El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-31
MINING NEWS
EngIe Now Nearest Railroad
Station For Rich Mining
District.
tBx L. H. Davis.)


ON nv recent interview in the FL
Paso Herald regarding the rich gold
fields Of the Fluorine district of the
Black Range in central New Mexico,
covering portions of SocorrO and Sierra
counties SAYS Frank P. Davis. a min
ing man Of that section. ! might have
added considerable data regarding the
great undeveloped resources Of that
vast mountain region, which lies with
in $50 miles north OF El Paso. With the
exception of a few isolated mlning
camps and COW ranches. this immense
country is practically solitude
bowling wilderness. Ny camp, for IN
stance. is almost the jumping off place
from civilization and the next nearest
settlement west is 50 miles away. The
main range extends from Kingston on
the south to a point about Is miles
north of Fluorme. on the north, a tota1
distance of IS miles north and south
It is really on the continental divide
and its mean altitude is about 5000
feet above sea level The range IS from
u to 20 miles in width. 1t lies about
40 miles west of and parallel TO the hlo
~Engle is at present the nearest sta
ton on the Santa Fe railroad, which IS
about 6S miles east Of Fluorlne by stage
road. This road CROSSES the river on.
Elephant Butte.
.sThere is a small mountain range
east OF and parallel to the black
Range, between the. latter and the no
Grande, called the Cuchillos, so init
nately- connected geographically with
the Black Range as to be practically
Rich in Gold aud Silver.
These ranges have heretofore at
tracted attention from the outside
world principally for their rich gold
and silver deposits, such as the famous
silver mines of Kingston on the south,
which produced several million dollars
in a very short time and the more re-
Gently discovered gold district of Fluor-
inc on the north, which bids fair TO
rival or exceed the former district in
production in the near future. But
there are also other undeVeioped re-
sources of such magnitude that Wen
fully known and appreciated they VIII
doubtless prove Of greater economic
Importance when developed than the
mines Of silver and gold These con-
sist Of great belts Of fine timber and
great surface shOWings Of extensive
copper deposits These resources when
better known viii inevitably lnouce oe-
velopment by adequate capital and ul-
timetely the building Of a railroad into
the Black Range
lwpftovtf snrd lhrdlu taOin hrdlullIlul
Most Of the pine forests belong to
the national government and are IN the
Datil National Forest. Only one saw
mill is at present there, which is near
Chloride.
Two Great IRON Fields.
There are two distinct iron belts in
that country, one only partially devel-
oped and the other wholly undeveloped-
The partially developed iron deposits
lie seven miles east OF Fluorine and are
owned by parties in Fairview, n. NJ
They consist Of over 800 acres Of an
iron deposit dcr eloped by numerous
workings, the d@cpes- IF which are 30
feet, showing che continuous large
body CT commercial tron ore, being on
the magnetic orier which Will aver
age shout 50 per cent iron N this are
r1ail:t rs OF tons Of lrou practically ia
sight. This property alone would offer
tonnage sufficient to induce the build
ing OF a railroad from FL Paso Or from
the Santa Fe railroad to the Black
Range.
The other iron lie lies on The west
slope Of the continental divide, IN "A
heavily umbered country. ten miles
west Of Fluorine. On this iron belt
but little development has been done.
Its extent and magnitude is practi-
cally unknown Only few prospect J
holes have been sunk which show up
considerable high grade hematite iron. /
Analyses Of this ore show from 60 to /
81 percent iron. From surface indica-
ton this is of volcanic origin. Ex- /
periments made Of this ore show it (
makes excellent paint on the burnt UNI |
Der order.
development would show up vast bodies
Of this ore. 1t is easy OF access for a ;
railroad, as il lies on the only natural /
pass through the range.
Is Big Copper Country.
Adjoining the partially developed j
iron deposits on the east side OF the I
Black Range is a great scope Of coun- {