Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-08-13
GRAFTON CORRESPONDENCE
Opening Up Mineral District in
Sierra County That PrOmiscs to
BE One of the Richest in the
Southwest
Special Correspondence New Mexican.

Special Correspondence New Mexican
Grafton, N. NJ, Aug. 9.-In Sierra
county mineral district is opening up
that promises to be one of the richest in
the entire southwest. This district ex-
tends through the mountains from Graf
ton on the north to Cooks Peak on the
south, distance of 100 miles, the trend
of the naturalization being northwest
and southeast. The country rock is lime
and porphyry, and through this has been
forced some of the most remarkable min
eral veins in the country. These veins
stand above the surface like stone walls,
in some instances rs feet in height. At one
place one of the walls of vein has been
eroded or broken off, showing the min
eral cliugng to the side of cliff to the
height of l25 feet and upcovering thou
sands of tons Of mineral ready to be taken
out.
The geological features of the district
are q red quartzite capped by hard
limestone through which the veins have
broken. la some places the limestone
canic action and stand on edge with
dlkes of porphyry alongside the intrusion
OF which has changed the limestone to a
highly crystalized condition. The min
e1al belt breaks through the porphyry
and limestone and forms seres of true
insure veins with quartz filing The
veins vary from five to ten feet in width,
and the values are distributed with re-
markable regularity. The pay streaks
are from few inches in width, carrying
native silver, gray copper, chloride of
silver and some gold.
In the United States Treasury and
White Eagle mines, and number of
Others, the ore carries only gold, and at
an average depth of about 100 feet in the
mines mentioned a body of ore has been
uncovered, averaging "a feet in width,
which gives value entirely across the
yein af haA an ounce to the ton, and
through this vein matter run streaks
which return thousands of dollars to the
ton. From several mill shipments from
various mines it has been demonstrated
that the ore in the district ia generally
free milling, and in a distance of 40 miles
along the mineral belt every claim that
has been worked shows ore in paying
quantities. The principal mines Ia
operation are the Great Republic, North
Star, Emroria, White Horse, Ivanhoe,
Ruby Giant, Rock Gold, Elephant, Polar
Star, Diamond King, Central, and Gold
Grown.
The general trend of this mineralized
belt is disturbed at one point called Ha-
gan's peak, which seems to have been the
center of remarkable violent eruption
and igneous overflow, the veins radiating
from the peak in every direction and
crossing the veins, which extend along
the general trend of the belt in every di-
rection. The radiatiug veins Gross each
other at the peak and at this point will
undoubtedly be found some wonderfully
rich mines. So far nothing has been done
except in the great quartz veins on the
contact between the igneous and sedi-
mentary formation, but wherever tests
have been made of these great masses of
porphyry satisfactory results have fol-
lowed.
All through this section of Sierra coun-
ty the timber is heavy and easily gotten
at, and there is an abundance of water,
both for milling and power, the streams
running the entire year. Other conditions
are also favorable for mining, and more
economic mining locality cannot be found.
People are going crazy over Alaska and
rushing there by hundreds and thousands,
taking desperate chances so far as life is
concerned, when they can come to New
Mexico, and with the came amount of
work and less money make more, live
easier and enjoy some of the comforts of
life.