El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-22
'VANADIUM MINES OF ?
SIERRA COUNTY RICH
Ore Shoots Range From 20
to 300 Feet In Thick
ness and 20 Feet IN
Width.

In the Caballo mountains of Sierra
county. New Mexico, the lead-bearing
minerals are on the east and and the
copper on the west On the east side di-
rectly opposite and TO the north Of Pa
Tomas Pass are found the vanadium
bearing veins. A peculiar condition of
deposits exists there. Directly opposite
the pass the veins carry both vana-
dates and molybdates of lead To the
north the veins carry the mandates
with little or no nolybdates. and to
the south the veins contain the molyb-
dates without the vanadium
The ore shoots range from 20 to 25e
feet in thickness, and from seams, TO
20 feet in width between walls. In the
Rosa Lee mine the vein outcrops about
500 to 900 feet. This mine has tunnel
driven on the vein some 900 feet, and
the oreslloot with the exception of
few feet from the mouth of the tunnel
lies entirely above A 60-foot shaft Is
driven through the shoot at the lowest
point east on the claim, and q 100 foot
shaft cuts through the shoot at the
highest point to the west. The distance
between these shafts is 1000 feet. The
upper shaft is driven in a large body of
quartz carrying three or four percent
Of galena-
The next parallel vein lying to the
north is the Napoleon, similar TO the
Rosa Lee, but not extensively opened
This mine does not show any vanadium
The next deposit of Importance is
that of the Red Top mine. and extern
sions lying about three-fourths of a
mile north OF the mines mentioned.
This vein promises to be the largest
producer in the camp. Although the
development here is not so extensive
as the Swan and Dewey mines farther
north, the ore outcrops a distance of
about 1900 feet on the surface as COM
pared to 100 feet and $50 feet on the
Dewey and Swan mines, On the extern
sion claims Of the Red Top the top Of
the shoot is reached by shafts at so
TO 100 feet. The shafts are about the
center Of this group, and from them
has been shipped several cars of crude
ore assaying from two four percent
vanadium.
At the bottom of the Red Top shaft,
where they are just beginning TO get
into the ore shoot proper ceverns, and
water courses, are encountered lined
with vanadium ores In the vicinity the
soft sand carbonates which consist
of needle crystals of vanadinite and
caleite are found in large bodies Is to
20 feet thick. All these ore bodies dip
rapidly TO the east and the east extern
sions have proved to be the most valu-
able mining claims, although showing
little on the surface
What was supposed to be the big
gest deposit in the camp until recently
was that of the White Swan owned by
the Vanadium Mines company of
Pittsburg. Pa. Development, however.
has shown that this shoot is passing
rapidly on It's dip into the Benjamin
claim. the east extension of the Swan. |
The discovery shaft on the Swan is
only 90 feet from the east end line and |
this shaft passes through the first |
shoot at about the 100-foot level. This |
shoot is dipping into the Benjamin |
claim at the rate OF $50 feet to 100 /
feet in depth.
The Dewey shoot. lying 900 feet TO |
the north. is similar and of about the |
same value.
The ores are confined to certain /
limestone strata, and deposited in these /
where there are evidences of water |
courses. The White Swan and Dewey
mines viii probably produce 20, 600 tons |
of one percent vanadium ores carrying |
about four percent lead The really /
large production of the camp Will be |
from the Benjamin or Swan extension |
and the extensions claims of the Red /
Top.