The San Francisco call., 1906-06-25

liam Feigel has bought the Golden
Gate group of mines in Mariposa
County, near Bear Valley.
EXCITEMENT AT NINA.
The Tonopah Bonanza reports that
considerable excitement has been
caused by the copper discoveries on the
belt west OF Nina, New. On one prop
erty examined the following phenom-
email assays were taken from a two
foot vein prospected for nearly 5000
feet on the property. Six inches of the
vein gave an average assay of s2g9.79,
showing 23.7 per cent copper, 347.7
ounces In silver and s2.SS in gold The
lowest assay from this portion of the
vein was $223.4o, the highest being
s47171, showing 334 per cent copper
and 470.6 ounces in silver. The bal
ance of the vein averages s73. These
assays are confirmed by average as
says of the dump containing eight TO
ten tons of ore.
The Draper mines In Tuolumne
County have been bought at Sheriffs
sale by Cotton Brothers of Oakland for
$3O,00o
The Redding Courier Free Press
claims that the Washington mine in
French Gulch has produced more than
s4o0o,o90 New machinery has been
ordered for the mine and tunnel will
be run 500 feet to tap the ledge at
new point.
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS.
An interesting series of experiments
has been begun in Southern California
at the instance or the Mining Review
to determine the best means to cheaply
produce a fuel from crude oil that will
satisfactorily meet the requirements
for the commercial reduction OF iron
ores In a blast furnace OF the inclined
stack type. The Review makes the
following claims. which are published
here on account of the economic local
Importance of the matter il they can
be verified In the light of satisfactory
experiments:
Analyses of Connellsville coke and
carbon briquettes, made here as a by
product of gas manufacture, show
clearly that from California crude oil
may he extracted a solid fuel high in
fixed carbon, low in volatile matter
sulphur and ash and free from phos-
phorus, as compared to coke used in
Eastern iron smelling practice
1T is estimated by authorities that
on a large scale oil coke could be man
ufactured for use at adjacent blast fur
naces at a cost OF about 81 a ton,
though at present it commands much
higher price, which includes several
dollars prof1t The suggestion has been
advanced that by briquetting this coke
with b grade asphalt very hard fuel
suitable for iron ore reduction in an
inclined stack, and at moderate cost
might be produced. Furthermore that
by limiting solid fuel to reducing needs
only. and using as much liquid fuel as
possible for actual fusing purposes,
smelling costs might be very materially
reduced. A solid fuel of the sort de-
scribed could be produced here prac-
tically without limit. BY using suitable
oils It would be extremely low In ash,
whereby a considerable economy-wouid
be effected. Also, it would be practical
ly free from sulphur. 1t is thought
that fuel Of this sort could be made
here. under economical conditions. for
about $3.50 a ton. Connellsville coke is
now quoted at $40 ton at Chicago"
LARGE DEAL Is REPORTED.
A report is in circulation that the
Keystone mine in Amador County has
been sold to the Bagdad- Chase Mining
Company of New York for $1,000, 600,
and that s250,o00 has been paid down.
The keystone mine is one of the best
known gold properties In California. 1t
is 1900 feet deep and has ten miles of
workings above the 1000 level
Something more than 800 acres of
niineralized ground in Tehama County,
near Toms Head Mountain, are included
in the purchase made by the California
and Massachusetts Copper Mines Com
pany. A district to be known as the
Red Bluff District will be organized