The Arizona sentinel., 1901-10-23

Inthe early days of gold discovery of Califor- Asa. lSis, when the news reached the gold miners of sonora there was a general exodus of the able-bodled men who were able to get ava northwest to the new Fl Dorado in Californi. and the state of Sonora contributed man 10 the mining population. V,
 road, which was kHo
 from EStanci: O. 'l
 parallel GO pne ba-i -o-1..
 ridge known as the Gila range. just .loruh 0. present boundary. The road led % Yuma q In passing the Gila range they went within few feet or yards of a very modest outcron e quartz which TO one seemed to consider of SUI hclenu value to merit any attention. That hun ble and insignificant quartz outcrop is today il . Outcrop of the great Fortuna mine.
 It is situated on the westward slope and near, at the base Of the range of mountains called q some of the old maps the Gila range. This trends northweSterly and reaches nearly to fhe Gila river at the point now known as Blaisdell. 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 and weathered out at the surfaces which however, are much pitted as if by decomposi- flon of some soft substance. But beyond these )owlying hills of granite there are big outcropS ct rock which to the experienced eye indicate Stratlhed formations. They are indeed strait lied, for the bulk of the range Southward and SoutheaStward is composed of regular strati6ed lamlnated hard gneiSSic rock. use the word gnelSSlc lE 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 polatlonS Of quartzite beds, especially in the upper part of the series. with green stains Srn posed to be stains of copper and Accommodation tf copper ore, which they probably are all lnougn mere are pecullarities of color and some yellow colorS, which indicate to me the presence of some other mineral poSSiblv tel lurium, which by its decomposition has given these colors: The fact remains, however that the bullion from the upper part of the vein con- talnS more 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 not be foretold from an inspection of the Outcrop The vein or lode appears to be chimney not a contino- "uS ore body. nor continuous vein with an ore I'ody or chimney or chute upon it. As re- marked the outcrOpping points indicate that mere ls no very great longitudinal extension of
 The vein is remarkable first in this limited ont crop; second. in it's continuity in depth it's con tlnued satisfactory richness. and the promise 1t ElveS or 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 80 tons per day, which is sent to the 20-Stamp mill each stamp Of which cruSheS about tons in every twenty four hours. The extraction is chiefly and largely by power drills. A force or SO men IS 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 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- p'nSe than 1t does to mill it. and there iS a chance of some Of it containing gold. From these 80 tons of rock crushed daily the average product is perhaps S4S.0O0 worth of gold per month Some months they have produced as high as S900O0.
 In the region of the Fortuna mine the forma- tions appear to be wholly of mica slate and hornblende slate. with some arcnaceouS layers Ike old micaceouS S5lndStOneS and QuartzjteS The mine k surrounded by black hOrnblendiC states and mica states, dipping Southward and SouthweStward at an angle of about i5 degrees and these slateS are very evenly laminated ridge after ridge.