The copper era., 1901-06-13
The New District of Tonopah, Nevada.

The new mining ulSttlcti 1onOpan
literally water brush" in Shoshone,
which is now attracting so much at
tention on account Of the richness OF its
ores and considerable amount being
shipped, is situated near the line be-
tween Esmeraldo and Nye counties in
Nevada, which county can claim II
not being as yet positively determined
1t is about so miles south Of east from
Sodayille, Nevada (whence two stage
lines rum, about the same distance
east OF Candelaris, about 10 miles east
OF north from Silver Peak, about 20
miles south OF Belmont, and is situated
at an elevation of about 5000 feet, in
the low foothills, on the western slope
OF the southern end OF the San Antoine
range OF mountains, where they break
in long, easy slopes down to the san
Antoine desert. The San Antoine range
Of mountains is in this locality broken
up into a series OF isolated buttes and
short, sawtOOth ranges, and show many
evidences OF extensive volcanic action
and great chemical activity.
The lodges were first discovered by
J. l.. Butler Of Belmont, in June, 1900,
and so unpromising was the appearance
of the lodges and ore that tests and To-
cations were not made until in August,
1900. When assays were made, TO the
sunrise OF al st was shown that this
----'l'orlty Joking hard quartz, with
tat a black streak Of stain now and
then, ran from 300 TO 500 ounces silver
and from $50 to 800 gold per ton.
Mr.. Butler secured five claims, COW
ering the outcrop showing, and per-
fected the same. The fact that rich
ore had been found became known
among the miners at Silver Peak and
Southern Klondyke, and about Novem-
Der / few went in and took leases.
The assays obtained when work on
lodges commenced ran so high that
the news spread rapidly, and by jan
uary /, 1900, about eighty men were at
work. and since then the number has
increased to $50, there being thirty
six different leases in operation, work
ing two to ten men on each one, and
the outside men bring the number in
camp at this time up to about DO.
The lodges, of which there are eight
now known, each outcropping for 800
to 1000 feet in length, vary from foot
to five feet in width, and in few
places are even larger, the average be-
nh nd ,-ttp orannrallv
parallel, the course being northeastern
Iy and westerly, and, with a few
local notifications, dip nearly vertical.
The walls OF the veins are generally
smooth and good, although occasionally
there is no selvage. But little faulting
is evident. and then only with small
throw. The ore is a hard, compact,
close-grained quartz, carrying gold
and silver, the mineral occurring in
streaks and ribbons throughout the
vein material, the silve; occurring as a
remarkably pure silver sulphide-no
zinc or lea.yeexcept in few places
-;rhera- chIorides show, mostly as horn
silver, and evidently a local enrichment
due to teaching from broken and shat
tered portions OF the veins. The gold
is largely metallic, although in some
portions there is reason to believe
tellurides are present.
The proportion OF gold and silver is
generally one ounce gold to 100 ounces
silver.
In some portions of the lodges black
oxide of manganese and iron replace
the silver minerals, aud, owing to the
similarity in appearance when so in
timatelv mixed in the gangue, render
it difficult TO assert the ore closely. A
careful sampling of this entire outcrop
and series of lodges, so far as opened,
shows the mass to average little over
100 ounces silver and about $40 gold
per ton.
The assorted ores shipped by leasers
run up to 400 and 800 ounces silver and
800 gold, and samples taken run sever
al thousand ounces silver and proper
tionately in gold. The high cost of
shipment and reduction-S43 per. ton,
30 returns-precludes the handling of
any ores much less than 100 ounces
silver and $40 gold per ton, and the
second class ore now being piled on
dumps by leasers shows averages of so
to so ounces silver and Sl2 to SIS gold
per ton. This is awaiting the advent
OF local reduction works.
The work thus far has mostly been
done by leasers, 100 feet along the
ledge being the usual form OF allotment,
and as the topography of the country
does not admit OF much tunneling the
work has been done in open cuts and
small shafts. several Of -Mhich-are~ down.
so to 50 feet.
The formation enclosing the lodges
is porphyry, and in proximity thereto
is scanned and assured considerably,
and in many instances carries consid-
cradle value.
Outside the area covered by the But
Ter claims and few other locations.
which has apparently been exposed by
denudation, the original formation
porphyry enclosing the ore-bearing
veins-appears to have been covered
by two later porphyry flows, the first
being flow of rhyolite, the second a
blue poryhyry, which in a number of
places is found covering the rhyolite,
the exposures in various places showing
this condition, aud there is consider
al