Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-17
MILLIONS OF TONS
ON THE DUMPS
GREAT ACTIVITY AT PI0CHE IS
EXPECTED
Mines Only Awaiting Completion Of
Rallroad--Lyndon Mine One Of
the First to Resume
Operations

don Mining company recalls the
fact that the famous Comet district,
near Phoebe, New, in which the Lyn-
don mines are located, was RESPONSE
BILE for more bonanza mines than any
othef district of the same size in the
country.
Between 1871 and 1876 the Comet dis
trict prod ced over SS00O0,000 in gold
and silver, and Phoebe was famous the
world over. With the advent of rail-
road line Pioche promises again to be-
come famous as q mining camp, as 1t
is said that there is not a mine in the
district which was worked out and
that on the various dumps there are
hundreds of thousands, If not mil
lions, of tons of ore which. with the
promised transportation facilities, can
be profitably shipped to the smelter.
The gNade for the railroad has been
practically completed, the rails have
been delivered at Caliente and within
three months the line will be in ope-
ration between Caliente and Phoebe.
Tons of Ore on the Dumps
Like other mines in the district the
Lyndon has thousands of tons Of ore
on the dumps, ranging In value from
$40 to $25 per ton, and an immense
much richer, scarcely has been
scratched.
1t is the intention Of the company
to employ a full force in the mine,
beginning at once, and to haul the ore
to tho nearest point on the proposed
railroad and which will be known as
Lyndon siding, and place 1t in sacks,
ready for shipment as soon as the line
t$ placed in operation.
Following are the officers of the
; company, which has been formed un-
der the laws of Arizona with a capital
stock of $1,500,000, and which is close
corporation: f. A. Morley, president;
r. M Ling, vice president; Col J. j.
McCardy, secretary and treasurer; q.
#. Prudential, general manager; and
these, with 1. T. Dyer e. Greenwood
and H. D. Campbell, compose the di-
rectors.
The Lyndon mines are on the line
of the mother ledge, which is probably
the most extensive ever found. The
mines are located nine miles west of
Ploche, Which is in Lincoln county and
in district on low, isolated range of
mountains 5000 feet above the sea level
The geological formation is, generally
speaking, cambrian quartzite and over
tapping limestone. throughout which
run ore-bearing fissures; occasionally
large porphyry dikes, varying from ten
W IllTGG uuluItu l66I III W1uIn, CUT
their way prominently across the dis
trict.
The district has been the subject Of
much study by such experts as John
Hays Hammond, Prof. Kemp, the ge-
ologist; Prof. Peck. professor of ge-
ology in Columbia college, and many
other engineers and practical mining
men. All of these authorities have rec
ognized these porphyry diiSes as the
main ore-bearing tunnel from which
all the other veins have derived their
metallic contents. The largest is called
the mother ledge of the district and
commences at a point from t, g Alps
mine on the east and runs in a wester-
ly direction through several WELL
known properties.
Great Mineral District
The Phoebe district was developed in
the early 70s by shafts sunk on the
Yuba 1900 feet, Silver 900 feet, Newark
900 feet and tapped in the Independent
ground through q long cross cut run
out from bottom of the old Raymond
and Ely shaft at depth of 1900 feet
below the 5urface, from which point it
was further developed by a winze sunk
300 feet still deeper. The ore consists
of sulphides of lead. iron, zinc, with
high silver and gold values. In the
vicinity of the Lyndon mines the ore
runs about Is per cent lead, S. to $50
per ton gold, 10 ounces silver and s
per cent copper, while some zinc blend
is found close to the walls running
over 200 ounces silver. one ounce gold
{ and so per cent lead per ton, The long
Nquartzite fissure which lies about 200
feet south of the porphyry ledge passes
through the old Raymond and Ely and
Meadow Valley mines, from which over
$20000.000 was produced within the
rshort space of six years.
In the old days the actual mining
cost was $44 per ton and the milling
cost $22. The ore had to be shipped
to Salt Lake City on the backs of des-
ert burros distance of 400 miles. No
extraction could be obtai I'd by the
pan amalgamation process; smelling,
was then1in crude and imperfect state
and only tWo-thirds of the values were
saved. In spite of this tremendous
handicap the old mine owners of
Phoebe became bonanza kings, and the
seemingly ineXhaustible supply of sill
ver bullion being hauled 1t Of old
Pioche on the backs of these little des-
ert burros caused a panic in tie silver
market of the world and was the direct
cause of the decentralization of silver.
The decentralization of silver together
With the tremendous handicap placed
upon the district caused a general shut
down In all the Pioche properties after
millions of tons were blocked out in
their workings, but with the demand
for copper at $3.50 per ton and silver
selling around 70 cents an ounce with
the prospect of its touching the dollar
mark. the advance in mining and met
allurgy and the concentrating of the
ores at an exrense of 81 per ton places
the old mines Of Pioche and -'e new
\ mines Of Phoebe in a position to again
make of their owners bonanza kings
and princes of finance.
When the railroad into the famous
district is completed ore can be deliv-
cred to the Salt Lake market at abolt
SO per ton.
In addition to the Lyndon many 9TH
er old mines are being reopened and
prepared for operation upon an extern
sive scale, while development is being
pushed on the new properties. which
promise to become richer than the ones
of the early 70s.