claim is the wash separating the Ashley and Planet claims. The Planet claim has been worked since the spring of 1865, and about 800 tons of ore have been taken out. The ore is of gray and red oxide, average assay 40 per cent. It has been sold in San Francisco at an average of $100 per ton. The mines are located 12 miles from the Colorado, and within a quarter of a mile of Williams Fork. The cost of transporting ore to San Francisco was at first $60 per ton. It is now $28 per ton, and will probably soon be but $18 or $20. If the company could erect a warehouse at the mouth of the Colorado, and store the ore there until a cargo for a large vessel accumulated, it could be shipped from the mines to Boston or Swansea, at a total cost of not more than $25 per ton. Then 30 per cent. ore, of which there is a quantity in both the Ashley and Planet claims, could be profitably worked. Several other companies are engaged in working copper lodes at Williams Fork. Mr. Thompson, a practical and enterprising miner, superintendent of the Great Central Company, has erected furnaces for smelting the ore taken from the Eliza mine, and although he has had many obstacles to contend with, his experiment has not proved altogether unsuccessful. The Eliza is but 1,000 feet distant from the Planet It is thought by some to be upon the same vein, but this has not yet been demonstrated. According to a late report the company have two small furnaces running, turning out copper from 91 to 96 per cent. fine, which is being shipped to San Francisco. A large lot of this copper has been sold for 15 cents per pound, $300 per ton. The cost of delivering such copper is but a little over $100 per ton. The ores of this mine are oxides and carbonates, very little or no iron or sulphur being present; hence the company is able to turn out at one smelting a very good article of copper. Some of this copper has been used by the brass foundries of San Francisco, who have pronounced it a very fair article for many commercial purposes, just as it comes from the furnace. Within less than two months they will have a larger furnace in operation, which they think will be able to turn out from three to five tons of copper per day. The company own two parallel ledges of 3,000 feet each. Only one ledge has as yet been developed to any considerable extent. Upon this an incline has been sunk to the depth of 100 feet, at which point there are some indications of sulphurets coming in. At the depth of about 50 feet drifts have been run each way from the shaft about 100 feet, all the way in good ore; vein varying from five to seven feet thick. The shaft is also connected with the surface by a tunnel, through which the ore will be taken out. The outcrop of the vein has been stripped quite a distance, developing good ore all the way. The superintendent. estimates that he has 5,000 tons of ore opened to sight, which will average a yield of 25 per cent. He has lately taken out some ore yielding 74 per cent. MINERAL HILL, a locality near the Planet mine, has several of these so-called lodes, supposed to be valuable. The Springfield Company are now taking ore from the Orion; a furnace has been erected by Mr. Knowles. At Empire Flat, 10 miles south of Williams Fork, and three miles from the steamboat landing on the Colorado, the Challenge mine has been worked for more than a year, and about 500 tons of fair shipping mineral secured. The Kangaroo, the Bridal, and other copper veins promise well, and ore lately worked by an arrastra from a gold lode in this vicinity gave a return of $85 to the ton. From Williams Fork to Fort Mohave, by the Colorado, is a distance of about 70 miles. Just about the fort, which was established long prior to the organization of the Territory, there are no lodes, but in the mountain ranges east, and north and east of Hardyville, a town nine miles higher up the river, are some districts already noted for their gold and silver mines. THE SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT is situated some 12 miles from Hardyville, in a northeasterly direction. A stream called Silver creek runs through the dis trict from north to south. The features of the district, which is some 20 miles long and 10 miles wide, are thus given by a recent writer: The bold outcrop of quartz lodes stretching from east to west may be seen for a long distance. Conspicuous among these ledges is the Moss lode on the north, the Skinner and Parsons on the south. The aspect of these ledges is singularly wild and rugged, deviating seldom more than 40 or 5° from the east and west magnetic equators. There is another set of lodes much less numerous than the first, whose general direction is northwest and southeast, or more exactly north 20° west. These lodes, if prolonged, must obviously intersect some of the east and west lodes. They differ not only in their course and direction, but in their mineralogical construction. The first class, the east and west, are quartz lodes, characterized by the presence of feldspar and flourspar as the associate minerals. The second set of lodes may be called calcareous, being composed to a great extent of magnesian carbonate of lime, or dolomite. In some instances these have quartz linings and polished walls. The Virginia, Olive Oatman, and Buffalo are conspicuous examples of the calcareous lodes. Α third class of lodes is observed in the San Francisco district, whose direction is northeast and southwest. This class is very small, not including more than three or four, named the Pride of Mexico, Trimuverate, Wright, and Morning Star. In general the lodes in the San Francisco district are remarkably vertical, rarely deviating more than 300 from the perpendicular, and their outcroppings are commonly very strong and well marked, forming in case of the upper lodes conspicuous features in the topography of the country. The rocks of this district are exclusively porphyritic or volcanic. The porphyry consists for the most part of the feldspathic variety. The crystals of feldspar are implanted in a violet-colored inass, yielding, like most of the porphyries at Virginia City, at Esmeralda, Bodie, and in the Mojave desert, to atmospheric influences, crumbling into incoherent masses, or breaking away into acute and fantastic clifts. The gigantic quartz lodes, known as the Moss and the Skinner, contain imbedded in their mass, especially at their surface, fragments of scoriaceous lavas, and present in general a burned and roasted appearance. On the Organ cañon of the Mojave there are extinct cones of volcanoes, whose streams of lava may be traced for eight or ten miles, standing with vertical basaltic walls 100 or 200 feet above the plain, capped with scoria, whose surface still speaks of the sluggish nature of the once molten mass. The attention of the mineralogical observer is arrested by the similarity of the lodes in this region as compared with those of other districts, by the general absence of metallic sulphurets, and the carious or porous character so common in the outcroppings of quartz in most auriferous regions, and not unlike those seen in some portions of Nevada. This character of outcroppings of the quartz lodes in the San Francisco district is common to most outcroppings in the porphyritic or plutonic rocks of other mining districts in Arizona, as in the districts of El Dorado cañon and the Wauba Yuma. Of the contents of the lodes the same writer has the following: The Moss, Skinner, and in general the larger lodes of the district, are characterized by the presence of an abundance of white feldspar, forming sometimes the mass of the vein; the quartz existing then as a subordinate vein in the feldsparic and porphyritic gangue. The mineral most characteristic of the east and west lodes in the San Francisco district, next to the quartz and feldspar, which form the great mass of the lodes, is flourspar, a mineral fre quently seen elsewhere in the world as an associate in silver-bearing lodes-as, for example, in Frieburg in Saxony-but which is of rare occurrence in this country in a similar association. This mineral is found abundantly in the Skinner lode, the Dayton, the Knickerbocker, and the Quackenbush, and has been observed in the Moss and several others. It is associated in them with free gold, horn silver sometimes in dodecahedra crystals and iron gossary. The outcroppings of the Moss lode form a most conspicuous feature in the landscape, seen standing up in bold crests from a long distance. This lode stretches in a continuous line for more than a mile, and is claimed for double that distance. It is distant north of Silver creek about two miles; its course is about west 50 north, nearly at right angles from the river, from which it is distant about five miles. On the surface the outcrop shows a width of about 50 feet, rising to the height of from 50 to 100 feet above the arroya, sinking at intervals to the surface; its height above the Colorado river is about 1,500 feet. It has a southerly dip of 14 to 20° away from the vertical. The vein material is composed of whitish compact feldspar and quartz porphyry, intersected by veins of dense red, often marbled quartz, rich in free gold. Included in this vast mass are numerous sets of feldspar, hornstone, and quartz veins, also masses of gray porphyry, tufaceous and vesicular lava. The hanging wall of the Moss lode is an ash-gray, feldspathic porphyry, often intersected by thread-veins of quartz and hornstone, barren of metallic sulphurets, showing at the sur face no clay wall, or fluccan, separating it from the vein. The absence of this character of permanent and well-defined lodes at the surface of the Moss ledge is in analogy with the character of many veins in Nevada, which, however, at a moderate depth acquire this feature, as the Allen shaft shows to be the fact for the south or hanging wall of the Moss lode. The entire outcrop of this lode has a burnt-up, dried and hardened aspect, but is proven to be quite superficial by very moderate explorations. The bullion obtained from this vein contains silver enough to give it a pale, yellow color; the gold appears in beautiful polished scales, the flat surface often embossed with crystalline lines. The precious metal is sometimes imbedded in a compact red jaspery quartz, presenting, when cut and polished, beautiful graphic goldstone. This rich gold-bearing mass of ferruginous quartz form the outcrop of this gigantic vein only at isolated points. These physical features bear great resemblance to that portion of the Comstock vein, which is still seen at Gold Hill, south of Virginia City, where similar rich deposits of low-grade gold were formed in the quartz outcrop, giving name to the town which has since sprung into such wonderful activity as the result of the development of the mines which have opened upon this remarkable silver vein. Assays of samples of the Moss vein show a value varying from $170 to several thousand dollars per ton of 2,000 pounds. Of the other lodes in this district, the Skinner, on the south side of Silver creek, is one of the most conspicuous, and, like the Moss, show bold outline of outcrop. This lode shows drusy quartz, both compact and cellular, and ferruginous with numerous cavities, out of which flourspar has been decomposed. Small traces of sulphide are seen at the surface, which is stained by black oxide of maganese, making portions of the outcrop quite black. This vein varies from 50 to 150 feet in thickness. Its walls are ash-colored, feldspathic porphyry, in places beautifully polished on the line of dip 70° north. The vein appears to be without a lining of clay, but like that which is so commonly seen in the outcrops of Nevada, that it is no proof of the absence of this important characteristic of a true vein at a moderate depth, assays of ores from this vein prove the presence of silver to the respective values of $25, $74, and $83 to the ton of 2,000 pounds. The Parsons, Hurst, and Leland are other gigantic lodes, south of the Skinner. The smaller lodes of this district seem to promise quicker returns for a less expenditure of money, such as the Caledonia and Dayton, a few hundred feet south of the Moss lode, and the Quackenbush and Knickerbocker, some distance south of the Skinner and Parsons. These veins are from three to ten feet in thickness, well defined, and showing at the surface all the characters of true metalliferous veins. Samples from these outcrops yielded in a mill from $40 to $250 per ton. Mr. A. E. Davis, of Hardyville, has furnished some notes descriptive of the Moss, Parsons, and several other lodes in the San Francisco district, which are given with a slight condensation : The Moss Lode was among the first discovered in this district, and is perhaps the best known. The vein is well defined for a distance of two miles. The rock is dark colored and iron stained, the country rock is porphyry, the hanging wall smooth and hard. Some remarkable specimens of gold ore have been taken from this lode. In blasting, in some instances, pieces have been torn out yellow with gold, and the face of the lode has shown streaks of the precious metal. It is not surprising that the owners have held their claims as high as $300 per foot. The gold is of a bright color, and usually found in layers as thin as paper, which makes it more showy than abundant; the lode, however, promises well. There are several shafts, and recently a tunnel 300 feet in length has pierced the vein at a depth of 150 feet, where the vein is wide, and considerable gold was found, but fine and scattered. The tunnel enters the vein at right angles, and after reaching it follows it west for 300 feet, where a shaft descends from the surface. All the rock taken out bears gold, and the vein, from a width of five feet at the surface, increases at the greatest depth reached. A 10-stamp mill was erected at Hardyville a few months since, and about 250 tons of the ore have been worked, but the result is not announced. The cost of mining is $5 per ton; of hauling to the mill the same. The Parsons Lode.-This lode runs east and west, and can be traced by neat wall of croppings for a distance of two and a half miles. The vein rock is chiefly a gray quartz, accompanied by flourspar. The country rock is blue and birds-eye porphyry. The lode is from 5 to 12 feet in width. There are several claims upon it, those best known being the Southern Cross and Queen of the Pacific. Upon the latter a tunnel of 210 feet in length, along the lode, has been cut. Crossing, or rather running into, the Parsons lode at nearly right angles is a Jode known as the Michigan. The vein is about three feet thick, and a few tons of the surface ore worked in an arrastra gave a yield of $70 to the ton in gold; the tailings since worked yielded $80 to the ton in silver. What is now known as the Southern Cross, or Hardy mine, is a location of 1,800 feet on the Parsons lode and of 1,600 feet on the Michigan lode. The Parsons is probably the mother lode of the vicinity. Beginning at the eastern terminus of the Hardy location, at a large wash, the lode takes its course west over an eminence, say 400 feet higher than at the starting point, and this in a distance of about 1,000 feet. The lode is favorably situated for tunnelling, and several tunnels are already well advanced. A shaft between the two principal tunnels is now-down some 80 feet, following the vein; it will need to be 200 feet deep in order to reach the depth of the tunnels. The shaft is five and a half feet wide, but it does not occupy the whole vein. One hundred tons of the ore taken during the past summer from this shaft and from other cuts, and worked in the Moss mill, gave a return of $18 to the ton, while the assays of the pulp from the battery gave about $35 to the ton. This experiment is not considered, owing to a want of proper facilities in the mill, an accurate test of what the ore will produce under proper working. The owner of the claim, Mr. Hardy, is pushing the tunnels and shafts forward, and is confident that he has a good mine. He has already expended $40,000 in opening it, and will soon erect a mill at Hardyville. The Leland Lode, in this district, runs east and west, and is about five feet in width. The rock bears gold and silver, the former predominating. The gold. is fine and evenly diffused through the rock. A tunnel 150 feet in length strikes the lode at the depth of 50 feet, where the quartz is as good as at the surface. The Mitchell Lode runs east and west, with a slight dip to the north; has good walls, and the vein is from three to six feet in width, of quartz and flourspar. A vein of quartz of a bluish color, varying in width from one to two and a half feet, runs the whole traceable length of the lode, and prospects well in gold. For my own satisfaction (says Mr. Davis) I took from this vein 10 pounds of quartz, a fair sample, and pulverized it in a hand mortar, when, washing it in a pan, it yielded at the rate of $150 per ton in gold. But little work has been performed upon the lode, owing to a want of means and to Indian troubles. THE SACRAMENTO DISTRICT.-Next to the San Francisco, the Sacramento is the best known of the districts adjacent to Fort Mohave and Hardyville. It is some 30 miles northeast of the latter place, and abounds in veins, several of which have been opened. This district is tolerably well watered, having three or four small running streams and a number of springs. The water is, with the exception of two or three springs, of an excellent character. Pine and cedar timber are abundant, and the whole district is rich in nutritious grasses, and arable lands are near at hand. The mines are chiefly of argentiferous galena, and show well in gold and silver. There are also some copper veins showing free gold. A correspondent has furnished the following list: Neptune Lode.-This lode shows a vein seven feet wide, with walls of slate and granite. A shaft has been sunk to the depth of 150 feet. The ore shows both gold and silver. Silver Hill Lode, argentiferous galena; a shaft 100 feet deep; vein four feet wide. Aleran's Lode, gold and silver; shaft 65 feet deep; vein three feet wide. Mohave Chief Lode, gold and silver; shaft 45 feet; vein six feet wide. Antietam Lode, copper; shaft 40 feet; vein three feet wide, two feet of which is ore yielding from 40 to 80 per cent. There are also rich traces of gold and silver. Blue Bell Lode, gold and silver; shaft 24 feet; vein two feet wide. Daniel Webster Lode, gold and silver; two shafts 20 feet each; vein three feet wide. Atlanta Lode, argentiferous galena; shaft 22 feet; vein three feet wide. Union Lode, argentiferous galena; shaft 13 feet; vein eight feet wide, showing a mass of mineral. THE WAUBA YUMA DISTRICT is upon the road to Prescott, and some 50 miles from the Colorado. 1 Here (says a writer describing the district) seems to be an entire change in the geological formation; the porphyritic and volcanic rocks giving a place to, metamorphic schists, gneiss, and granitic rocks abounding with numerous veins of quartz, and is accompanied by a corresponding change in the character and direction of the mineral veins. Near the western margin of the Wauba Yuma district occurs a considerable vein of auriferous quartz, accompanied by ores of copper and sulphurets of iron. It is located in a high granitic mountain; it is called the " Pride of the Pines," and appears to be about 10 feet in width, possessing promising characteristics common to the auriferous lodes of the Sierra Nevada, and has the same northwest and southeast direction. Enormous dikes or roofs of quartz, and of course quartz ore, feldspathic granite, cut through the reddish gneissoid granite which forms the basement rock over a large part of the Wauba Yuma district. Upon these gigantic quartz ledges no exploration has been made, nor is there evidence of much metallic value in them. There is some timber in this district, chiefly pine, oak, and walnut, and it is well supplied with water and grass. The Pride of the Pines lode has a shaft 36 feet in depth, and shows a vein three feet wide, in which there is considerable free gold and some traces of silver. The Ben Franklin lode has a shaft 22 feet deep, and shows a vein four feet wide, with gold and silver. The El Bonito, McAnneny, Florence, McClellan, Mountain Lily, Rubicon, and William M. Lent lodes in this district are well spoken of, and a company has been formed in New York to develop them. El Dorado cañon, upon the west bank of the Colorado, some 40 miles north of Hardyville, is the centre of a silver district, in which a number of lodes have been located and several of them worked. Two mills were erected several years since. The Tchatticup lode is seven feet wide, well defined, and yields good ore. Four hundred tons crushed averaged $70 to the ton. The Queen City, Indian Queen, and other lodes have a good reputation. This part of Arizona has, by a vote of Congress, been set off to the State of Nevada, but its inhabitants protest against the change, and the legislature of Arizona has unanimously memorialized Congress to reconsider its vote. GENERAL REMARKS ON THE COLORADO RIVER COUNTRY.-Although not well known until long after southern Arizona had been explored, and not yet fully prospected, the valley of the great Colorado is entitled to some consideration as a mining region. The temperature is much like that of southern Arizona, and the region is about as well wooded and watered. The timber is chiefly mesquite and iron wood, and found in the ravines and gulches. There is, also, considerable cottonwood along the Colorado and its tributaries, and for mining use and fuel the drift-wood annually swept down the Colorado furnishes an acceptable supply. The agricultural lands of the Colorado region are less extensive than those of southern Arizona, but where they are found they are mellow and fertile. The Yuma, Mohave, and Chimahueva Indians, friendly tribes, cultivate them with success, and gardens laid out near La Paz, Arizona City, Mohave, and Hardyville by the white settlers have produced abundantly. The broad plains lying between La Paz and Weaver and Wickenburg only need water to be made productive, and this it is thought can be supplied by artesian wells. There are various opinions regarding the navigation of the Colorado. Small steamers have for some years delivered freight at La Paz and Hardyville, and many persons consider the latter place the practical head of navigation, but of late several trips have been made to Callville, and it is asserted that the river is navigable to that point. The difficulties and delays are serious obstacles, but it is thought they may be overcome. Callville is some 600 miles from the mouth |
