The San Francisco call., 1899-08-14
STATE MINING LAW.
MINERAL DISCOVERIES.

claim by boundaries and also by reference
to some natural object or permanent mon
ument as will identify the claim.
There must be also filed an afhdavtt
that the $50 worth of work has been done
Placer locations require two similar no no
tees and so worth of work in sixty days;
This law made mining district RECORD
made after March 27, 1897, of no legal
value and required the depositng of old
district records with the County. Re
cOrder. The effect was a general dlsor-
ganization of mining districts. Since the
districts have been reorganized and
number of district records have been re
turned to districts. Now they must go
hac elk TO the County Recorder, though the
recent records of locations in them have
no legal effect The miners of Tuolumne
County in convention at Sonora have or
district. adopted rules and regulations,
elected a recorder and prescribed a form
of location notice. all Of which, as IN
other districts, is of no effect.
Another discovery of molybdenite in
this State has been made, this time in
Ventura County. The following account
accompanied by samples of quartz rock
pronounced at the Mining bureau quite t
rich in molybdenite, has been received py
The Call:
LEBEC. Kern County. Cal. Aug 7, 1899:
Editor CaIi-Sir: Molybdenite has been DIS DIS
covered in the Gold Hill country, Nentura
County. For two or three years past the min, min
ers and prospectors of this section nave peeh
troubled with mineral SuppOstd ~ SS
ite. which does not occur in sufficiently large
quantities to be of commercial value, ana o"-
ing to its rebellious nature was cohS1ae noe dis
nuisance. Investigation. however mas ois -
closed the fact that the supposed grapnl'e . 10 .
molly ybdenum. James Mcdonald, miner VITO WIZ
knows mineral when he sees II rece!tiG ~ u a
covered such large deposits OF this nelal III d
prospect he opening UP for goid on @ tlLe
Alamo Mountain that he determined 10 asceI-
tain its true character and sent samples to a
Los Angeles metallurgist for analysis, win In, Lre
result stated. The report also shows per
high enough to warrant a SySleiiidtiC
and thorough DEVELOPMENT OF the ore pouy'
The mineral occurs in oxide. sulphide and car
donate forms in a vein Of iron-stained quartz
six feet wide. inclosed between gray eraGitRe R
walls and has been traced about {hPee Iies
Molvbdenite Is the chief ore of molyb-
denum which has been classed as one Of
the rare METALS though its occurrences
are numerous. 1t has been found in many
places through the Eastern States and
in the western mineral regions, including
California 1t has been reported several
times from Fresno and Kern counties,
and has been found elsewhere and has
several times excited the interest and in
quiry of prOspectors who thought they
had made valuable finds. 1t is found In
quartz granite and other rocks, generally
in thin, irregular layers, and composing
but a very slight percentage of the rock
1t is easily mistaken for graphite, being
similarly soft and producing a similar
mark when rubbed on the fingers, but it
may be distinguished by its blush gray
mum is chiefly used in hardening and
toughening steel, for which purpose It is
substituted for tungsten, and for making
a blue coloring for porcelain. So small
a quantity is demanded that the world is
practically supplied by one mine in Swe-
den at about 90 cents per pound. 1t is
best obtained from the ore in an electric
furnace. The supply is abundant when
ever 1t is demanded. The Ventura
County discovery would thus appear
more interesting than commercially i'm
portant. In auriferous quartz, malyb-
denite interferes with amalgamaJiOn and
would hence be troublesome in working
the ore for gold.
CaIifornia's first tale mine has been
opened in Ventura County by S. S. Simon
and tale is for the first time being pro-
duced commercially in this State. Tale
is found abundantly all through the State
but rarely of sufficient whiteness and
purity to be of any commercial value. 1t
is largely demanded for the manufacture
of paper and for other uses. and it is ex-
tensively produced in the East.
J. 0. DENNY.