The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-05

era1 Preperties Are o. the Pea>t
~ D<esaiss sAsppsss Msnes.
opecsai Dispatch TO the Post-Intellsxencer.
INDEX. July 2-As time and the devel-
opment OF properties In this district pro-
efess, there are numerous surprises and
% Tar none OF disappointing character.
While II may be technically improper to
yet say there are mines here yet a man
may become too conservative. a. well as
too enthusiastic. To he perfectly safe. how
ever. 4 may be positively asserted that
within another SIX months several proper
ties Will have become m.nes. The forma-
fion here Is universally granite, and often
the vein matter win be the same decom-
posed. associated with large quantities OF
lime Granite . hard formation. In that.
Il an ore body ''p.nches OUT once. the
lead viii more often continue barren. This
the operators here know fun well. and Il
has worried them not a little: but they
knew they would never know IL the leads
here carried depth without developing. ana
20 far this work has proven that they in
crease IN value with depth.
In no property. so far. has this been %
absolutely proven as n the old Townsend
Merchant. now being operated by NJ.
e. Downs. Here they are driving an 500
foot crosscut tunnel 10 tap the large
cropping lead at q depth OF l.j00 feet. At
depth OF La. feet blind lead WAS found
and crosscut. proving thirty-five feet wide.
and pretty. clean chalcopyri,ic ore.
The Sunset has q depth OF DO feet. the
Wilbur about the same, and In both they
have good. bad and Indifferent ore-it Ii
as good ore. however. rs they expected.
or a. the surface groupings would .rdi-
cate. and indeed much better These
things certainly go to prove the stability
Of the ore bodies OF the district. In this
granite, though, II II not advisable to do
much prospecting without lead. as IS
done In syenite and other formations. for.
while blind leads undoubtedly exist below
the surface. TO look for them will be
simple gamble. The ores OF the camp are
almost wholly copper. and include native
chalcopyrite. horn.te. blende. the oxides.
etc.
characteristics Of the Ore.
As copper IL comparatively new to the
people of Washington. :, may be OF mo-
ment to give some brief description of Its
different and the value-bear.ng substances
found here. Chalcopyriie Is the predomi-
nant ore the color II brass yellow. COM
posed Of something like 81 per cent. cop
per. the balance embracing often. besides
sulphur, antimony. arsenic, enc. iron and
silver. Bornite comes next In the list OF
common ores 1t Is frequently referred 10
as vArfegated copper pyrites. erubescite.
peacock. horsefiesh ore. etc. and Is ono OF
the most valuable OF the copper ores. hav-
ing - per cent. Of that metal. with some %
per cent. sulphur. II is found here In as
sociation with It's allied ores. as well as
alone. and adds value 70 pretty nearly ev-
cry deposit In the camp. Gray copper IL
coming to be known as Indigenous TO the
camp also having been found in Quanti-
ties. II has bright steel-gray appearance
and In extremely brittle. Sometimes gray
copper value IL chiefly silver, though some
tested from here shows Is per cent. silver
TO "a copper. II Il very pretty ore. Cop
per glance (chaicocite) Is another rich va
riety OF the ore found here. In appearance
II Is very similar TO gray copper. ofte-
times being discernibie from It only by tn.
slight blush or sreenish tsnge 1t carries
Il per cent copper and % per cent. sui
phur: miners. when they ind gray copper
or glance. are inclined to call II ready
money" very pretty specimen OF cup
rite. or ruby copper. has been brought In
from a prospect on the South Fork. Ii
was practically pure. and would carry 81. -
per cent copper. the balance being oxy-
gen. A very nice seam OF black oxide has
also been uncovered. IL IL a black. earthly
material. due to the decomposition OF cop
per ores. The green carbonate OF copper.
called mslachite. Is found here quite uni
versally. as well as the earthly variety. This
Is one OF the best Indications. carrying So
per cent copper. and is, OF course, vaiu-
able ore. Some elegant azurIte has come
out OF the Wilbur property. though not In
any very considerable body.
These may be sad to be the ores Of the
camp. though gold. silver. platinum. etc.
have been discovered. There seems TO be
no especially rich spot. or belt. but all have
the high and low-grade ores in assocla-
ton. with possibly three exceptions
The copper belt Of this district. SO far
as discovered, is some four miles west OF
Index. four miles east. three south and
fourteen north, In this belt are prospects
which viii make rich mines, II experiences
and geological facts are any criterions by
which 10 be guided. To mention those
having development jusiifying such a state
ment would include at ieas, the Co-opera-
tive Synd.cases properties. the Coppes
Queen. Sunset, Downs, Copper Bell, Cop
per King and Index mining companies
Others there are. though your correspond
ent cannot say from personal investigation
Since the las, report the following proper
ties have been visited:
Iad~x Mtniaw Company.
This is better known as the Lot Wilbur
property and has the "earmarks" Of the
fNhfsi mine IN the camp IL II ioedteu
some three miles from Index. on the south
fork OF the Skyaomieh. The history az
this property .s one Of sad experiences IL
was located In 1895 By the McRce broth
ers: later Let wilbur OF Snohomish. par-
chased third interest; and tn the follow
ing December development began shortly
thereafter one OF the locators was almost
instantly killed by an immense rock fall
ing upon him. and a few months later hts
brother was drowned In the Skykomish.
II IL now principally owned by Mr.. Wilbur
and two SISTERS Of the iocstors. Mrs. Thos.
Mcintyre and Mrs. Ls'rning. Thomas Nc
Insyre administrator. " showing excel
lent Judgment in the supplementary ef
the properly,
TIE development includes two tunnels
Of some ~ feet each and an opening for
another. On commencing the upper tuE-
rel they Immediately entered an immense