Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-05
MINERAL WEALTH
IN THE DESERTS
RECENT DISCOVERIES IN SAN
BERNARDINo COUNTY
Latest Developments Near Barstow.
Lost Mine Found-Llvely Times
In the Manhattan
Field

and Colorado deserts within the con-
fines Of San Bernardlno county are
constantly being presented. The latest
development is in the Grapevine dis
trlct, in the nelghborhood of Barstow,
where q quartz vein Is said to nave
been uncovered literally honeycombed
with gold and assaylng 1852 a ton. The
vein is on an old mining location made
by one of the Oldest of the surviving
desert prospectors, and on land which
the Santa Fe Railroad company had
begun suit to quiet title for the pur-
pose Of erecting roundhouse, depot
and freight yards thereon. The dis
covery of the mineral wealth of the
ground is liable to defeat the railroad
company's plans and convert the dis
trict into an active mining camp, for
an area covering many miles in the
neighborhood has since been pre-
empted under the mineral lands act
San Bernardino county is, in fact,
the richest I'm minerals of all the
southern counties. It's wealth, in this
respect, is not restricted to the precious
metals. 1t is the next largest copper
producer in the state to Shasta county,
says the San Francisco Chronicle, and,
no matter how many gold-bearing
veins may be discovered In its noun
tains and desert formations, 1T Will
probably be distinguished through all
time as a base metal producer. It's
mineralized territory covers a vast
area, much of which has not yet been
prospected, except perfunctorily. Only
spots in the desert have yet been eX-
plored and opened, but these have, in
all cases, proved to be highly produce
tive. The invasion of these miner
allied desert lands is, of course, a
slow and difficult process, because of
the natural difficulties to be overcome,
and the remoteness of most of them
from water and from the railroads.
But every new discovery of mineral
wealth is aiding the invasion of new
territory and helping to broaden the
area conquered by the indomitable
mining prospector The developments
which have been made in the county
are also removing the tmidity of cap
ital and encouraging its investment ip
mining there.
Silver Again to the Front
Mining men of San Bernardino
county are said to be watching with
considerable interest the daily silver
market, hoping in case it goes a few
cents higher to start mining the ore
In large quantities. The present mar
ket price IS ranging from IS to Sc cents,
which is considered quite high. Min
ing men claim in case the marker goes
to 70 cents, they will launch out into
the business, taking from the old sill
yer mines on the Colorado and Mojave
desert, large quantities of ore. In
some regions during the years past,
there have been valuable properties,
and much money has been made, but
of recent years the price has gone down
to such an extent that the mines have
been abandoned, and much of machin-
cry moved away. These will be again
opened In case the market raises to
any material extent with indications
that it will remain there.
1t Is claimed that with the proper
machinery, silver can be mined on the
desert for so cents at the most, real
izing a neat profit at even 63 or GA,
but owing to the conditions that have
prevailed it is figured that two or three
times that much profit must be realized
to justify the chance.
In Nevada, silver mines are to be
found in many places, and some run
ming high in value, and which at even
So or 60 cents would render to the miner
a good revenue.
Lost Mine Found
A. E. WEIGH, a Bullfrog prospector,
has returned to Bulfrog from Death
valley, in Inyo county. Cal, and It is
reported that Welch has brought UNI
mistakable evidence that he has dis
covered the Bethune-H Holt lead mine,
which was lost after the death of the
owners in Death valley last summer.
AS the assessment work for last year
had not been completed WEIGH jumped
the claims, and after completing the
necessary work to hold them returned
to Bullfrog, bringing samples of the
ore and the location and assessment
notices that had been posted by the
former owners.
To reach the mine Holt and Bethune
had to cross one Of the most dangerous
sections of Death valley. On their last
visit to the property they evidently at
tempted to take a new route or else
ran out of water as their dead bodies
were found after their disappearance
half-eaten by coyotes. Various parties
set out afterward to jump their aban-
doned claims but they were never found
until WEIGH accidentally ran onto them.
Rushing to Manhattan
OF all the Nevada mining towns that
have sprung into existence with mush-
room rapidity, Manhattan has had the
most astonishing rise, according to the
story told the Chronicle by Hoggatt
and Kapp, now In San Francisco. On
January 1 there were not more than
fifty souls on the site OF what today is
a bustling settlement of close to 1000
people. More are crowding in every
day From other Nevada camps, from
California and from the east, new
Corners are flocking to the latest Ell
Dorado. Within less than ninety days,
says Hoggatt. there Will be at the very
least 1000 people at Manhattan.
Notwithstanding that abnormally rich
rock has been found practically on the
surface, these two men, who own large
interests in the new field, are convinced
that the veins will live to q great depth
and that Manhattan will prove per-
manent camp.
"They are already down to eighty
feet on one claim" said Kapp. land