The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-01

The course of events is bringing the
Camp Floyd district into great promi-
nence and so quietly and naturally is
this Aeing done that it is realized by
but few and the Importance of some
matters Of great moment to the future
welfare of the camp have almost
escaped aotice. For some time and
particularly during the past three
months, says the Mercur Mercury,
many men who rank high in the min
ing world. have visited the camp, and
their reports have been Of such ma
Jure that must eventually bring all the
capital necessary for the development
of the immense ore belt, which
stretches from Lion hill to below Sun
shine
Mercur has high place in the esti-
nation of some of the greatest gold
mining investors of the world. The
day of the pseudo expert has gone
past and the promoter who handles
wildcat propositions has folded his
tent and sought new pastures. But
there may be seen every week or
so men from various parts of the
country, and even from foreign lands,
who are eminent in their profession,
going quietly about their business,
visiting the various mines in the dis
trict, carefully noting the extent and
character of the ore bodies, methods
and cost of treatment, and other in
teresting data in relation to the camp,
for the use OF their clients.
Probably the most important fea-
ture OF the district, which has de-
veloped much during the past 80 days,
is the growing conviction of almost
INEXHAUSTIBLE RESERVES
of low grade gold bearing ores, which
the zone or belt is now disclosing. Re
cent Investigations of the lower por-
lions of the zone have demonstrated
the fact that there are hundreds of
times as much ore in sight as has been
figured on heretofore, in the workings
of the upper veins alone.
If ali the ore bearing material is
taken into account, which lies between
the surface groupings and the bed of
what is known as the silver ledge, an
average distance of $50 feet, and this
belt extending through the entire dis
trict, it will readily be seen that there
is an immense body of ore undeveloped,
and practically untouched That the
vein is of at least this magnitude has
been demonstrated in the workings of
the Mercur, Sacramento, Golden Gate
and the generalization, where the for
nation carries gold values for a verti-
cal distance of $50 feet, and that it is
common throughout the district is
shown by the fact that similarity in
formation is observed in every part of
the district; wherever development has
been made sufficient to expose the sue
cessive layers and first, second and
third veins are spoken of as occurring
at various points. Values have been
found as low as the silver ledge and
on Lion hill two mills have been erect
ed for the purpose of recovering the
gold in the silver ledge and incident
ally as much of the silver as possible
1t has been found that gold is pres
ent in all the different layers from the !
upper vein as far down as development
has extended, some of the layers being
much richer than the others and on
these rich chutes most of the work
has been done, the low grade material |
being considered Improbable. EX- |
perience in the handling of cyanides |
and economy in mining have shown /
that much of what was considered |
waste could
BE HANDLED AT A PROFIT.
The continued effort to reduce the cost /
of handling the ore has resulted in !,
cutting down the expense to between |
81 and S1.20 per ton, while the per cent /
of loss has been cut down to from so 4
cents TO 81 per ton.
From the above it will be seen that |
with a slight margin over 81 the ore /
viii pay the expense of handling and |
with larger plants and the working of |
open cuts the expense can be still |
further reduced.
This view of the case opens up a
future for Mercur, undreamed of by
the most enthusiastic supporters of
the camp, but it is on these lines that
Investigations are being made by the
London Exploration company and
other corporations of a similar nature;
1t was these points that were dwelt on
by Captain De Lamar when speaking
OF the necessity of charging the
Golden Gate mill. and it is on these
lines that most of the experiments be- H
ing made by the different companies
are conducted.
THE CAMP OF GARNET.