Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1897-09-25

the Kemp & Keen, PATRON and Dunder-
berg mines. and through the Uncle sam
and Hamburg mines further 20 the south
ward. 1t faults all formations, but IL it.
self nowhere faulted or dislocated so far as
can be determined. Ii has been traced
mon the surface and is identified under
ground By its Filings Of ~rhyolite, ore.
ledge material and composite OF rhyolite
and clay, the latter having been produced
by at,rition where the walls are close to-
gether or nearly 30. IL has q most import.
ant bearing on the present structure oil
Ruby Hill and the country TO she south
ward, as also on the relation OF the
ore bodies to each other. Throughout its
entire course ID is found to be the key TO
the structural problem OF the Ruby Hill
aud Prospect Mountain mineralized zones.
The country southwest, on the tootwali
side OF the fault, has been raised several
hundred feet relatively TO the hanging
wall. IL Is probable that there was up
heavai and subsistence. but that the latter
exceeded the former. Taken in connection
with all OF the mines TO the southeast, 1t 10
found TO be o fault plane along which the
whole southwestern country has been
raised from 500 to 1000 feet. There can
be no question that the key to the problem
Of deep mining In Ruby Hill and Pros
pect Mountain will eventually be found In
the Ruby Hill fault.
The limestone Of Ruby Hill lie divided
into two sec,ions, which we will designate
the ~s.frontp and "back" limestone. The
latter forms a wedge which, taken through
The Eureka Con. mine, extends from the
surface downward to near the 18th level
end lies between the quartzite, the face OF
which has a mean dip of about 40 degrees,
and the fault assure, which dips at an an
gle OF about 70 degrees. This, which We
shall call the upper wedge, lies on the
southwest or footwall side OF the assure
and has been raised in this locality about
f.4OO feet relatively above the lower wedge
and narrows TO q thin edge at Its lower
ax.remity. II il remarkable for its crushed
snl broken condition. II was in this
wedge that oil Of the tremendous ore bod
les which made Ruby Hill famous IN the
early DAYS OF the district were mined.
The exploration of the front limestone,
which o~yerlies the fault to the southwest,
has not been sufficient 10 determine
whether either large deposits or any ore at
all may be found in il. From the narrow
part OF the uppe wedge, downward, as
seen upon the 18th and 14th levels, as we'll
as upon the i,200-foot crossut from the
LOGAN shaft, below the 14th level OF the
Eureka Con. mine, the face OF the quartz
lite forms the footwsll Of the fault, the lat
ter maintaining its dip at an angle OF ~
degrees, the same as il does above. Below
the 18th level, with its thipest edge upper
most and its form inverted. IS compared
with the upper wedge, but situated upon
the northeast or hanging wall side OF the
fault is a
LOWER WEDGE OF LIMESTONE
Identical in character with the upper
wedge. This is crushed and shattered in
precisely the some manner, and, subse
quent TO the upheaval and subsidence
along the fault line, wss doubtless an I'M
divided part of the block of limestone
which forms the upper wedge.
The future OF Eureka District will de-
pend largely on deep level mining; not
that the levels near the surface are ex-
hausted OF ore, for on the contrary, there
are hundreds Of the smaller mines and
prospects Of the district capable of pro-
ducipg the precious metals that are seldom
or never talked about; but there is no
question of doubt among the experienced
miners who have worked on the deepest
levels OF Ruby Hill that there are bodies
Of ore to be found in the lower wedge Of
limestone as valuable az those which
were excavated in the big chambers of the
upper wedge.
The exploration OF the lower wedge would
require the expenditure of large sums OF
money. no doub.-perhaps hundreds Of
thousands, possibly millions of dollars;
but when ii is remembered that the Eu-
reka Con. and Richmond mines have alone
paid over ten million dollars in dividends
and made q number Of people wealthy,
aud when IL 10 further borne in mind that
the ore 10 known to enter the lower wedge
OF limestone and to 60 down below any
depth yet attained in Ruby Hill, 1t is not
unreasonable to believe that deeper ex.
ploration in the lower wedge would pay.
The only reason given 10 the public by
the Eureka Consolidated management for
not sinking the LOGAN shaft deeper and
prosecuting 10 the lode below the LOGAN
1200.foot level, was that the machinery
upon the LOGAN shaft was inadequate for
the dual requirements OF draining the mine
Of water and raising the material broken
underground to the surface; they were I'M
willing to continue draining the hill Of
water unless one or more OF the companies
that were operating in Ruby Hill would
divide the burden OF expense with them.
II Ia a settled fact that the machinery was
defective for the general requirements OF
the mine, but the volume OF water to be
contended with and all OF the material that
could have been broken in the mine could
have been raised to the surface with ma
ohinery that should not have cost over
ope-ffth OF the sums that we're paid for
the cumbersome plant which now stands
idle ct the LOGAN shaft. II is probable
that
THE TRUE WATER LEvEL
OF the Ruby Hill lode. il there is such .
thing, has not yet been encountered. This
is q moot question. The principal flow OF
water that was encountered in the 1900.
foot crosscut from the LOGAN shaft came
from the quartzite, which was uselessly
penetrated. but II proper measures were
taken, that flow could be easily stopped.
The balance Of the water came from the
shale in the main hanging wall Of the lode,
as well as from seepage from the surface,
but was ministerial. The limestone itself
is comparatively dry. which fact has been
amply proved upon the lowest workings Of
the Richmond mine, which are deeper than
the bottom Of the LOGAN shaft. Before
the quartzite was broken into in the LOGAN
i200-foot crossout, when the water came
10 in its greatest volume. fully seven feet
in width Of ledge material was encountered
bakwaa0 a nall NJ in fovaaIataH abaIa and