Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1900-04-21
CERRILLOS DISTRICT.
A Correspondent Contributes a Good
Article on the Mining Industry,
REMARKS on THE ABOVE DISTRICT.

Cerrillos. n. A., April iT.--There ia a
revival Of mining industry manifested
by several lead producers outputtine
some ores and undergoing development
TO furnish more Tor the lately com-
pictcd and now successfully running
smeiter as Cerrillos. OF course n Sill
ver.lead district that has produced will
be- looked over again these times to see
" enterprise may be made % resume
something OF its old time Importance
and values by productions. Indeed, 4
II being looked after. and developing
and mining has commenced anew IN
several places, despite the dInadvan-
tagea OK recovering old wrecked work
lng and gouged mines.
II should be remembered that this
district ia yet only supornolally worked.
BY such statement relative 10 COM
parative shallowness OF workings, Il IA
meant hat In ~ far aa lead and ell.
Yer and gem stones are concerned there
is no very remarkably deep workings.
The reason for Il - manifest when We
review the poor aids and tools (stone
hammers. and ore and water. breaking
lof rocks) the anclents used In working
Tor turquoise long before the spanish
conquerors invaded the domain OF
Montezuma and his people. ana. later.
when the Spaniards occupied the coun-
tty and used firearms 20 keep the pco-
pie enslavcd TO their government, hull
let's may have been made from the out o.
cropping or easily mined parts OF iodes
IN this district; later yet. there was
some mining FOR silver. Mexlcans now
hVlng can remember workings OF the
Nina del Tio." the "Ruelina," and
the santa Rosa" mines. Yet later
came American soldiers, and doubtless
they found the Cerrliloa district the
nearest place % headquarters az santa
re % obtain lead FOR making bullets
Tor their old nint lock rifles and inus-
kets' aud from time 10 time, until min
ing commenced In earnest twenty ycarn
ago On the eightes) people must have
found the lead ores OF this district
handy 20 gct supplies for bullets from.
Numerous old shallow, partly renijed
workings and relics OF stone furnacos.
attest these simple and ancient ways
OF getting the metals from the ores OF
lead and silver
Later came the American miner and
capitalist, In those days when silver
was as gooi as gold. and many poo-
pie were mining here. Much OF the
mining then was by inexperienced peo-
pie who were ready TO take chances
an they did seemingly. on anything
that had the least sign OF mineral.
Pariicularly ala the lead and blend
ores receive the attention OF the new
comers (metailic lustres being more al
Turing than some of the oxide and
quartz ores that really had greater
values Ia thcmJ II was mined and
shipped away for treatment, some lots
% Omaha and ST. Louis and much 10
Colorado. Moreover much was devoted
Go experimeutalists with smelter and
concentrator plants that did not work
we'll
Thousands OF tons were mined and
disposed Of Ia those several ways; and
~ course the modern ffiiiSr was no dif-
ferent from the ancient pueblo In his
desire TO eet az the "bonanxas" ~
quickly and cheaply a. he could. CON
seqnently the prospects are not 20
plain and good as they were before the
'gouging and cutting" wrecked and
nearly obliterated II. There would be
no difficulty IN capitallzlng for all that
might be needed 10 develop lodcs into
mine shape n all the ores taken from
the district could be- restored 10 their
place on outcroppinEs and In prospect
shafts As u is now. fewer mines are
being worked for the output OF lead
ores than was presumed might be
when the smelter started and com
menced buying ores, Yet there are
good mines and prospects awaiting
workings and development Into shapes
that might become abundant pro-
ducers. A few claims arr being worked
Tor lead ores, but there are many more
that can be developed. and yet others
that can be recovered from the wreck
OF gongingH alright
Around the bases and slopes Of the
cerrlllos hills. only few miles from
the smeltcr the town and railroad.
there are found lodes in formations
dimostonea shales. grit and porphy-
rieO quite favorable TO lead ores In
some places the geiena and carbonate
is associated IN issurc iodes with con-
siderable values OF gold and silver. ana
sometimes the sulphides OF zinc ana
iron are associated with IL. In regard
10 such admixtures ln the lodes Il goes
without saying almost that uuch ores
need concentrating and separation from
the galena. else they may not be
treated at the Ccrriilos smelter with
any profit Tor the miner. There are no
mills or conecntratora in the district
yet these blend" ores. and some gold
the need OF them az some central point
Of the district convenient for CUSTOM
work. or directly at the mines having
those kinds of ores) Il "a too plain
that hand sorting Of Ealena. In the
same lode with zine blend ores Is too
costly way Of separating them. OF
course there are nests" and "ahutes"
lof clean good Ealena and carbonate OF
lead ores. hut they are - apt 10 be-
come associated with the zinc that one
should have the needed machinery Tor
separations as s0on aa quantities lre
developed and ready 20 be mined.
Miners here who have held their
claims Cor some years are not gcncr-
ally wealthy enough 90 develop pros.
poets and put up conccntratora aud
mills also. Times have been adverse
10 their pursuit. By reason of depre-
es0sed silver values. and heretofore
wits no near market for their lead
ores. Therefore they done well 20 ful.
hh requirements Of annual assess
ment laws. Now the prospects brighten
and they viii be found making best
efforts for enterprise. The Robert q.
Insersol, Sure Winner. BonanEabelie.
Great Western, Burlion, Lilly. Norma.
hulina, Maid OF Erin, silver King,