The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-07
Mining Engineer Porter Talks
Freely of Little Salmon
River Country.
EXAMINED PROPERTY
AND MADE REPORT
VieGs of Ore Found Rich in
Copper and Carrying Gold
and Silver.

Charles A. Porter, an experienced mi
ming engineer, with business headQuar.
ters in this city, has Just returned from
a trip to the Little Salmon River mining
district, Elko county, New. where he
made an examination of the properties
which the Contact Copper Mining com
pany owD in that district. When asked
by Tribune representative what he
thought of the Salmon district, Mr..
Porter said:
Now that | have made my report on
the mines which ! went especially to
examine, ! feel that anything | may
say Of the district will in no wise be n
violation Of the confidence reposcd in
nc by the parties who asked me to visit
and report upon the mines in which
they are interested.
1.-THE Salmon River mining district
is situated about forty miles north of
Wells station, on the Southern Pacific
railroad, and in Elko county. Nevada.
The district is very extensive, being
fully fifteen miles long by about nine
miles wide. II is in the form of
horseshoe, and through it. little above
or north of the center, runs the Little
Salmon river, in an eastcrly direction.
The Salmon is strong stream and VIII
always afford plenty of water for the
use of the district. Besides the river,
there are other streams and springs In
the district. so that il is we'll supplied
with plenty of never-fsiling water.
When in the district ] travelled over the
major portion of it, and found much to
convince me that il is n mineral bearing
country of great possibilities. In going
mp 10 the district from Wells, | met
mining engineer who had just been
down in the Greenwater district, and
who was familiar with Gerington, and
ne frankly and voluntarily expressed his
belief that the Little Salmon River was
the richest and most extensive copper
district in the State of Nevada.
High-Grade Copper Veins.
Within the Horse Shoe circle is in
tensive granite On the outside is lime
and everywhere in this contact be-
tween the granite and the lime are
found veins OF copper, some of 1T OF
very high grade and all carrying more
or less silver. But little prospecting
has been done in this ore bearing CON
tact, which extends all the way round.
Running through this tremendous body
of intensive granite in an casterly and
westerly direction are large porphyry
dykes, which run parallel 70 each other
at uneven distances apart. In these
dykes are found wherever prospected
large veins OF copper and silver ores.
the copper largely predominating in
value. On and near the surface / found
erage about 3 per cent Further down
/ found copper that by sorting could
be made profitable shipping ore. which
would average II per cent copper and
carrying some silver and little gold
Ore Increases in Value.
"The deepest shaft in the district
is not over 200 or 900 feet, at the bot
tom of which is found very rich bor-
mite ore. 1t is Characteristic of the dis
trict, wherever | examined IL that the
ore increases in richness and the veins
in size. The ore which I said would
90 l2 per cent is an oxide. I believe.
however, that the ore in the district
will change TO a sulphide with depth.
This means permanency.
"The Contact Copper company is a
Salt Lake enterprise and is comprised
of Salt Lake business men.
miners and capitalists. I reported CON
ditions as ] found them and embodied
in my report the conclusions | had ar
rived at respecting the merits Of their
The company owns six claims
upon each one Of which ! found orc
The properties are favorably located
And give promise of becoming rich pro-
ducers with development.
Upon the receipt of Mr.. Porter's re-
port the company is AT work making
operations for an active campaign of
development, which will be kept up
throughout the active season. The pos
sibil:ties Of this but little known dis.
trict is Just becoming known on the out
side, and il is expected there will be
a rush in the direction Of the Little Sal
mon district before the year is much