The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1905-05-23


solutions began cooling and depositing
their various minerals. the most ex-
tensiye being quartz, which thus Silici-
fed the sides or walls of the assures,
cracks and crevices through which the
waters circulated and in which the
veins are deposited.
The questions as to whether the de-
poSitS show evidence of secondary as
well as primary naturalization. wheth-
er the adjacent country rock originally
contained minerals from which the So
lutions obtained their values through
teaching, whether the silicified lodges
are properly classified as dikes, or
should be designated by some other
technical term, cannot be discussed
in an article of this nature, which is
intended solely for the average news
paper reader. The main questions are
whether the Goldfield district presents
good evidence of permanency as a min
ing region, whether the high values in
the veins are merely superficial or
whether they can be expected at great
er depths than any thus far attained
600 feet from the surface is the maxi
mum as yeti, and whether the veins
themselves are merely superficial
cracks in the nature of gashes, or
whether they are true assures of con-
siderable extent both horizontally and
downward. If. the evidence shows that
the answers to these questions are all
favorable, then the Goldfield district
must take its place among the best
gold producing regions in the United
States and rank high among all those
known in the world to-day.
Xhe conclusions reached by the writer
are as follows:
First-The region so far explored,
but only partly so, includes fifty-six
square miles of mineralized territory,
4, I. IL
veloped sufficiently to open payable
mines, but the shallow explorations
and surface indications in the remain
ing three-fourths all point to many
more mines yet to be discovered there
in, also TO the fact that the extent of
the region will be much greater than
at present, when further prospecting
and judicious exploration is carried
forward.
Second-The veins are numerous,
deep-seated and defined as well as
some other rich gold producing re-
gions. They are not SO well defined as
some of the noted gold regions of
much lower average ore values, e. g.,
those along the mother lode in Cali
fornia, the Bohemia district in Ore
gon, Gilpin and Clear Creek counties,
Colorado, etc, but are more nearly
analogous to some of the veins in Grip
Australia, and others in which the
main ore channel is very narrow and
must be watched closely during under
ground development and in which the
values are mainly disseminated in
number of narrow parallel cracks,
seams and Nominations rather than in
one large central well defined single
crevice.
Third-The ore bodies in these veins
are short, but numerous and exceed
ingly rich. The only region in the
United States comparable with this in
average value of the ore is Cripple
Creek, Colo, but the first year of Gold
fields existence, in which reliable esti-
mates show a production of $1,000, 900
in smelling ore and $4,000, 900 in milling
ore (Smelting ore being reckoned as
that above 800 per ton in gold value
and the milling ore all that below this
grade), is immensely beyond that OF
Cripple Creek, which shows only $780,
600 production for it's first year. 1t is
only fair to state, however, that Grip
pie Creek had much unfavorable public
opinion to overcome in its early his
tory, while the public was somewhat
prepared for Goldfield through the ex-
traordinary results of developments in
Tonopah for two years previously, this
district being only twenty-three miles
north Of Goldfield-
Fourth-While the ore Is dfsseminat-
ed through numerous cracks. Cross
slips and assures in the uppermost or
oxidized portions of the veins. and is
vet at a depth of 40 feet, where the
oxidized zone ends and the 1--we ore is
found, the veins become much better
defined and regular with one IL not
both walls clearly apparent and the
values In the live or sulphide ore zone
are nearly as great as the average OF
the oxidized zone above
Fifth-The character of the change m
the ore as the sulphide zone is explored
deeper is favorable to continuity Of
values downward. Copper bearing min
erals appear in the vein together with
one or two other base metals such as
anthony and zinc, anu these all indi-
cate permanency of value in greater
depths, especially where there Is no in
crease in silver values over the small
amounts in the surface ores While
these other metals in the sulphide zone
of course remove the free milling char
acter of the ores, yet the high values
still continuing fully justifies the more
expensive plant necessary for bene-
floating these values, and there is all
ways a permanent market for these
smelling ores in San Francisco and
Salt Lake City.
SlXtn-Ine Transportation ana ulili-
ing facilities will soon be increased
The first railroad, broad gauge. will
reach the town and be open for traffic
in the coming September. At present.
the nearest depot is at Tonopah.
twenty-eight miles distant by wagon
road. Two sampling mills are already
in operation which are fully occupied
with the products of the mines. Two
ordinary stamp amalgamation mills are
in operation and others in process of
erection. The Combination Mines
Company has its own mill in operation
for working its ores both by amalga-
nation and cyanide.
1t will be gathered from the forego-
ing statements that the Goldfield dis
trict is regarded both as a safe and