The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1900-02-01
GROOM LEAD MINES.
A Long Neglected Deposit Which May
Soon be In Demand.


Of gold and silver. In two separ-
ate quarters Of the county at present
large and extensive bodies of lead
ore are developed, and with the
price Of this metal steadily rising it
is more than probable that both
quarters will soon be drawn upon
to supply the existing demand.
In the extreme southwest part Of
the county, in Good Springs district
A. G.. Campbell has within the past
ten years. by location and purchase.
secured group of lead-silver prop
critics Of nearly twenty claims, most
of which he has pressed to patent
recently. The projected building
of the California & Eastern, or Blake
railroad to Good Springs will fur
nish transportation for the ores from
these mines. They are extensively
opened up and carry well in silver
as well as lead.
A second group of lead producers
and one better known hereabouts, is
the Groom properties, situated about
40 miles west OF Pahranagat Valley,
and some 10 miles west OF Della
mar.
These claims were discovered and
opened up in the '70s when the price
of lead was low, and when labor and
all mining supplies were high.
Transportation too, was by wagon
TO Eureka, 100 miles, or to York,
Utah, the terminus of the Utah Cen
tral, about 325 miles, either of which
prscluded the profitable shipment
Of ore, and the low price of lead
caused an abandonment of the pro-
ject Of smelling the ores on the
ground.
These conditions have materially
changed since then and the mines
could now well be worked at a profit.
They are said by mining men who
have examined and assayed them to
be more nearly deposits Of pure lead
than anything within hundreds of
miles. Between 1890 aad 1000; tons
Of ore piled on the dumps, the bulk
Of which will assay upwards of 60
per cent, while many tons Of it runs
to nearly rs per cent. Silver is pres
ent in small quantities as the ores
carry only between 15 to 1S ozs. to
the ton.
The formation is peculiar. but
favorable for immense deposits. In
the 70s, Lieutenant Wheeler and
Professor Gilbert Of the U. s. Ex-
ploration visited the district. The
celebrated Cerro Gordo lead mines
were then at their best while Groom
was just being opened. Wheeler
and Gilber noted, while alike in
country formation, Groom possessed
many advantages over Cerro Gordo.
In his report of the mines to the
government, Lieutenant Wheeler
says:
"The rocks are sedimentary, and
comprise series OF thin, bedded,
vitreous, red sandstone, overlaid by
q mass of soft argillaceous and chic
ritic shales, succeeded in turn by
massive gray and black limestone.
These all trend north and sou b with
the general course of the range and
dip to the east at an average angle
of 80 deg. Parallel with this system
of faults, and within the shales are
the metalliferous deposits. Inter-
stratifed with the same shales are
few feet of limestone containing fos-
sils OF the Potsdam epoch. This is,
believe, the first recorded occur
renee in the great basin of argentif-
srous veins in primoridal rocks.
This is an argentlferous galena
district and is situated south and
west from Tempahute Peak. The
mines occur in system OF parallel
veins or deposits. The gelena is
bright and lustrous and the veins
are from rs to 400 feet wide and
show large amounts Of ore"
Aside from the ores mined, thou
sands Of tons are in sight and the
extensive deposits will form the base
for an ideal concentrating plant, as
water sufficient exists on the ground
and wood is plentiful in the imme-
diate vicinity.
The vastness Of the deposits have
never failed to impress all who have
seen them and they always met with
favorable report.
The properties are held BY Cali
tornia and local owners and for some
time past efforts have been made by
eastern parties 10 get them together
Tor sale. II was reported last fall