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

mated through the silicious gangues
that occur through a difference in
vertical range in their position on the
mountain slopes of fully 1000 feet, a
condition indicative Of considerable
permanency In depth of these assures
and while likely to prove lenzy and lr-
regular in size along their strike,
when more fully developed they give
definite promise of affording an inter-
esting combined tonnage resource of
relatively high grade and easily. treat
ed quicksilver mineral, but, on the
other hand, too optimistic anticipa-
ton of advancing stock values and
profits by present holders is unwise
and the diverse side of the picture is
the present extreme isolation of the
district hard expensive formations to
drive tunnels in and an exaggerated
market price for the metal which is
almost sure to revert back to near its
Is satisfied. These facts, together with
the acknowledged shallow range Of
quicksilver ore values in it's contain
ed assures experienced wherever it
has been mined, makes it unwise to
place too much faith in the high ton
mage values that have been obtained
from the ores Of this new district
which have been largely confined to
specimen assays and an abnormally
high market value for the metal
Natural Advantages.
The natural advantages of this dis
trict for future development in the
way of mining timber and water for
power, and the steep mountain slopes
that the ore courses traverse, gives
exceptional chance for adit tunnel and
crosscut tunnel development work
that could hardly be exceled. Its
greatest drawback is it's isolation
from railway transportation, the ex-
cessive cost Of wagon freight and it's
short open season and long winters
The SHOWS lie deep on these high
mountains for nearly six months in
the year making transportation by
anything but dog teams and snow
shoed horses in the winter season
practically out of the question unless
a better road was made on a different
route.
Genesis of the Ore.
l am of the opinion that the major
erosion features of the district are
decidedly older than the ore occur
rences and that the topography of
the country, in it's present general
outline, was formed before the intro
duction of the ore bearing solutions
that now form this quite widespread
and interesting exhibition of quick
silver mineral. The fact that the de-
bris below all these ore courses, and
in fact for several miles below the
Smith deposit carries good paintings
OF cinnibar concentrates, predicates a
considerable disintegration and sur
face erosion since the ore was formed
but it is likely that this dsintegration
of the original resources of the min
eral in the district has been compar-
atvely limited in vertical range and
tha' the ore may be expected to ex-
tend down into the ground several
associated with the more complex
sulphide minerals disclosed along the
western granite margin of the belt
will be more complicated but in the
central portion Of the belt with an
axis through the Fern and Smith pro-
perties the mineral combination ap-
pears cleaner and more simple and is
apparently so far confined to cinnibar
and iron. The quicksilver ore is
doubtless due to late period of ig-
neous activity that penetrated the
sediments and Is now exhibited in the
porphyry bikes previously referred to,
which were probably accompanied by
quite extensive fracturing Of the
formation and a naturalization along
these assures and fracture lines by
ascending hot solutions and gases
that brought in the cherry silica and
clnnibar ore and deposited it in the
upper horizons of these assured
courses
So far the development Of the dis
trict aside from the Smith and Fern
properties, has been confined largely
to axe work in stalking claims and
scratching the surface with pick and
shovel. The wide distribution Of the
mineral for several miles in length
and the high grade character of the
ore where found, Is of such nature
as to indicate other important and
substantial discoveries with further
work. The ground has been staked
over the most favorable area for
distance Of nearly three miles by over
a mile in width but there still remains
considerable promising territory to
prospect and it Is not unlikely that
other important discoveries will be
made as the season progresses. The
claims are practically all owned by
local Idaho people who as yet are not
making very strenuous efforts to dem
onstrate the value of their discoveries