Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-03-10
BUFFALO HUMP
MINING DISTRICT.
The New District in Idaho,
Between the Clearwater And
the Salmon Rivers.

Oregonian, March 2.
The Buffalo Hump mining dis
trict, south of Grangeville, Idaho
is attracting much attention. Elk
traordinary gold prospects arr
found there. From a mining en-
gineer of much practical expert
ence, who has recently visited thu
locality, the following statement.
are obtained:
This district was discovered Au
gust 8, 1898, by Rigley & Robbins,
Colorado miners, and on that day
they located the Big Buffalo and
Merrimac lode claims, giving the
district the name of the Robbins
mining district.
The Robbins mining district is
situated between the headwaters
Of the south fork of the Clearwater
and a tributary of Salmon river, in
Idaho county, state Of Idaho, bet
ter known as the Buffalo Hump.
The Buffalo Hump is high noun
tain peak, having an elevation OF
$3.50 feet above sea level. The
Buffalo and Merrimac claims lie on
the southern slope Of this noun
tain peak, Al an elevation of 1900
feet above sea level; the drainage
being on the Salmon river slope.
The present line of approach is
from Lewiston, Idaho, by stage to
Grangeville, 65 miles; thence by
stage to Elk City, a distance of 80
miles; thence by stage to Badger,
Idaho, ~ miles: thence by trail to
the Big Buffalo claim, making a
total distance from the present
terminus of 14O miles.
The Big Buffalo and Merrimac
claims were properly located on the
length OF the vein, having 5000
feet in length by 600 feet in width.
The ledge or vein is readily tracea-
BILE by its outcrop, as we'll as sur
face exposure, through the entire
length Of these two claims.
The formation of the country
rock is gneiss, a species Of granite,
one Of the Oldest and best known
formations for mineral-bearing
veins. The vein is assure run
ming in a northerly and southerly
course. having width of from 20
to 40 feet. The vein filling con-
sists of a hard white brittle quartz,
having banded or ribboned struc-
ture. The quartz carries Of the
base metals about u per cent of
pyrites of iron, l per cent of lead,
! per cent anthony, J per cent
manganese and q trace of copper,
in all about 8 per cent Ct the baser
metals, which are evenly dissem-
mated through the mineralized
strata of the ledge. OF the precious
metals the values are principally of
gold, having about l ounce gold to
l ounce silver.
There is hardly enough work
done to form an opinion as to the
pitch Of the ore chutes or the dip
of the vein, as the greatest depth
obtained is only 10 feet. The vein
is cross-cut in two places, one on
the Big Buffalo claim showing the
width of the vein at that point to
be 80 feet; the other cross-cut 10
feet in depth about 100 feet south
erly from the first cut shows the
vein to be 40 feet in width. This
cut is on the Merrimac claim. Both
walls at this point are well defined,
the qualification of the quartz or
vein filling would lead one to be-
lieve that the vein will be vertical,
as it is hard to discern any dip to
either the walls or the quartz
strata. The vein is also exposed
for over 100 feet northerly from the
erst cut on the Big Buffalo and 100
feet southerly from the second cut
on the Merrimac, showing contin-
uous ore body 300 feet in length by |
an average width of IS feet.
Samples taken from the surface
groupings and the open cuts over
the entire length and width of this
ore body give the following results:
The groupings, SIC in gold and l |
ounce in silver, and of the cuts as
follows: The 80 feet across the Big
averages l ounce gold, Ii |
ounces silver, about 800. 80 per ton. |
Cut No. 2, 10 feet in depth ON the
averages 4-5 of an ounce
gold and l ounce silver. in values
about ST. for the entire 40 feet in
width.
1t is reasonable to presume that
IN this ore body, 800 feet in length
Dy 30 feet in width, should the
vein hold to IA depth of 100 feet of
the same character of ore, there
will be in sight rs, ZOO tons, having
I gross value of 81 $50, 600.
This ore can be mined and milled
1t a cost not to exceed 81 per ton,
Ind with railroad facilities Tor one
half the cost, showing prof of ut
east $1,000, 900 above the loO-foot
evel IN this one ore body. Other
exposures. both north and south
rem This ore BODY, show the ledge
20 be from 10 to 20 feet in width,
having values fully as good as those
shown in tile fnl,p,. Gro body