The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-04-22
CONTACT CAMP HAS
LIVELY BOOM COMING
New Railroad Line Infusing
Life Into LOng-Neglected
Copper Country.

j. L. O Byrne of the firm of Fair
banks & O'Byrne, the men who laid
out the Cold Circle district, and who
have been. prominently connected with
all the mining excitemcnts of the west
ern country, passed through Salt Lake
City Tuesday, April 20, on his way to
Winchester. Ariz.
Speaking to q Tribune reporter re-
garding the camp Of Contact. New,
which has lately sprung into new
prominence, Mr. O'Byrne said:
Contact is located in the northern
part Of Nevada, about fifty miles from
Wells. on the Southern Pacific, and is
coma, New. There is also an auto
mobile line, running at present from
Twin Falls. Ida. and this trip ls made
IN five hours time. The camp itself
IS unique. iuasmuch as it parallels Ely,
Ncv., in one particular. and that is
that it had been known to the mining
world. the same as Ely. for the last
fifty years. [ have met prospectors
out there who have been holding on
10 their claims for years, knowing that
whenever railroad came into the camp
their property would make them rich
mon.
camp is due in great measure to the
good showings that the prospectors
have found, and also to the fact that
the long projected railroad is being
built from Twin Falls. Ida. TO Cobre
New. This is over the Oregon Short
Line. and the road has already reached
the Salmon river dam. which is about
thirty miles from Contact, The road is
expected to reach Contact within the
next six months. Regardless of the
mining camp and the ore the railroad
Will haul from there, it will supply the
farmers Of the Twin Falls country
tracts in the world, with an outlet fol
their products.
81 suppose the camp derived its
name from the fact that it has a lime
stone contact which can be traced fol
Il distance Of TWENTY-FIVE miles. The
geology of the district consists of Z
granite uplift or central cone among
the old sedimentary rocks which gives
q circular or horseshoe shape to the
contact between the limestone and the
granite. Mines and prospects are
scattered along this contact for a dis
tance of twenty-five miles.
1.-The surface ores are highly 81
licious, and are composed Of azurite
cuprite and malachite, with small traces
Of native copper scattered through
the gangue. Most all of this at one
time contained native copper, which
has since become oXdized. These
minerals rapidly merge, as depth is at
tanned. into the common sulphides OF
bornitc, chalcopyrite and calcocite. The
ore is found principally along the
contact Of the lime and the granite
although there are many veins in The
outlying GRANTEES which show good
values. These ores being of highly
silicIous character make the most de
sirable fuxing material for the smelters
in that vicinity and at Salt Lake.
"Speaking about the smelters re-
minds me that Mr. Todd of Seattle is
at the present time in London, Eng
land. interesting capital for the purpose
of erecting a smelter with a capacity
Of 300 tons, Several big power plans
are also being figured on.
'"Thcre are three townSites in the
camp at present, Contact. Contact City
and East Contact. Up 10 the present
time all of the building has been done
in Contact City, which place seems tc
have the ideal location and the start
of the others. There are at least fifty
buildings under construction now. OF
the original $50 lots laid out by the
as the contracts could be made out
These were snapped up by business men
from Elko, Wells. New. and Twin Falls
Ida. who seem TO recognize the posi-
biIitles of the place.
"There' are no large companies in
the camp rs vet. but on the dav left
= party Of Philadelphians was expected
in to look over the properties OF
Smith and McDcrmott, AS T was com
ing out We met on the road going in
the supplies for two general stores and
a lumber yard. Men arc going into the
camp at the rate of fifteen per dav
most Of these being prospectors and
business men who arc looking for sites
Contact is essentially q high grade
camp, and the only reason ii has never
come 10 the front is on account of the
lack of TRANSFORMATION facilities. The
ores that are being hauled out at prer.
emf VIII average / per cent copper.
with small amounts Of gold and con.
siderable silver Much of the ore will
run from 40 to 60 Der cent copper.
"1he camp is booming now. and !
look for considerable excitement when
thc railroad gets in The citizens of
Contact and thc Commercial club of
Twin Falls, Ida, arc working on the
automobile road from Twin Falls. and
on the day left. County Commissioner
Wells, who is tbc field expert for the
Hayden Stone company Of Boston, was
in camp looking over the situation. and
was more than pleased with the
progress that has been made. -
Metal Market.