The Arizona sentinel., 1903-05-13

many dikes, large and small. This section is known as the White Gold Basin, from the fact that the gold occurring in the veins here is allOyed with silver to such an extent as to give the metal a light color. The rocks here are mica and hOrnblende schist, diorite, granulite, cherts, and felsitic eruptives. There has been much metamOrphism, and there are gold bearing veins or zones of large size cOursing in nearly parallel directions. These are five in number and are from 20 feet to over 100 feet in width. The rocks are greatly fractured and crushed, and have been ex- tenSively mineralized by the in
 filtration of silica and iron sul- phide, which upon oxidation has left a porous siliceous mass, col ored red, yellow or brown by iron oxides. This rock or ore contains gold and silver and is the source of the dry placers that for years have been worked by the Mexicans and Indians in a primitive way-by wind tossing; banning when there was rain water available, and more re gently by dry washing machines. Some prospecting has been done on these large zones of flowgrad ore, but no systematic develop ment has been undertaken.
 In the region adjacent to the Picacho, the California King G. M. Go. have carried on extensive development m zones of gold bearing rock which appears to be the result of mineralization of crushed masses of the country rock, into which silica and gold have been intiltrated and depOs- tied. Here, however, the ore is high grade and the silveris pres ent in relatively small quantity. There are numerous white quartz veins traversing the rocks of this portion of the district, but for the most part these are not gold bearing, or only slightly so. The principal development is about II miles back from the Colorado river. The ore is mined by open cut method and sent by railroad to the company's mlll, located on the Colorado river.
 The gold bearing gravel of this basin has been worked in a prim- tive way by Mexicans in the same manner as that to the east ward, but about twelve years ago company was organized to operate these dry placers by hy- draulic method, pumping the water from the river. A large pumping plant was installed and a pipe line five miles in length laid to the gravel beds, situated near the present site of the com pany's mines. This plant cost nearly $500, 1000. At the head of the pipe line was constructed circular stave tank, built upon frame, similar to railroad water tank, and having a capacity of perhaps 5000 gallons. When all was in readiness and the pumps were started, it was found that they did not possess sufficient capacity nor power to lift the water to the tank, to say nothing of hydraulicking erpressure. It was one of the most absurd engineering feats ever undertak- en in the west; not but that hy- draulicking may successfully be accomplished in the manner in dicated, but under the existing conditions a very large factor for loss in head had to be reck- oned with and met. The friction in a Pinch pipe line miles in length would result in a great loss of head and consequently of power, and as the water had to be lifted vertical height of 800 feet, it can be seen that to de- liver 750 cubic feet of water per minute, or 500 miners inches which amount would be necessa- ry to make operations a success mechanically-these conditions would require a very large plant.