The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-09-26
Claims and Ore Showinas.

The Fern camp buildings are stu.
ated just below the mine in a grove OF
big spruce trees, at the extreme head
of Fern creek, which constitutes one
of the final branches and highest
sources of the main east fork tributary
according to anaroid readings in I'M
settled weather. Of nearly 5000 feet
above sea level. The camp is near the
head Of a horseshoe basin or glacial
cirque, which is still we'll supplied, at
this high elevation, with considerable
timber and convenient source of
pure water. A makeshift road has
been extended to it from the Roosevelt
road on Monumental creek summit
that is difficult to traverse with any
kind of load, but could be cheaply
improved on very easy grade.
The Fern Mining company's group
OF claims are laid out on the east wall
of this basin and extend over the
summit and well down on the opposite
side slope of Cinnibar creek The
particular point of interest on the
property Is prominent reef of lime
stone which carries the main ore
showings In this vicinity. This lime
stone is sandy and light brown at the
outcrop but hard and almost snow
white in its underground phase so
feet away from the ore course. The
bedding has a strike north 80 degrees
west and steep dip to the northeast.
The ore courses on the Fern ground
consists of series of assures and
fractures that cut the bedding Of the
lime with a strike north 40 degrees
east and the siliciflcation of the lime
beds by the ore bearing solution in
the main outcrop has locally resisted
erosion and given the Fern deposit the
appearance Of zone of mineraliza-
ton rs or 30 feet wide with an expos
ed length Of probably $50 feet beyond
which it Is more or less covered with
debris, but Is accompanied by par.
allel series Of six or seven small or
less conspicuous ore bearing assures
and fractures having the same course
across the lime beds.
This particular zone on the Fern
property carries the richest exhibit
ton of quicksilver ore in this part of
the district. It's development consists
of an upper tunnel driven on the
strike of the main ore course from a
foot to four feet thick for 80 feet from
the portal and has attained a face
depth of about so feet and has carried /
rich cinnibar ore throughout its length |
and exhibits from inches to a foot of |
high grade mineral in the face, at this |
time, in addition to lower grade val
ues. An open cut 30 feet above the |
portal of the tunnel shows that in ad-
dition to the main flssure, there are
several radiating bands through the
lime zone striking out from the main
flssure in an irregular manner and |
varying from small bands and kid
neys up to two feet in thickness that
carry high grade quicksilver. values.
The character Of this ore b decid-
eddy interesting and consists Of a
cherry to granular quartz of char
acter that indicates permanency in
values from the fact that the mineral
is not merely red cinnibar stain but
a fairly uniform dissemination through
the grain of the silica bands of small
purple crystals Of pure cinnibar min
eral with hardly any complicating as
sociations Of other sulphides except
occasional brown hematite cubes re-
sulting from the oxidation Of iron
pyrite.
A lower tunnel of 90 feet long of
similar face depth was poorly placed.
1t passes, at the portal, through sill
cious breccia formation and well into
the lime which, at this horizon, is
practically pure white marble and 40
to so feet to one side Of the main ore
course for which cross cut will have
to be extended to the north, to cut the
ore deposit from this lower level.
The company is working three or
four men extracting ore from a sur
face cut and from the tunnel for the I
furnace, which it situated few hum /:
dred yards below the mine, where an
accumulation of several tons has al
ready been made of high grade hand
sorted mineral for immediate treat
ment The furnace on the property is
of the old-fashioned Johnson Mckay
type, Of very simple design, consisting
OF battery Of steel cylinders built in
to an oblong brick structure about 6
feet high, feet wide and 20 feet long.
These cylinders are IL inches in diam
eter, feet long with 4-inch inclined
discharge pipes at the back end for
condensing the fumes and are furnish
ed at the front with double metallic
lids or doors which are clamped on !
and sealed with paste made Of wood (
ASH There are IL of these simple re-
tort cylinders each Of which has a
charge capacity Of $50 pounds of ore.
A fire brick flue extends under and
over this battery Of retorts from one
end Of the structure to the other, and
a smoke stack is placed directly over
the furnace. The furnace Is fired with