Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-21
Escondido, in San Diego County, a
Rich Section

nlneral1ZdIlOl. 1t appfoAlIudleS IWchIS
miles square, and though the gold val
ues predominate, there is much silver,
| lead, zinc and copper. And the copper
indications is the thing that has made
the experts who have come, wondered
and reported favorably," say Your
copper makes for permanency; you
have mines here"
Finding Gems
! It is within the memory of present
residents when some luck-marked land
owner came in with lump of peculiar
crystal which carried the tint of IL
lacs. He was interested; yes, he would
see what jewellers thought of it, and he
sent it to Tiffany &c Co. in New York.
The liIac-tinted crystal which he sent
was about the size Of g woman's hand
and netted him the trifle of $500. And
George F. Kunz, Tiffany's expert,
called it Kunzite and proceeded to cor
ner the visible worlds supply and then
market it, cut into stones, at S15 to
500 per karat To corner it was simple,
since it has never been found outside
| the Escondido district. Then there is
| a great abundance of the more common
native stones such as pink and green
| beryl. tourmaline in all colors, topaz,
hyacinth, aquamarines and garnets.
And there are countless tons of Lithia
rock which is worth $40 per ton at the
mine side. The frequency of re
markable" discoveries hereabouts had
dulled the appreciation of the districts
resources, locally, and it is of recent
date that it was decided to take an in
ventory of natures storehouse and set
up some sort of order.
Mining Board Organized
| So the business (not mining) men OF
Escondido got together and organized
| the Escondido Mining bureau to gather
! knowledge of the hills treasures and
! so to be able to answer questions
about the resources of the mineralized
range extending from Crescent Valley
to Palomar mountain, distance Of
thirty-five miles with trend from
southwest to northeast. This bureau
has gathered specimens of rock that
cover a fair sampling of the full ex-
tent of the mountains and these sam
pies show Enthusiastically that large
part of this county is mineraliSed with
metals already told of. And the bu-
reau has another mission beside that
of exploiting the region; 1t Is Its pur-
pose to eliminate entirely the practices
which have made mining camps" the
synonym for disorder and sharp prac-
tice. These men are those who have
made of Escondido the business center
for a forty-mile radius, who have pi-
loted this charming little city to a
public burning of bonds, leaving it
totally free of debt and taken 1t
through the recent panic without using
a single dollars worth of scrip. Money
has been plentiful at all times and the
| two national and one savings banks
have never refused just demand.
So they are entitled to maintain the
serenity of their way and forever bar
the roulette wheel and the wildcatters
so prevalent in mining centers. They
do not try to own it all. They have
neither the time nor the money to de-
velop their mineral resources to the
| fullest. Outside capital is here and is
| pleased with the reception, the facili-
| ties and fair treatment that has been
| accorded.
Development Thus Far
On the advice of three prominent ex-
perts, who have examined the several
mines and prospects" the develop
ment of this district has been credit
able. A five stamp mill is in opera
tion on one property and is crushing
approximately fifteen tons of rock each
| twenty-four hours. The values aver
| age in the neighbrohood of $40 per ton,
which leaves a profit of 81 a ton when
treatment is figured even at the high
rate of SO a ton. And it is reasonable
to expect that with abundant and
| cheap water the treatment cost
will be materially cheapened as high
| er degree of mining perfection is at
| tanned. There is also cyanide mill,
which is now working over the tailings
of the ORC Fino mine. 1t might be
mentioned that the ORC Fino mine has
produced over $150,00O, but has been
quiet for some time, due to litigation.
| This has recently been adjusted and
early resumption is looked for. y
Another property of promise is the
Surprise mine, located twelve miles
| from Escondido. This group of claims
Has ali OulSlOPplllS ny nc lAHS IaA PAOo-
pected for more than a mile. The
Gaping is described as gossan and the
walls as quartzite and granite. The
width varies from 100 to 800 feet. Min
eral is in evidence on the surface so
far as the dyke has been explored.
The Bottle Peak property is one of
greatest promise. Its acreage is large
comprising eight full mining claims,
two large fractions and three mill sites
That ground is traVersed by six dis
tinct veins, two running about north
and south, and four cross veins. These
have apexes varying in points of ele-
vation from HOO to 1900 feet. The for
nation is Enthusiastically good, be-
ing of porphyrytic granite and diadase
or syanite.
There is every indication of mine
here and the sampling thus far done
shows an average value of $9.91 per ton
Several cuts and a ninety-foot incline
shaft have disclosed a fine quartz for
nation. The main vein shows width of
from five to eight feet with the quartz
filling averaging around two feet. An
other vein shows width of about fifteen
feet between walls. but of lower average
values.
The Battle Peak company is tunnel
ing with a view of opening up all
lodges, which being done, the mine will
doubtless begin to show profit on the
investment.
development on the Cleveland-P
includes a 300-foot incline shaft which
has been abandoned and the energies of
the company are being put into new
incline shaft, which is 80 feet deep but
which has already yielded the values
and tonnage previously referred to- This
companys main vein is four feet be-
+Uaen walls and greater width may be