Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-10-20
COCHITI CULLINGS.
A Mining Camp That Can he Worked
All the Year KOund-Ore Ship
ments-Activity in the
District,

Outside work may be prosecuted at an,
time during the winter in the Cochit
mining district.
Some extensive work is under way OF
the Albemarle and Pamlico and the biz
lead just opened up on the Albemsrle il
improving as depth ID gained.
Steady work has been under way on th,
Corner, valuable claim south of tn,
Union mine. 7. B. Ward is driving /.
tunnel to orosscot the big lead which il
an extension of the Union lead.
On Tuesday the Lone Star began ship
ment of high grade ore to the Pueblo
smelters. This ore is from the large
body recently opened up in the Lone
Star and all of which will be either ship
ped to the smelters or treated at The
Bland mill.
The road up Union guloh to the Wash.
ington mine is being repaired after {
washout, as that mine intends to make
large shipment of ore to the Silver City
reduction works. large force of mer
is at work in the mine developing anc
producing some of the richest ore that
ever came from the large and valuable
lead.
Work has been resumed on the T. 8. K.
valuable claim near Cola canon that is
believed by many to be the mother lode
of the district. Thus fer but little de.
velopment has been done on this prop
erty, but that which has shows it up to
be enormously valuable. 1t is under.
stood that the property is likely to soon
change hands for large amount.
The annual assessment work is being
done on the Opal, an exceedingly valu.
able opal property in Cola canon belong.
ing to j. G. Schumann and T. B. Ward.
There are some 20 opal claims in the
Cochiti district, of which about six are
considered to be very rich, as from that
number have been produced specimens
of the precious stone that possess more
than ordinary value. The Opal was the
first property of the kind located in the
district and was discovered by T. B.
Ward early in 1894. Since that time
some fine stones have been produced, the
best being valued at something over $50
apiece. 1t is not infrequent that opas
posse ssing value of from $40 to $50
apiece are found. The present work on
the Opal consists Of a shaft 20 feet il
depth but forming face some so feet in
depth. At the bottom Of this shaft is
tunnel some ten feet in, and Is feet above
this tunnel Of 20 feet, all the work be-
ing in the opal deposit. The formation
is a hard, easily fractured hydrated
Quartz, which forms the matrix of the
precious stone. Thus far the difficulty
in mining for the opals has been In pre-.
renting fracture in blasting and breaking
The rock forming the matrix with ham,
ners. The opal is very brittle and the
'orce necessary to break the matrix
Usually fractures and conseq uently ruins
many of the finest stones. The opals Of
his particular property OCCUR in fully so
Inherent forms and varieties OF the great
pct and most beautiful brilliancy. There
IRE reds, blues and whites of the deepest
'olors and most delicate tints. The Are
'pals are Of the most striking and brilliant
Eind, and occasionally are found royal
,pals of rare beauty. It would interest
ind surprise lapidary TO visit and In
'eatigate the opal properties of this dis
riot, which have been much neglected in
to their commercial i'm port.
Ince.- Bland Herald.