The Arizona sentinel., 1901-06-26
LA FORTUNA NINE.

Tn the early days Of gold discovery of C1lifor nia, ISiS when the news reached the gold miners of Sonora, there was general exodus Of the able-bodied men who were able to get away northwest to the new Fl Dorado ln California, and the state of Sonora contributed many men to the mining population They LOOK the oIu road.-Which was known as the "camlno real, from Estancia and Altar northweStward nearly parallel to the gull, following the mountain ridge known as the Gila range, just north or our nreSent boundary. The road led to | una, and in nassing the Gila range they went within few feet or yards of very modest outcrop or quartz which no one seemed to consider or SUI ticicnt value to merit any attention That hum bic and insignificant quartz outcrop Is today the outcrop 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 Giia river At the point now known as BIalSdell The railway in it's course to Yuma passes ar 1und the northwest point 0f this range. Where the rocks are exposed at that point they are mostly of Homogeneous granite, of gray color and weathCred out at the surfaces, which, however, arc much pittcd as II Dy GecompoSl- tion of some soft substance. But beyond these loy-lvi hills of granite there are big outcropS of rock which to the experienced eye indicate Stratitied formations. They are indeed strait fed for the bulk of the range Southward and southeastwartl Is composed of regular Stratited, laminatCd. hard gnciSSic rock. use the word ''gneiSsic'' in d very general and comprehenSlVe sense, for you can describe these rocks wlth ! mica states and hornblendic SlatcS, with inter l polations Of QuartZite beds, especially in the upper part of the series, with green stains, sup posed to be stains of copper and decomposition | of copper ore which they probably are, al | though there are peculiarities of color, anC some yellow colorS, which indicate to me tht presence of some other mineral, possibly. tel ! lIisizstn which by its decomposition has EivcI ! these colorS. The fact remains, however, tha l the bullion from the upper part of the vein COD ] tains more copper than it now contains Ill tn i lower levels of the mine. The workings whicl | have been carried on here have developed condition of things which could not be foretolt from an inspection of the outcrop. The veil or lode appears to be a chimney, net contlno Ous ore body nor continuous vein with an or
 body or chimney or chute upon it. As re marked the Outcropping points indicate tha
 there is no very great lOngit Udinal extension O
 this ore body.
 The vein is remarkable first in this limited out
 crop: second. in it's continuity Tn depth. It's COT
 tinued satisfactory richness, and the promise
 gives of enrichment by further veins dlppn
 into it on the foOt-wall sides.
 Some facts in regard to the product or yield
 The ore paid from the surface The product ( } | ore extracted up to the time has been about
 tons per day, which is sent to the 20Stamp nli
 each stamp of which crushes about tons : every twenty-four hours The extraction chiefly and largely Gy power drills. for6
 of so men is employed by this mine and mil
 The greater part of the labor underground an
 mining is done by compressed air. The lode,
 was told was to l5 feet wide. This lere
 space permits the use of power drills to grei
 advantage. In the material hOlStcd there a 1 fragments of the wall rocks some of which al
 thrown out, but many pieces pass through u
 mill. They would prefer 10 reject most oi tn
 wall rock. but it would take more time ana . - penSe than it does to mill It. ard there lS | chance of some of it containing gold. Fro l these 30 tons of rock crushed datlv the avera' product is perhaps AS,0O0 worth of gold p
 month. Some months they have produced
 high as Sa00O0.
 In the region Of the Fortuna mine the form
 tions appear to be wholly of mica slate al l bornblende slate, with some arenaceouS lave
 Ike old micaceouS SandStoneS and QuartZite
 The mine is surrounded by black hornbleno
 slates and mica slates dipping southward al
 southwestward at an angle of about 40 degree
 and these states are very evenly laminate v ridge after ridge.