Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-01-09
Minin9 Motes.
GIGANTIC QUARTZ NINE.
p. s p. Mine o Wonder in
Its Dimensions and
Steady Values.

~. fil acy Of considering any portion |
o. sou hrrn o ekbn a. Thoroughly pros-
pectrd il exemplifrh in the recent dir
cryery made BY II. g. Perkins and \ j.
PIKE in the Dry Dggings. HIRE il
property known to b. mining gfoInl
since the eos. IL has lain exposed 10
the public view, year after year.
Thousands OF prospectors have walked
over II and probably every foot Of ii has
been specifically examined. The main
wagon road Of southern Oregon, the
old stage road, runs across it. Yet its
value has been as efectuaily concealed
rs though ii were located hundreds OF
miles from civilization, though the
simple experiment Of testing the values
Of the rock was all that was necessary to
mark it as a valuable property.
The Dry Diggings is probably one OF
the most peculiar mineral tracts in the
world. 1t has been mined with more or
less sieadiness since the early mining
days OF southern Oregon, principally as
placer ground. The whole surface OF the
mountain side and its adjacent slopes
pays for hydIauic operation wherever
water can be brought to bear on il and
some Of the guches nave been very rich.
There IL little or no gravel and the
distribution Of gold in the surface ear b
IL remarkable.
The mountains back OF the Dry Dig
gings form themselves into curious lit
tie knot. A ridge runs back from III,
river forming the divide between Jones
creek, small stream. and Evans creek
This ridge is intersected by another.
running more parallel with Evans creek.
Between the two, facing the river, Is a
small, triangular watershed drained by
little creek with the sanguinary name
oil Bloody Run. Bloody Run forms ttr.>
east boundary Of the Dry Digeings and
Just west OF the source OF this stream
which heads against the Evans creek
tributaries, is the point which forms the
elimination OF the Dry Diggings noun =.
tain, mountain rich in gold, full OF
pockets" and lodges, whose lower
slopes form the auriferous placer fields
which have made the Dry Digging-
famous.
The prevailing formation Of the Dry
Dlgglngs is granite, or, more accurately
speaking, gneiss, as the ieldspar, one Of
the elements Of granite, is lacking from
the rock. On the southeastern slope Of the
hill, on the Bloody Run side, there is a
belt OF rock commonly called porphyry,
but 1t is more accurately classified as
talcous slate. This belt is the "ledge"
Of the F. & p mine.
The ledge is huge dixie OF lalcous
slate running nearly north and south
1t is perhaps 400 feet in width, extend
ing from the granite on the west to a
belt OF iron rock on the east. The con.
tact between the granite and this gold
bearing dixie is very sharply defined,
70 that the strike and dip of the ledge
may be readily observed. Tho length Of
the deposit is unknown. The same
character OF ore exists on the south side
OF Rogue river and seems to continue
indefinitely in both directions.
The rock ls largely Of reddish brown
rusty color, shading into blue tinge.
Through the rock in every direction run
thousands OF tale seams. Both the rock
itself and the seams OF tale carry the
gold. AT the lower end of the claim,
the Dry Diggings Mining Co.'S race has
cut the lode to a depth of perhaps l5
feet, showing the even and continuous
character of the ore.
series OF assays taken in this vicinity
gave values averaging about So per ton.
a shalt IL now being sunk about 400 feet
from this point and here tho returns are
larger. At depth of four feet, the
rock showed value Of IS 80 per ton, the
sample being taken across the whole
width OF the shaft A; six feet the assay
was IS. At ten feet, the rock showed
values Of 50 per ton in gold. The shaft
is now down about 20 feet and the in.
tentlon is to sink to depth of 80 feet
and run crosscuts from the bottom of
the shafts. Several similar shafts are
to be sunk on the property so that its
value may be thoroughly demonstrated.
In sinking this shaft a two foot vein of
quartz was disco vered and quartz in
veins, punches or seams occurs ire-
quently throughout the entire ore body.
The possibilities Of this property are
enormous. Let It once be demonstrated
that the ore can be proftably miled,
aud the assay values seem more than
sufficient TO render this certain, and
there is no end 10 the magnitude this
| mine might assume. The accessibility
OF the property, lying as it does directly
on the main wagon road, its favorable
position, the vast quantity and even
values Of the ore and the ease and rapid
tty with which it might be worked are
points which impress themselves en-.
phatically on the minds of all who ex
anime the property. II the mine lives
up to It's prospects, We ought to see
mill with hundreds Of stamps pounding
away on the ore before many wears have