El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-07
MINING NEWS
REVIVAL Of OLD TIME ACTIVITY
IN ORGAN CAMP HAS BEEN STARTED


gold camp carried gold more or less
associated with pyrite-
SecOnd-ReDlacem deposits in
limestone, such as the ore Of the Ste
phensOn-Bennett mine, containing sill
ver-lead ores.
Third-COntact metamorphic depOs-
its, carrying chiefly copper, which Oc-
cur for several miles along the main
contact OF quartz-monzOnite and lime
stone from the Torpedo mine at Organ
northWard- They form Irregular
masses roughly following the stratifi-
action, and the primary chalcOpyrite
is intimately associated with q gangue
of yellOwish green garnet, some cpl
dote, quartz, calcite and specularite-
zinc blende IS present in places. IhlS
third type OF veins, as rule, contain
little gold and silver.
Generally copper and zinc deposits
in the Organs are at the contacts; the
lead-silver deposits are usually some
distance from the intrusive contact
The gold and silver were deposited
chiefly in quartz veins in the intrusive
rocks.
Has Had Rich Output.
No one knows how much ore has
been produced in the Organ district.
One estimate places the total yield at
$2,5O0,O0O prior to 1900, of which ST.
100000 came from the lead-silVer ores,
S1,OOO,OOO from copper ores and $3.50
600 from silver and gold ores. 1t VIII
be noticed that the chief production in
that district has been from the lead
silver veins in limestone and from the
copper in the contact metamorphic de-
posits-
Old Mines Visited.
We visited number of the old
mines and several prospects on the
western side OF the range We de-
sceuded the Excelsior mine, which is
now idle. This property is situated
a mile and quarter north of the town
Of Organ. 1t is owned by the estate
Of George Z. Wood, of Chicago The
ch "a Is a
iuclines- to the west about 90 degrees
According TO L. n. Bentley, the as
sayer and mining seolOgist OF Organ,
the Excelsior has produced and shipped
over 100 carloads Of ore running from
u to % percent copper 1t belongs TO
the cOntact-u1e taInOrphlc class OF de-
Posits. The ore evidently occurs IN a
garnetiZed stratum, alternating Win
cOarselv crystalline magneSian lime
stone. The mineralized- body IS over
20 feet wide. The strike OF the vein
at the shaft is north and south and
the granite contact lies niue east
The minerals are malachite, chalcoclte
and cha1copyrite, the last interviewer
with garnet There has been consider
able stopping in the lower levels. There
is d large dump of low grade ore that
would run from three to five percent
copper. On the property IS gasoline
hoist and several frame houses
This mine was discovered in the early
days and then called the jay Gould and
was owned by Lige Davis and aSsocl-
ates. In 1893 r. Y. Anderson, Of FL
Paso. and William Hayden, OF Organ,
operated it and shipped a large amount
Of good copper ore, and transIerred the
mine to an eastern company
At the Excelsior the contact swings
eastward and the next property OF note
Excelsior. The development is slight
and the ore is similar N character 70
that of the Excelsior
A little east of the Excelsior, IN the
mi Hnsaf.
and now in active operation by Lerch-
en- and Johnson, who have just shipped
a carload of high grade ore TO the smell
ter running 100 ounces silver and 30 to
so percent lead 1t is developed by
100 foot shaft The vein IS insure,
two to four feet wide, constantly wild
ening with depth.
Northeast of the Excelsior about q
mile is the old Merrimac mine, in
ridge from the main range along the
Merrimac canyon It is said TO De
owned by Mrs Felter, Of Las Cruces
There is a vertical shaft over 40 1eet
deeD which penetrated zinc blende and
chalcOpyrite. From this shaft was
taken out very high grade silver ore.
IN a shallow tunnel is a stratum or zinc
CarbOnates. The groupings are copper
stained. Two hundred feet south of
the shaft IS the granite contact The
zinc occurs in garnetIc rock
Henry FOy's Claims.
Ascending the canyon, we came to
spring. and followed up the contact
southeastward 500 feet higher up the
mOGntai ntO the Copper Bullion and
the Iron Mask claims, owned by Henry
Foy On this are two parallel veins,
which he is developing by three tunnels.
These veins run east and west In
the tunnel where Foy is working the
vein is three and a half to four feet
wide and the ore runs nine percent
copper. It looks like a mighty fine
prospect The ores are Oxidized-
Across the canyon and. Immediately
north of the Copper Bullion is the Apex
mine, owned by L. B. Bentley, Of Or
gan and H d. Bowman. This is
Contact vein Of lead-silver ore between
granite and lime 1t is developed by
tunnels and shafts and is a very prom
Using prospect
The APEX.
Down the ridge, west of the Apex, is
the famous Little Buck mine, which
also adjoins the Merrimac on the north
east. 1t is owned by Duncan and Me-
Cowan, of Organ This mine is a Gu
riOsity. The ore occurs in irregular
streaks and pockets, following a purple
quartz and fluOrite through the lime