Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-03
SILENTLY WORKS
FOR MANY YEARS
GREAT voNTRIGGER PROPERTY
DEVELOPS MINE
SAID TO BE LARGEST COPPER
DEPOSIT IN SOUTHWEST
Railroad from searchIisht Appreciates
Value of Distriot-ProbIem of
Water Will Be Solved in
blackberry Mountains

Little has been heard of the Cali
fornia Gold and Copper company S
mines, situated at Vontrigger, except
for the past month, but they have
been working on steadily for number
OF years, developing their property
from a prospect up to the present mine,
which is the largest copper property IN
the entire southwest.
About seventeen years ago A. ii.
Cram, who was prospecting IN tnaI
country, discovered the great outcrop-
pings of copper ore a few miles south
east of the New York mountains, ana
to him these outeroppings looked prom
Using, so he staked numerous claims
and began the work of development.
Finally he incorporated under the name
of the California Gold and Copper COM
pany. "a
road from COTS to Searchlight, New,
has added value to the property ana
runs within one and a half miles OF
the mine at Vontrigger station
AS there was little or no water avail
able in that portion of the country, IL
was decided to endeavor to develop
water ia the vicinity Evidences of
water being at the blackberry noun
tatns. eight miles distance from the
mine. tunneling operations were started
and after driving a total of 145O feet
through solid rock fine flow of water
was developed and brought IN steel
pipes to the mine, at cost of S22 ,O0O-
The flow of water is 1900 gallons
day, which can be increased by further
development.
Three Shafts Are Sunk
There are two great zones of copper
ores. on which three shafts have been
sunk. one, the main shaft, is down ~
feet. The others are down 100 and lou
feet. respectively. All told, over 1000
feet of underground development work
has been done. J.,
THE exact width of the ledge IS
not known, but shows to be over 300
feet, as shown in the cross cuts on the
300-foot level.
The formation is granite, quartzite,
limestone and diorite. There is some
water in the mine, but it is untlt for
use, being charged with copper.
Several shipments of ore were MADE
to the smelters, which returned by car
load lots 81 per cent copper with some
gold and silver and 1913 per cent copper
with some gold and silver
Mr.. Cram claims an average of the
whole property to be about per cent
copper. Numerous streaks or hlgh-
grade ore have been found in the ledge,
some ore running as high as 80 per
cent copper.
ore on the dump at present, being chal-
copyrite, bornite, black and red OXIDE
malachite and chrysocholla.
The experts who have made exami-
nations Of the mine say that about
s12, OOO, 900 worth of ore is in sight, be-
sides what Is on the dump, which meas
ures over 500 feet in length.
The new mill which is beirg installed
on the property for reducing the ores
will be a big saving of profits, as II
will reduce the ores at about one-thlro
the cost of smelling.
Chemical Process in Use
The process is a chemical one. with
the aid of electricity. The machinery
to he used will consist of a 150-horse-
power engine, rock crusher, automatic
mixers and grinders and tanks.
The ore is first run through the rock
crusher then down a chute into the
automatic grinders and ground down TO
about so mesh, then is run into the
automatic mixers and mixed with a
secret solution, and run into the first
tank. and is leached from one tank 10
the other, until arriving at the last
tank. all the copper having been taken
out the solution is pumped back ana
used over again.
In each tank is a copper plate, over
which the copper in solution passes ana
Is Mated on the copper plate by cleo
tricity. Everything works by gravity,
as the mine, being on a mountain, can
easily be worked this way, saving the
cost and expense of running extra ma
chinery.
The camp is equipped with about
twenty substantial buildings, consisting
of store, boarding house, rooming
house. bunk house and many other
houses for the miners employed by
the company.
Many persons have visited the mine
in the past month, among them being
some mining men and stockholders OF
the company, and all pronounce 1t to
be the largest copper showings in the
southwest. These included A. K.
Wright of Searchlight, New. w G.
McGaugh, J. M. Trap, J. L. McGaugh,
Mr.. and Mrs C. E. Trap and Mr..
Yorke of Los Angeles; Mr. Steck of
Cotton, c. L. Yeager of San Pedro and
MIR. Croker, an eastern man.
A party of northern capitalists will
visit the mines this week. A carload
of humber was shipped there Saturday
10 be used in the erection Of new
mill.
Manhattan Nuggets