The Arizona sentinel., 1901-10-09
LA FORTUNA MINE.

Tn the early days of gold discovery of Califor- mia, isfs when the news reached the gold miners Of sonora, there WSS a general exodus of the able-bodied men who were able to get away northwest to the new Fl Dorado in California and the state of Sonora contributed many men to the mining population. They took the olG roac, which was known as the ''caminO real, ,'' from EStancia and Altar northWeStvard nearly parallel to the gulf, following the mountain ridge known as the Gila range. just north of our present boundary. The road led to Yuma, and in passing the Gila range they went within few feet yards of very modest outcrop of quartz which no one seemed to consider of sui tcient value to merit any attention. That hum bie and Insignificant quartz ouUcT0p is today the Outcrop of the great Fortuna mine
 IL is situated on the westward slope and nearly at the base of the range of mountains called on some of the cid maps the Gila range. This trends northweSterly and reaches nearly to the Gila river at the point now known as Blaisdell The railway m its course to Yuma passes around the northwest point of this range Where the rocks are exposed at that point they are mostly Of homogeneous granite, of gray color and weathered out at the surfaces which however. arc much pitted as if by decompoSi- tion of some soft substance. But beyond these lowlying hills of granite there are big outc-ops of rock which to the experienced eve indicate stra;ihed formations They are indeed strait lied. for the bulk of the range Southward and Southe3Stward Is composed of regular Stratified lamlnabed. hard gneiSSic rock. I use the word ''gneiSSic'' in a very general and comprehensive sense for you can describe these rocks with much more accuracy if you loci.lize them as mica Sls1eS and hornblendic states, with inter pulations of quartZite beds especially in the upper part Of the series, with green stains SUD- posed to be stains of copper and decomposition of copper ore which they probably are el- though there are peculiaTitieS Of color, and some yellow colorS, which indicate to me the presence of some other mineral. possibly tel lurium, which by its decompoSition has given these colOTS. The fact remains however that the bullion from the upper part of the vein con tains more copper than it now contains in the lower levels Tf the mine The workings which have been carried on here have developed condition or things which could not be forctold fro'a an inspection of the Outcr0p. The vein or lode appears 10 b. 9 chimney. not a cOnfino- "Gs ore body. nor continuous rein with an ore body or chimney chute upon 1t. As r..- marked the oGJc-opping points indicate that there Is 10 very great longitudinal extension of this body.
 The vein is remarkable first in this limited out- crop; second. in its continuity in depth, it's fllued satisfactory richness and the promise it gives or enrichment by further veins dipping into Il on the foot-wall sides.
 some facts in regard to the product or yield: The ore paid from the surface. The product CT ore extracted up to the time has been about sD tons per day. which Is sent to the 50Stamp mill each stamp Of which cruSbeS about tons in every tgenty-four hours The extraction is chiefly and largely by power drills. X force Of o0 men is employed by this mine and mill. The greater part Of the labor underground and mining Is done by compressed air The lode, ] was told, was to l1 feet wide. This large space permits the use Of power drills to great advantage. h the material hoiSted there are fragments Gf the wall rocks. some Of which are thrown out. but many pieces pass through the mill They A7 cu prefer to reject most Of this WAL rock. Oui l, would take more time and eX- p,nsc tiiin IL dUe; t1 mill it. and there is a chance of some Of il containing gold. From these s0 tons Of rock crushed daily the average product iS perhaps S4e.0 .000 worth Of gold per month. So,Dc months they harc produced aS high as }005l
 In uhe region of the Fortuna mine the foFIaa- tions appear Uo be wholly of mica slate and Eorhbleade slate, with som" arenaeeoUs layers -n1 ag7~.. -s-.
 The miae is surrounded by blac. hOrnblcndic states and mica SlaJeS, dipping southNard and So1rh Invest s;sTd 9L aiI angle of about 45 degrees and these siateS very evenly lstTninaJed ridge after ridge.