The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-05-01

Custer County's Great
Copper Belt.

The property of the White
Knob Company, at Cliff, z miles
west of Houston on Big Lost
river, better known as the Big
Copper, has probably the largest
surface exposure of ore that has
ever been discovered to date, and
its further development, together
with the great belt of mineral of
which it forms part, is liable to
put Custer county in a position
second to none in the production
of the useful red metal
The White Knob Company are
employing force of so men, and
actively developing their mines
through a vertical shaft 700 feet
deep, from the bottom of which
cross-cuts are being run to tap
the vein, and some sensational
strikes of high grade ore may be
expected at any day.
The surface developments,
however, are what attracts the
visitors eye. They consist of
several thousand feet Of shallow
workings including shafts, tun-
nels, quarries and open cuts that
thoroughly explore an area of
ground 80 or 40 acres In extent,
and one to two hundred feet
deep. which is practically all ore,
and can actually be measured by
the millions of tons.
This surface ore is said to av-
erage from 3 to per cent. cop
per, and $1.00 to $500 dollars in
gold per ton This may sound
like low grade ore to the casual
reader, but when we consider
that the average value of most of
the ores mined by the largest
companies In Lake Superior, is
under 2 per cent. copper and no
gold, then this proposition reveals
great possibilities for profit.
The ores at White Knob are
principally carbonates and oxides
of copper saturating sandy cal
careous gangue rock and associ-
ated with massive bodies of high
grade magnetic hematite iron ore.
They are enclosed in steep
pitching strata of pure blue car
boniferious limestone, and dykes
of quartz. porphyry, the whole
resting on what appears to be q
massive core of eruptive granite
or diorite.
This is a very desirable combi-
nation of geological condition:
for big copper deposit and com
pares most favorably with some
of the most famous copper pro.
ducers of Arizona, and together
with other manifestations of ths
deep seated origin of these ores
I feel safe in predicting a mos
brilliant and profitable future fol
this company.
Extending from the White
Knob mines along the north
slope of the range in a westerly
direction, string of copper anC
lead bearing mines and prospect!
can be followed all the way t
Copper Basin and beyond.
In Rio Grande gulch, directl,
west of the Big Copper. th'
McCallum group of claims carries
two strong veins of copper ore
also a third large vein that give.
high values in lead and silver
These veins have several hund
red feet of adit tunnel develop
ment, and a large amount of or,
now on the dump of shippin,
, value.
West of the McCallum groul
the Flagstaff mine is being sys
tematically developed at tn
present time This propert
/, carries a well defined lode or zon
{ of mineralized formation 75 fee
wide, that carries strong shoot
of pay ore 10 TO Is feet wide
worth 15 per cent. copper. s. i
gold and 5 ozs. silver per ton.
Near the Flagstaff, the Copper
s oplis mine has 200 feet of deve1
opment on an 8 foot contact vel
a between lime and porphyry. ths
carries an average value of 1
per cent copper and 5 to 10 do
y lars gold and silver.
A short distance west of Ri
i Grande gulch at a little highe
:. geological horizon, the Blac
Daisy is a well developed vein {
lead-silver ore, in limestone tn;
" is T. feet wide, and carries ave
le age values of 30 per cent. lea