The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-23
REPORT MADE ON
RYE PATCH MINES
Prof. Bowen Describes Geology
of Silver Bell and Alpha
Properties.
THERE Is REASON TO
PREDICT GOOD FUTURE
Millions of Dollars Produced
From Upper Levels in the
Early Days.

cHemlSC at the Brigham Young college
ST Logan, returned recently from Rye
Patch, New. where he made an exam
ination Of the Silver Bell and Alpha
mines for local capital. ii was on the
strength of Professor Bowen's report
hat the Rye Patch Consolidated Min.
ing company was organized TO operate
these two noted old producers, and in
asmuch AS tho management has nun into
some splendid shipping ores within ten
days OF beginning of activity, the re-
port in part will he of interest TO local
circles.
The report shows Il reserve of ores
still evident in both the old mine work.
ings which in every way promises pro-
duction that will rival the record of
forty years ago, rs is evidenced IN the
following:
1.-The ore occurs III striDger veins in
fractured zones III The limestone. These
strInger Veins lead into chambers or
pockets. some of great size, from which
pay ore WAS taken. The vein filling
IN the fracture zones consist of quartz
and calcite III siriEgcrs from a fraction
OF an inch 10 two or three inches IN
thickness. These varied zones vary
from one 10 six feet where observed In
The old workings. The metallic values
consist of oxidizcd ores of silver and
lead with small amounts Of copper car
Donate and some galepa. The ore oc-
ours manly IN the quartz veins in the
s0ftened clay-lilse limestone. The veins
dln westward with the formation. bat
not at 50 great an angle. The roofs
~ The ore chambers generally show a
pitch Of II to II degrees, while the for
tt11 Oh l.
viii be inferred from the foregoing. the |
deposits are Of pockety character aud
IL Is ON these pockets that dependence /!
Is placed for pay values. Outside the |
pockets the stringers themselves carry !
values varying from S25 TO 5000 per |
ton. but when the entire width Of the !
fissured zone is sampled, the values |
rail- too low 10 he profitable. Per. |
haps IN some cases enough could be !
saved to pay working expenses.
1.-The following ASSAYS give the value
per ION IN silver and the width Of the !
sample, first, for the entire width of |
the veined surface. and, second, for the
strlngers only; feet, 4 ounces; > feet.
ITO ounces; feet, 6 ounces; ID feet,
10 ounces; feet. 4 ounces; % feet.
% ounces. For the stringers , inches.
266 ounces; Z to inch, 2l0 ounces; ]
inch, 406 ounces; inches. 2l6 ounces:
the silver values the ASSAYS will show
gold from trace 30 S3 per ton The
above assays represent samples taken
from the tlssnTes leading into and away
from the worked out chambers. also
where encountered in development tun.
neis -
Concerning the probability of encoup-
teriug other ore chambers in the future,
Professor Bowen says: ''From knowl-
GHOo pf The ,.iI |
suca chambers are formed aud from the
of like geological copdi-
tlons throughout the unworked portions
OF the property and into the properties
beyond, there is no apparent reason
why other chambers should not be
opened up. So far as the workings
have gone. there is 10 apparent falling
off IN either The frequency or size of
the ore bodies. In fact, some of the
largest chambers were opened up just
before the mine closed down The ore
bodies lie with their long dimension
parallel to the strike of the limestone
and follow the fracture zones in the
limestone. The outcrops of the lime
stone, the porphyry aud the well-devel
oped ealcite and quartz veins can he
traced continuously throughout the
thus far worked occur near the por-
phyry dixie. 1t is therefore believed
that other ore bodies may reasonably
be expected 20 occur iu the limestone
near the porphyry above the water
level AS no workings have yet gone
below the water level, il cannot be
definitely stated what will he encoun.
tered there. but it may be expected
that the oxidized ores will gradually
give place TO the sulphides and that
the rich chambers will give way to
more constant and uniformly mineral.
lzeG zones. No change in the character
of the ore is yet observable even in
the deepest workings -
Concerning the early record Of these
mines, Professor Bowen says; tThe
Alpha and Silver Bell properties are
thirteen years about forty wears ago
and TO have produced in that time about
Sl0,O00,Oo0, the records Of which. it is
said, can be had from the bullion as
say office at Carson City. Ney Be
cause OF litigation that arose between
tnc Two companies over the apexing Of
veins the mines were closed down pend
worked, partly due to the demonetiza.
tlon of silver and partly due TO the
death OF the original holders and the
passage of the property into the hands
Of heirs. The above statements are
current among the residents of the dis
trrt, but arc not verified from rec
ords, as the writer had neither the
tin" nor opportunity for such investi-
gatIon However c. D. Ray, who has
spent some four years i'll hunting up
the titles to the claims, affirms that
the above statements are correct as
nearly as he can ascertain
Regarding the present condition of
the properties, Professor Bowen saws:
50 The two worked claims are onened
10y three tunnels extending into the hill
frcIn the west end of the claims, par
allelIng the veins. The longest tun.
mel Is about 500 feet long and the short
est, which is on the lowest level and
twenty-five to thirty feet below the
upper tunnel. is about 100 feet long.
The third tunnel is about 200 feet
long and lies between the other two,
The three tunnels are connected bv
WINES and raises. Everything adia-
ctht 10 these tunnels has been stopped |
out. 1t is reported that 10000 tons Of |
ora passed through the mill. which is
located at the railroad station AT rive /