The Sumpter miner. [volume] (Sumpter, Or.) 1899-1905, 1902-08-13
SOME HINTS TO
PROSPECTORS
Other Things Of Value Besides
Gold and Silver.

plore a new country with his pick an
pan, but only looks for gold and silver
He follows up the streams and yulche.
and II colors Of gold are found, trace
them to their source. II ledges are Ell
'countered they are tested by assay fc
gold, silver, lead copper; but beyon
that, little II any account II taken Of tn
rocks Of the country, except as curiou
freaks Of Nature.
In the placer mining Of the Black Hill
the miners were troubled with heav
pebbles, locally called blackjack. o,
account of the weight Of these and q
the same mineral when found in place
ii was taken for silver ore. but no silve
ore could be found by assay. Finally i
was discovered to be stream tin an,
cassiterite in u natrix OF feltlspar o
mica.
In the beach mining along the Pacif,
coast line there was generally collected
with the amalgam small scales, either
dull lead color or bright like nickel
which were heavier than the amalgam
though untouched by quicksilver. Thi,
was thrown away for years, but wa,
nearly ~ valuable as the gold, ounce io,
ounce, consisting Of platinum and il.
alloys.
In Colorado, ut Rock Creek, II canary,
yellow deposit was found, in appearance,
like sulphur and clay, but very heavy
This was found to be II compound o.
uranium and vanadium, called carnOt
ite, and Of good commercial value.
In SAN Diego county, California, II pc
culiar deposit was found carrying radiat
ing reddish crystals. Money has beer
made from this through its 90 istituenl
OF lithium. Lately another deposit ha,
been found where these crystals hav,
been Of various colors, some so clear ~
to b. valuable as gems. In Siskiyou
county, California, IA deposit has latel,
been found, grcenish and very hard
which is the genuine jade Of great
value.
There are other deposits Of value, be-
sides the gold and silver contents, all
over this western country, in the Sierras
as well as the Rockies, and il Is the oh.
ject OF this article to call the attention
OF prosIectors to this phase OF explora-
tions.
The writer has made II specially OF
these rarer crystallizations and CONNER.
cial deposits, and writes with confidence
on the subject, realizing how often valu'
able deposits may he passed by.
OF the metals, rutile occurs in twin
crystals Of CLASSY red color, in a field.
spar gangue, and Is now commercially y
worked in North Carolina.
Molybdenite looks like graphite. Oc.
ours on the Pacific coast in quartz; in
Mexico, in felsite, and il OF value in lin.
tied quantities II over sixty per cent.
1t can be concentrated by saving the
shines.
WOlfrannite, tungstate OF iron, has
been found associated with the tin ores
OF Temescal, Riverside county, CalifOr.
mia, and is OF value.
Cassiterite. tin oxide, only fonnd in
GRANTEES and its allied minerals, never in
slate.
Stibnite, antimony, is OF value II near
transportation and carrying over fifty
per cent of antimony. 1t looks like ga
lena, but il fbrous and lighter colored.
Chrome iron has been found on the
Pacific coast, but is not valuable till
steel works are located on the bays Of
the Pacific.
Bismuth IL found In one mine in q