The Elk Mountain pilot., 1914-12-31
Mining Notes.


The management Of the Star and
Independence mines in the Italian
mountain district, has decided 10
confinc their work during the winter
months, entirely to the Development
Of the properties.
The.company are perfecting plans
for the building of a mill suitable to
treating Tie large quantities of low
grade ores that have been mined
from the properties and are now ~
ing on the several dumps Of the
mines Manager McKclvain has
gone cast to spend the holiday season
with relatives, leaving his assayer,
Mr.. Stanley Watt in charge OF the
mines during his absence. it is es-
timated that not less than twenty
thousand tons Of milling ore is now
exposed in the present workings of
the Independence mine alone and
similar amount is counted on as he
ing ready for stoping down in the
Star property. 10 attempt has been
made 70 mine out any but shipping
ore from either property, as only
that which was necessary to be
taken from the mines in order tn
reach the high grade product has
been brought TO the surface in carry
ing on the mining work. Neither
OF these mines have had sufficient
woyI; done to justify their being call
ed developed properties, the deepest
shaft being less than two hundred
feet below the surface of the vein
outcrops, with less than q thousand
feet OF drifting on both mines. A
large amount of cross cut work las
been done to determine the width Of
the veins and the extent Of the ore
deposits, with very satisfactory re-
suits, showing the ore bodie, to have
Il thickness of fifty to one hundred
feet between the vein walls with
more or less high grade ore that
, would assay frnm 500 70 ., 5,000ounces
OF silver per ton and lead ore con
tanning so per cent OF that metal.
The many thousands tons OF
milling ores exposed at these mines,
will average between $40 and sI5
in values from which by proper
treatment $50 product maybe OBJ
tanned, upon which there should be
no smelling charges on account Of
the high percentage OF lead contain
| cd in the concentrates.
1t is expected that another sea
sons development on these two
mines will show up the greatest ore
bodies ever encountered in any
mines in Gunnison county.
The geological formations of the
Italian mountain district axe identi-
cal with those of Aspen, and the ore
occurrence l. very similar to those
found in that district. being princi-
pnly between the contacts Of por-
phArics and dolomitic limestones.
The mineral depositions are SINH
lar in both districts which consists
Of 4 replacement OF the original
contents of lime in the rock which
has been dissolved by thermal So
lutions and the mineral contained
in these heated solutions deposited
in place of the lime which formed
the rock, Great limestone ledges
hundreds OF feet in thickness and
thousands in To- g'h have been dis
covered in Aspen and Lcadyille min
ing districts, whose entire cuutents
have been removed and the vacancy
refilled by mctaiiferous deposits.
Many of the old Mexican mines,
that have been worked for centuries
past are Of this character and where
the limestone ledge deposits are
known to be Il half mile thick in
some instances. The Santa Eulalia
mines, near chihuahua, that have
been worked for one hundred and
fifty years, are in limestone strata
under sheet porphyry where the
lime deposits are said to be over
three thousand feet in depth below