The Arizona sentinel., 1902-01-08

In the early days of gold disco Fery of Califor- mia, ls4s, when the news reached he gold miners of Sonora, there was genera exodus of the dbie-bodied men who were ab.a 10 get away northVeSI .N -fa '-f-T '.' Ti.,r.f .;f - 2. read waich WAS IIilysrL 2s uAc .aGip real, from Estancia ana Altar norJhwesJWard, 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 or yards of a very modest outcrop of quartz which no one seemed to consider of sui tcient 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 (iila 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 weathereG out at the surfaces, which, however. are much pitted as if by decomposi- tion of some soft substance. But beyond these low-lying hills of granite there are big outcropS of rock which to the experienced eye indicate stratifed formations. They are indeed strait fed. for the bulk of the range Southward and southerStward k composed Of regular stratifed. laminated, hard gneiSSic rock. use the word ''gneSSic' in a very general and comprehensive sense for you can describe these rocks with much more accuracy if you localize them as mica states and hornblendic slateS, with inter polationS 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 arc, al- though there arc peculiaritinS 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 colorS The fact remains, however, that the bullion from the upper rsrt of the vein con- tains more copper than il LOW contains in the lower levels of the mine. Ire 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- GUS ore body. nor continuous vein with an ore body or chimney or chute upon it. As re- marked the ouscropping points indicate that there is no very great longitudinal extension of this orc body.
 The vein is remarkable first in this limited out crop; second, in its continuity in depth it's con- tinued satisfactory richness, and the promise it gives of 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-Stanp mill, each stamp of which crushes about tons in every twenty-four hours. The extraction is of 80 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 15 feet wide. This large space permits the use of power drills to great advantage. In the material hoisted there art fragments of the wall rocks, some of which arc thrown out, but many pieces pass through tho mill. They would prefer to reject most of thi: wall rock. but it would take more time and cX penSe than it does to mill il. and there is chance of some Of it containing gold. From these 50 tons of rock crushed daily the average product is perhaps $iS.009 worth of gold pel month. Some months they have produced a. high as S90000.
 In the region of the Fortuna mine the forma tions appear to be wholly of mica slate anC hornblende slate, WiJh some arcnaceouS layer Ike old micaceolS SandStOnes and QuartZiteS The mine is surrounded by black hornblendi slates and mica states, dipping southward ant southwcstward at an angle of about 45 degrees and these states are very evenly laminated ridge after ridge.