The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-08-03

Irospector. 1t Is strangely true, how.
ever, that some of the greatest mines
of the world were discovered by mer
having knowledge of neither geology
nor mineralogy, but there are also
numerous Instances where, had thest
men had even a. rudimentary knowl.
edge OF the science they wouldN have
located more wisely thereby saving
much expensive litigation over min.
Ing rights.
What we'll informed prospector to-
day, having found gold at the mouth
of Gold canyon, would be 10 years In
discovering the Comstock lode? And
yet this was the length of time thai
elapsed between the finding of gold in
1S4S by Mormon campers near the
present town of Dayton, and the dis
covery of the gold bearing outcrop on
Gold hill. The experience of the pla-
Ger miners who worked In Six lille
canyon was identical, for the Ophir
outcrop was discovered at about the
same time that the find was made on
Gold hill, after 10 years OF placer OPP
erations in the gulches below the
great lode. In these days the Com
stock would have been discovered
and located from end to end within a
week after the finding of placer gold
and miles of territory on all sides Of
1t would likewise have been claimed
by wide awake prospect1rs.
Again, II is unlikely that miners
sluieing and getting good pay but
finding a heavy light gray sand con-
stantly filling the rifles and interfer-
ing with the saving of the gold, would
be years In discovering that there was
lead carbonate In the neighboring
hills as was the case at Leadville, in
1866. At that time the place was
known as ORC City and the placers
were highly profitable, but 1t was not
until about 1876 that lead-silver ore
was found on the slope of Carbonate
hill. Soon after this the mines were
extensively developed and produced
prodlgious amounts of silver and lead,
but it was many years before the
recognized. The same may be said of
the discovery of zinc carbonate at
Cerro Gordo, in California. 1t is not
long since the miners near Nome,
Alaska, threw away large fortune
in tungsten that was found In abund-
anee in their sluices. The tungsten
occurred as scheelite in the form of
pebbles and sand, and gave them not
a little annoyance by packing in the
rifles Some of that ground may be
reworked now to recover the tungsten
ore, and at present prices 1t may pay
we'll to do so. These are but few of
many similar instances, all of which
go to show how essential an elemen-
tary knowledge of geology and min
eralogY is to the prospector. In the
case of the Comstock it was the nee
essary geological knowledge that was
II was the failure to recognize common
The question naturally arises, can
form a definite idea of the
probable value of an undeveloped vein
or deposit from mere inspection of
the outcrop? In many cases the ex-
nariancad nrnSpactn. can. hnf x.,boA af
the novice what shall guide him in
his search? He has taken up a novel
occupation. He may have had no ex-
perience or instruction in mineralogy
or geology, and yet, such men as these
have discovered some of the worlds
greatest mines. This Is known to be
a fact, but men of the same calbre
have located thousands of claims that
were not worth the trouble 1t took to
write the notice, or even to blaze the
discovery tree and scrawl thereon the
notice of location.
Outcrops vary greatly in size and |
appearance Some are great masses
IF heavily mineralized silicious rock |
boldly above the surface as
1t Broken Hill; others form no strik- |
ng topographic feature, as at Tono- |
oah, and therefore attract little at |
.ention from the casual observer. Still |
others are small and obscure, but they |
nay be rich In some places the vein |
s mantled by heavy gossan of iron
md manganese oxides-black, ragged, |
md forbidding in aspect; in others |
he outcrops consist of large masses
II quartz, cleaning white and usually |
Sometimes the outcrop is
o nearly like the adjoining country
ock as to remain unnoticed, until dis
overed by accident. Some of the ore
4 the noted Yellow Aster mine, in
Kern county, California, is to all APP
an ordinary granite porph-
ry. exactly like that which is worth
ASS.
So varied are the outcrops that an
tempt to say which kind has proved Il
D indicate the most valuable mines
'ould probably fail. There are some
inds, however that may usually be
slied upon to supply a large amount
ore, though possibly too low in
rade to be profitable. Still this is {
1ly relative. for, by change in con- {
tions, particularly in transportation {
1x,xy L. l.