The Arizona sentinel., 1901-11-06

road, which was zaU0I ,,s .nc r.a-.-i4.u t.. from Estancia and Altar noTchweStgg ward nea. parallel to the gulf following the mountii- ridge known as the Gila range, just north or O present boundary. The road led to Yuma au in passing the Gila range they went within few feet or yards of very modest outcrop 0 quartz which no one seemed to consider of SUI ncient value to merit any attention. That hum bic and insignificant quartz outcrop is today tho outcrop of the great Fortuna mine.
 It is situated on the westward slope and nearl. at the base of the range of mountains called O. some of the old maps the Gila range Thi, trends northweSterly and reaches nearly to th. Gila river at the point now known as BlaiSdell The railway in its course to Yuma passe around the northwest point of this range Where the rocks are exposed at that point the are mostly of homogeneous granite of gra- color and weathered out at the surfaces, which however, are much pitted as if by decomposi top of some soft substance. But beyond theSC 3ow-lying hills of granite there are big outcrops U rock which to the experienced eye indicate strat1tied formations. They are indeed strait fed. for the bulk of the range SouthWard and southeaStward is composed of regular stratifled laminated, hard gneiSSic rock. I use the word ''gneiSStc' in a very general and comprehensive sense, for you can describe these rocks with much more accuracy if you localize them as mica slateS and hornblendic states, with inter polations of quartZite beds, especially in the upper part of the series, with green stains, SUD- posed to be stains of copper and Accommodation of copper ore, which they probably are al- though there are peculiarities of color and some yellow colors, which indicate to me the presence of some other mineral, possibly tel lurium, which by it's decomposition has given these colorS. The fact remains however that the bullion from the upper part of the vein con- tains more copper than it now contains in tie lower levels of the mine. The workings which have been carried on here have developed n condition of things which could not be foretold from an inspection of the outcrop. The vein or lode appears to be chimney. not contino- ouS ore body. nor continuous vein with an ore, body or chimney or chute upon it. AS re- marked the outcropping points indicate that there is no very great longitudinal extension of this ore body.
 The vein is remarkabiE first in this limited out crop; second, in its continuity in depth, it's con- tinued satisfactory richness, and the promise it gives of enrichment by further veins dipping into it on the fOot-wall sides.
 Some facts in regard to the product or yield: The ore paid from the surface. The product or ore extracted up to the time has been about 30 tons per day, which is sent to the 20-Stanp mill, each stamp of which crusheS about tons in every twentyfour hours The extraction is chiefly and largely by power drills. 4 force of 30 men is employed by this mine and mill. The grt a CT part of the labor underground and mining is done by compressed air. The lode, I was told. was to 15 feet wide. This large space permits the use of power drills to great advantage. In the material hoiSted there are fragments of the wall rocks, some of which are thrown out, but many pieces. pass through the mill. They would prefer to reject most of this wall rock. but it would take more time and ex- pcnSe than it does to mill it, and there is a chance Of some of it containing gold. From these 30 tons of rock crushed daily the average product is perhaps $is000 worth of gold per month Some months they have produced as high as Ss0 000
 In the region of the Fortuna mine the forma- tionS appear to be wholly of mica slate and hOrnblende slate, with some arenaceouS layers Ike old micaceouS Sandstones and quartziteS. The mine is surrounded by black hornbiendiC slates and mica states, dipping soUthward and southweStward at aa angle of about 45 degrees and these slates very evenly laminated ridge after ridge.