The Arizona sentinel., 1901-01-09


 to foot wall along this tunnel is 70 feet. drift has been run along the foot wall to the Home stake shaft at a distance of 3J1 feet. and the average value of the ore exposed is Sl4 per ton.
 LA FORTUNA MINE. I-
 In the early days of gold discovery of Califor- nia. IS4S. when the news reached the gold miners Of Sonora, there was Q general exodus of the aDle-bodied men who were able to get away northwest to the new Fl Dorado in California, and the staje of Sonora contributed many men tO-the mining population. They took the old road, which was known as the ''carlinO real. '' from Estancia and Altar northwestward, 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 Giia range they went within q few feet or yards or very modest outorOp of quartz which no one seemed to consider of suf- fcient value to merit any attention. That hum h.e and insignificant quartz outcrop is today the o'ltcrOp of the great Fortuna mine.
 It is situated on the westward slope and nearly at the base of, the range of mountains called on some of the old maps the Gila range This trends northwesterly and reaches nearly to the
 
 The railway in 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 ana weajhcred out at the surfaces, which, hos7e.er are much pittcd as if by deccmposi- tion Of some soft substance. Bat beyond these loylyiug hills of granite there are big outc-ops Of rock which to the experienced eye indicate
 
 fled. for the bulk of the range southward and soatheastward is composed of regular stratided, laElii-ated. hard gneissic rock. use the word ''f-nriSsic" 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 slateS, with inter poiations Of quartzite beds, especially in the upper part Of the series, wi5h green stains sup posed to 0e stains Of copper and decomposition of copper ore, which they probably are, al- though there are peculiariUieS of color, and some yellow colCrS. which indicate to me the presence of some ether mineral, possibly tel luriuTn, 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 rorc copper than it now contains in the lower levels of the mine. The workings which have been carried on here have developed a condition of things which could no5 be forctold from aa inspection Of the outcrop. The vein or lode appears to be q chimney, not a ccntiao- GUS ore body, nor a continuous vein with an ore body or chimney CT 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 remarkable first in this limited out crop: second, in its continuity in depth is COZ tiRued satisfactory richness and the promise ii gives of enrichment hy further veins dipping inyo it on the foot-waI sides.
 Some facts in regard to thc product or yield: Tine orc paid from the surface. The product or ore extracted up to the time has been about 80 tens per day. which k Seut 10 the 20-starnp I1ll each stamp Of which cruSicS about 1 tons ifl every twcnty-foGr hours. The extraction is chiefly and largely by power drills. A force of SJ men k employed by this mine and mill. The greater part Of the labor underground and mining is done by compressed air. The lode I was told, was 6 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 th~oHr out but many pieces pass through the E.ill. They would prefer 70 reject most of this wal rcciI. bat it would take more time and eX- perse t.1cl it does to rlill ii. and tilere is e chance of some cf it containing gold. From these Sa tons of rock crushed daily the average product is perhaps AsOoo worth of gold per month. Somo months thcg have produced as high as ;f6oGa
 la t:.o region ct tl.e Fortuna mine the forna- tioaS &ppear to be wholly Of mica slate and horuDlende slate, with some aTcnaceOuS layers Ike old mieaeeouS sau1stoneS and quartziteS. The mine k surrounded by black hornblendic states and mica states dipping southward and southwestward at an angie of about 45 degrees and these states are very evenly laminated, ridgc af.er ridge. T;:is i> apparently a cen