The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1919-11-07
ROADSIDE MANAGEMENT
TO RESUME DEVELOPMENT

the Sharp district. Is to be further de-
veloped Is indicated by adyices recent
ly received from W. A. Smith. who has |
charge OF the mine. A shipment Of ay- |
erage grade nuxing ore was dispatched |
today to the Murray plant OF the Amer |
ican Smelling and Refining Company
of Salt Lake. This ore Is run of
mine. from which the high. grade ar
gentiferous galena has been sorted, and
returns will give the management val
liable data on which TO negotiate q
long-term contract with the Salt Lake
smelters In anticipation OF the prob
ability that future tonnage will justify
the purchase and installation Of haul
age equipment to economically trans
port the ore to the railroad near Pr
oche. distance of about fifty-six miles.
In June. 1918. w. A. Smith, an ex-
perienced western prospector. located
the Roadside mine. which is situated
close to the public road leading from
Sharp to Phoebe.
Being war times. Mr.. Smith consider
ed II was worthy Of development on
account of the surface showing of man.
ganese oxides, but this soon proved
secondary to the lead-silver values that
showed up in the first shallow shaft.
The attractive feature of thep respect
was the high silver content of the
lead sulphide galena ore. This high
silver value, the good grade Of the
shipping ore and the excellent showing
In the forty-foot shaft lead to the
bonding Of the mine in March by
strong financial interests.
Jay A. Carpenter. mining engineer
of Tonopah, recently visited the prop
erty and his observations are as fol-
lows:
"The outcrop of iron and mangan-
ese oxides occurs in the bottom of the
east-west draw, extending for about
$50 feet along the draw. with width
of about fifty feet. The outcrop is en-
tirely in a black limestone, the bed
ding Of which has a north-south strike,
with a dip forty-fve degrees to the
east. From an examination Of the
shaft the ore does not make along the
bedding planes. but apparently along
fracture planes with the same north
south strike, but with dip nearly at
right angles. being ffty-five degrees
to the west. Naturally the ore will
make out from these fractures in IA
vorable places along the bedding
planes, giving good lenses Of ore. Co.
ing north from the outcrop along the
limestone l found it considerably al
tered. showing q. great deal Of calcite,
with pieces of iron oxide float.
ION the Hidden Treasure claim,
which lies along the end Of the Road
side claim, an eruptive rock outcrops
on the surface. TAis rock contains. in
a quartz ground mass. small quartz
crystals and large feldspar crystals,
with a scarcity of other rock minerals.
This would class this rock as one Of
the rhyolite family and the large field
spar crystals would give 1t the COM
mon rock designation Of a porphyry
This rock outcrops in general north
erly and southerly direction, but the
wide quartz dixie to the east of the
lime and porphyry, outcropping on the
Roadside and Hidden Treasure claims
has true north-south course. Tht
fracture planes in the lime on which
the ore occurs would meet this quarts
dixie with depth, and the ascending
mineralizing solutions may have COM
up along this dixie or along the por
phyry and following out In the linn
along the parallel branch fracturing
The line Of the creek flowing norther
ly and southerly through the Roadsid
claim is probably an old fssure line
and may possibly be the line alon
which the Undertaking solutions as
cended.
'The shaft, which has a course c
south IS degrees west. Is now dow
100 feet on a so degree incline, givin
Nf ofOhfv-cfy fec
Another one hundred feet will Civ
1t depth of about IT'S fee
which will probably be below the OK
dized zone into the sulphide zone.
crosscut to the east from this poir
will cut the ffty-five degree fractui
planes in the lime and will in 500 fe'
probably encounter both the porphyI
and the quartz dixie, with excellel
chances Of encountering orebodies bot
in the lime and on the contacts.
whether the orebodies encountert
will be of sufficient size and value
be commercially profitable remains
be seen and Is the risk that all minir
companies with a good surface shov
ing must take in trying to develop
producing mine.
Personally I consider the chanc
Of the Roadside developing into a pa
ing mine as good for the followil
reasons:
Firstly. the surface cropping
ore. showing only over the whole wild
Of tho bottom Of the draw and not
the hillside. gives the hope that II
may be just the top of the ore horizt
and that the ore will extend bo
north and south on development. Sc
ondly. the solid masses Of iron II
manganese oxides indicate the hea
mineralizing action that may result
large lenses of solid sulphides at dep
Thirdly, the presence Of eruptive roc
and quartz rocks near the lime gi'
the chance Of orebodies along the IL
porphyry contacts. the value OF VIII
is known to every miner. Fourth
the high silver content Of the gale
means that II large lenses OF gaze
ore are found the ore will be r
enough to ship at good profit dir
to smelters, or II the galena occ
mixed with lime and pyrite. when c.
centrated out It will make conc
!. trate Of high silver-lead for shippi
Fifthly. the absence Of zinc. antim'
and arsenic makes It an easy ore
cOnNAnt "a onA favorahla ore