by the Montezumas and Aztecs
before the white man set foot on the new
world. To give some idea of the enor-
nous wealth of gold contained in these
deposits expert examination few years
lgo reported that if sufficient water was
placed thereon the placers could be made
O yield $l,000,00O in gold per year for
'ver twenty-three years, and this after
ne hundreds of years that they have been
'orked as indicated heretofore.
CRUDE METHODS HERETOFORE USED.
The only practical manner in which
nese dry placers have been made to yield
aeir treasure is by the Mexican dry
asher, crude affair at the best and of
mited capacity; with these and by dry
aiming and hauling the material TO the
earest water on the backs Of bnrros
of thousands of dollars worth
t gold have been extracted and still but
minute fraction Of the deposit has been
)uCffeh
For defiance Of four or five miles,
Mt a point about one mile
.st Of Los Cerrillos and extending into {
le ueighborhood of Ortiz station, the '
ed of :he Galisteo river is Il rich placer l
bid. The surprising feature of this de- .
osit is the fact that pan of material
ken almost anywhere along the entire
stance, at any depth from surface to /
'dr rock, will show sufficient gold to in =
cate workable placers. The sandstone :
'd-rock is from fifteen to thlrty-fve feet a
'low the surface, Judging from the tests T
ade. t
This river offers the only adeq nate t
ater supply for placer mining within Q
enty-five miles, but not in sufficient 8
lantities to use in hydraulic work on Q
Q dry placers above, the next nearest Il
ing the Rio Grande. Ike water in the a
7er Is mostly sub.Aow, penetrating the II