Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1900-04-19
CERRILL0S DISTRICT.
A Correspondent Contributes a Good
Article on the Mining Industry.
REMARKS ON THE ABOVE DISTRICT,

Cerrillos. N. NJ, April 17.-There is a
OF mining industry manifested
by several lead producers outputting
ores and undergoing development
to furnish more for the lately com
pleted and now successfully running
smelter at Cerrillos. OF course a sill
district that has produced will
be looked over again these times to see
IL enterprise may be made to resume
something OF its old-time importance
and values by productions. Indeed, II
II being looked after, and developing
and mining has commenced anew in
several places. despite the disadvan-
tages of recovering old wrecked work
ing and gouged mines.
1t should be remembered that this
is yet only supericlally worked.
by such a statement relative to COM
parative shallowness of workings, 1t is
meant that In 50 far as lead and sill
yer and gem stones are concerned there
is M very remarkably deep workings.
The reason for II ls manifest when we
review the poor aids and tools (stone
hammers, and fire and water, breaking
OF rocks) the ancients used In working
for turquoise long before the Spanish
conquerors invaded the domain of
Montezuma and his people: and, later,
when the spanlards occupied the coun-
try and used firearms to keep the peo-
pie enslaved to their government, bull
lets may have been made from the out
cropping or easily mined parts Of lodes
In this district; later yet, there was
some mining for silver. Mexlcans now
living can remember workings of the
Nina del Trio" the "Ruelina," and
the santa Rosa" mines. Yet later
came American soldiers, and doubtless
they found the Cerrlllos district the
nearest place to headquarters at Santa
Fe 10 obtain lead for making bullets
for their old flint lock rifles and mus
kets; and from time TO time. until min
Ing commenced in earnest twenty years
ago Tin the eighties) people must have
found the lead ores OF this district
handy TO get supplies for bullets from.
Numerous old shallow, partly rehlled
workings and relics of stone furnaces.
attest these simple and ancient ways
or getting the metals from the ores of
lead and silver.
Later came the American miner and
capitalist, In those days when silver
was as good as gold. and many peo-
pie were mining here. Much of the
mining then was by inexperienced peo-
pie who were ready to take chances.
as they did seemingly. on anything
that had the least sign OF mineral.
Particularly did the lead and blend
ores receive the attention OF the new
corners (metallic lustres being more al
Turing than some OF the oxide and
quartz ores that really had greater
values In them.) II was mined and
shipped away for treatment; some lots
to Omaha and st. Louis and much to
Colorado. Moreover much was devoted
to experimentalists with smelter and
concentration plants that did not work
well.
Thousands OF IONS were mined and
disposed of in those several ways; and
Of course the modern miner was no diff
ferent from the ancient pueblo in his
desire to get at the "bonanzas" as
quickly and cheaply as he could. Con-
sequently the prospects are not 80
plain and good as they were before the
"%gouging and cutting wrecked and
nearly obllterated II. There would b,
no difficulty In capitalizlng for all tina
might be needed to develop lodes int
mine shape II all the ores taken from
the district could be restored to theil
place on outcroppings and In prospeci
shafts. As 1t Is now, fewer mines ar,
/ A.In1 V..rLal for ~. aptpns 90 iaaa
ores than was presumed might b,
when the smelter started and com
menced buying ores. Yet there ar,
good mines and prospects awaiting
workings and development into shapes
hat might become abundant pro,
ducers. A few claims are being WORKED
for lead ores, but there are many NOR,
that can be developed, and yet other
that can be recovered from the wrecl
OF gougings alright.
Around the bases and slopes OF tn
Cerrillos hills, only a few miles iron
the smelter, the town and railroad
there are found lodes in formation
Qimestones. shales, grit and porphy
ries) quite favorable TO lead ores. Il
some places the galena and carbonat
is associated in fissure lodes with con
siderable values of gold and silver. an
sometimes the %sulphides of zinc an
iron are associated with II. In regar
to such admixtures in the lodes II goe
without saying almost that such ore
need concentrating and separation fror
the galena, else they may not b
treated at the Cerrillos smelter wit
any profit for the miner. There are II
mills or concentrators in the districI
yet these blend" ores. and some gol
and silver prospects more than suggei
the need OF them at some central poii
! of the district convenient for custol
work. or directly at the mines havir
those kinds OF ores.) II is too plaI
that hand sorting of galena, in II
same lode with zinc blend ores Is I,
costly a way of separating them. {
course there are nests" and "shutes
of lean good galena and carbonate
lead ores, but they are 81 apt to b
come associated with the zinc that oil
should have the needed machineTy 4
separations IA 500 rs quantities I
developed and ready to be mine
Miners here who have held the
claims for some years are not gene
ally wealthy enough to develop pr