Weekly journal-miner., 1909-08-04
COBALT-N|CKEL IS FOUND IN BLACK HILLS First to be Discovered
 In Quantity In
 Arizona

who has just returned from the Black Hills mining district, in speaking of his trip, said:
 "It is a very interesting district. There are a great many conditions there that are somewhat different from other districts in the territory. I think that the prospects will be that some great mines will be open ed up along Grape Vine creek, that will produce cobalt, nickel and cop per. On the Red Bluff group of claims, that is owned by Morrison < Son, and has been bonded by the La Graeia Gold and Copper Mining com pany, there is a vein of ore with the gangue that is about two feet wide at the depth of twelve feet. This ore is an arsenical, carrying cobalt, nickel and copper, according to an assay received the other day from test made at Jerome, and the ore runs per cent cobalt, '11H per cent nickel and 71a per cent cop per. The cobalt ore seems, to be smaltite. This cobalt and nickel ore is the first nickel ore that has ever been reported in Arizona. Some time ago some ore was sent to the University that was said to be CO., bait bloom, as per report made by Prof. W. P. Blake, but the locality was not aseertained. At the present time there is no nickel and cobalt ore produced in the United States. Nickel ores have been found in the La Mott mines in Missouri, and the Gap mine in Pennsylvania, these two mines having produced considerable cobalt and nickel. Nickel ore has been discovered in Oregon, but up to the present time very little ore has been produced. The. great nickel mines of the world today are located in Sudbury, Canada, and in the New Caledonia Islands of the South Pa eife. The form of the copper ores in the Sudbury mines are magnetic sulphides or pyrrhOtites. These ores are found below iron gOssan crop pings and in basic rocks. The con ditiOns in the district that I have just examined, are very similar to the district in which nickel ores are found in Canada. There is a great many iron erOppings which in part is magnetic, other parts is a limonite and there is no doubt that there will be encountered magnetic sul- phides at depth, carrying nickel, cop of Canada carry from l to } per cent nickel and a less amount of cop per and very little cobalt. The formation in the Black Hills district and where these iron groupings oe- eur, is serpentine or magnesium talco sehist. The property owned by Sweeney and Thorn and the La Ora cia Gold and Copper Mining com pany, as well as other companies sit uated and lying along this sehist belt, are located favOrably, and the conditions are good for to make prom inent mines. While the iron OuterOp- pings is not such an iron as you would expect to encounter rich de- pOsits of reformed copper ores, but is of such character, being very wide, and running for a great dis tance, in which you would expect to find low grade ores, that could be worked at profit. Cobalt is used in painting on porcelain, eoloring glass and for many other things. It is sold as cobalt oxide, and IS quoted at about $2.5O per pound. Nickel is quoted at from 40 to 90 cents. I think there are many other rare minerals in Arizona that are passed over. This district will have the unique distinction of being the only district in Arizona that con tains nickel and cobalt to speak of"