The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 23, 1905, Page 24

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, MAY 28, 1905. “HALF NOT TOLD” SAYS MACDONALD New El Dorado Will Rival the World in Value of Precious Product. Deposits - Found Cursorily Prove the Bulk of Treasu BY MALCOLM L. MACDONALD. e the year 1858, has occu- on, more or less, of the At no period in the his- ate has that attention been ng the past few years. rently extravagant, have the great riches &nd An intimate the older districts of the with a personal examina- of the discoveries in the past few warrant the ex- which have appeared e in the press. The balf it needs but the » of the deposits Dorado will rival product, Nevada has ked of as a nversant with ities forgotten ke and other opening of this wealth. The quiry presents itseif—how is it hat, in a section reputed to be lace of the American prospec- mense wealth has remained too, at a period s were traveling th in search of gold , to South Africa, to South a, enduring hardships and braving herto unknown. T CONSIDERATION. geological and formation of dge of the peculiar conditions will re best answer. In the map of the there be noticed two lines topo- wii a general southerly direction point to the the other e lines mark defined and ations the ks are almost orig’ ions are largely c rising a series of an- nes and quartzites. It is ds of recent years have he discovery of gold » ck, in 1858, and about the year e, Pioche, White Imont, Tybo, . Pine , Silv ller camps were worked, enormous sum, estimated 0% in gold and silver. added about $160,000,000 ver product of Eureka, ch, in its day, controlled of the world. Most of ps are in the limestone-quartz- are located to the north, east nd west sides of the section that 2s come into prominence more recently. the limestone-quartzite area nume- nd and water is com- , while in the vol- scarce; the result ; follows from this that the limestones prospected and devel- days when the above- d camps were discov- nense desert area in art of this voleanic region years past been bidding ur most courageous pio- s section eighty miles stage withou sixty = t occurrence, while drives of twen- early d widespread, extending to all | wed by the al- | is section and a | lines being | n this area of volcanics | re Incalculable. that was 8o persistently inhospitable to man and doubly so to his beast of bur- den, an indispensable assistant. RAILROAD FACILITIES. In the early days lumber was eagerly sought for at $400 per thousand. To-Gay, with raflroad facilities hundreds of miies nearer to the scene of present activity, prices are reasonable, but in some of the outlying districts lumber sells readily for $100 per thousand, hay for $i0 per ton, grain at $7 per 100 pounds and other necessities in proportion. These condi- tions have .rendered almost prohibitive the prospecting of this particular area. Tte region has al been reputed to be rich in mineral, yet the hardships |and the inability to procure supplies have kept it virgin ground up to within {the past few years. Numerous have {been the expeditions fitted out for its conquest, but without success until the | returning army of prospectors from | Alaska, Africa and South America, with | the added experience afforded by these | districts, spurred on by the thought that this was their last chance. have at last carried the hitherto impregnable fortress. The discovery of Tonopah within the | border of this region of volcanics has in- | fused fresh life and awakened a new in- | terest in this vast and virgin field, and as | a consequence new development work has been gradually encroaching upon the comparatively unknown area from the | north with results that have been ex- tremely gratifying to all who have an interest in the venture. First Tonopah, | then Goldfield, followed by Bullfrog, Kawich, Lida and other camps. this is but a beginning, for beyond lies | the great Ralston desert and Death Val- | ley, which are practically unknown and | unexplored regions to-day. Mr. Spurr of the United States Geological Survey, who has made a general reconnalssance survey of the State, calls attention to the fact that this general belt of volcanics with outlying limestones and quartzites, with almost identical conditions, can be traced through into Old Mexico. QUARTZITE DISTRICTS. With this invasion of the great central area and improvement in transportation facilities comes a renewed interest in the =adjoining quartzite and limestone districts, where silver and sulphide ores are found. At the present time the ores |from these districts are largely shipped to Salt Lake, and are paying the heavy freight tariff that only comparatively hy ores are able to bear. Now in g operations the prevailing condi- | tion, and one that is well-nigh universal, is that where rich ores are present in great quantities leaner ores are present |in still greater quantities. Therefore, we | have abundant reason to assume that a | cheaper method of treatment ~ ill at once manifold the available ore reserves in | many districts that so far have been | mined only for the high-grade ores they | were able to produce. | It is a noteworthy fact that silicious | ores shipped from these districts are | worked in lead furnaces, and this sug- | gests the possibility of working the low- | grade silicious gold and silver ores with | the low-grade silver-lead ores at points within the district, where they may be | conveniently assembled, and thus reduce | the long distance haul and excessive | freight charges, making it possible to work some of the large bodies of low- grade ore which cannot now be handled. While prospectors are in search of | gold-silver ores they should bear in mind that the lead-silver and also copper ores {are fully as desirable and profitable. Ow- |ing to the excessive freight and treat- | ment charges they are even more so at | the present time than the average grade |ore now being discovered in the new | camps. While they are in search of rich- | er ores it would be well to advise them | to prospect for or give the lead-silver | cres some attention, as it is only a mat- water. | ter of a few years when all such ores as | follows: les were of fre-|are now being shipped to Salt Lake .will | Tonopah District is andesite, there being | be treated in the district. It fs only a|two yarieties. ve and thirty, or even forty, have | questicn of fuel and the transportation | early andesite, or lode porphyry, and the And | | | % that it is possible to develop water at many points within what has heretofore been regarded as a desert region. Water has been obtained by sinking whenever a determined effort has been made to se- cure it. Cheaper power is within reach and is now being developed in the water- falls of the White Mountain Range, a | pole line being in process of construction | to Goldfield and Tonopah for the trans- mission of electricity. It seems probable that cheaper fuel will be developed in the not far distant future. At Coaldale, about thirty miles northwest of Tonopah, & bed of coal is now being developed, some of the se- ilected product having been marketed | here. Regarding the rallroads, the Southern | Pacific Company has awakened to the | necessity of broadening the narrow gauge road from Mound House to Sodaville, and the Tonopah Railroad Company is doing the same from Sodaville to Tonopah in order to handle the vast amount of freight being shipped. The Tonopah road is at the present time constructing a broad gauge line from Tonopah to Gold- field and is expected to have the same completed during the summer. The San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Rail- road, which crosses this newly developed area at Las Vegas, has just been com- pleted and this gives another outlet and competitive transportation from the dis- trict south of Goldfield, the ditsance be- ing 19 miles from Goldfield to Las Vegas, passing through the rich Bullfrog dis- trict. While the advent of the rallroads has rendered possible the operation of a great many properties that could not stand the charges of+a long wagoen-haul for their ores, still the railroads have fixed such a tariff upon the ores as to render prohibitive the working of a great many lower grade properties, A larger tonnage and a cheaper freight rate are things which naturally should come with the further development of the dis- trict, ‘With these conditions already so large- ly developed and in sight, who can say but that within a very few years eNvada will not only redevelop a mining and milling industry quite as extensive and far more general than the one supported by the famous Comstock, but in connec- tion therewith a smelting industry com- mensurate with her extensive deposits of low-grade silver-lead and high-grade sili- cious gold ores. ° = DISCOVERY OF TONOPAH. As to the different camps, Tonopah was discovered by J. L. Butler in May, 1900, and located in August of the same year by himself and wife, and to this pioneer and his faithful wife must be given the credit, not alone for the discovery of Tonopah, but for attracting the attention of the mining world to the wonderful districts now being discovered and de- veloped. Briefly, the geological condi- tions as they exist in Tonopah are as The ore-bearing rock in the The names given are the been so common as to occasion no sur- |of smelter machinery to make it profit- | later andesite, or capping. It is not only prise was at all times scarce and over large | areas absolutely unprocurable, it 1s not surprising that even the most hardy prospector should recoil from a region Add to this the fact that forage able to now treat the ores in this dis- | interesting but important to know that trict, as there are now being found sufffi~| no commercial minerals have been dis- clent fluxeés to bandle all of the silicious | covered up to date in the later andesite, product, or capping. At only one point in the Recent experiments have demonstrated | Tonopah District has the lode porphyry STORY OF Continued From Page %5 has just commenced and will be carried on with the activity and energy charac- teristic of ail Mr, McKane's undertakings. Adjoining the Red Rock Consolidated Mining Company’s claims on the south is the property of the Ohio Tonopah Mining Company, comprising eix claims, on which & shaft has been sunk to a depth of 78 feet, and drifts and crosscuts amounting to over 1900 feet have been driven. Al- though there have lately been persistent rumors of an important discovery of ore the local management denies the state- ment. The property is largely owned by Cleveiand, Ohio, capitalists and was closed down for a long time for lack of funds. Pittsburg capitalists are now interested in the compapy. The ground is well lo- cated and it seems probable that some veins will be discovered. West of the McKane Mining Company is a group of seven claims, owned by the ‘West Tonopah Mining Company, which was organized last year and,commenced operations in September. The company’s shaft is located 2500 feet west of the Mc-" Kane Company’s shaft, and is now down nearly 300 feet, the intention being to sink to a depth of 500 feet and crosscut 10 a vein which outcropped on the surface and carried milling values, and close to which float quartz was.found averaging 4 per ton. COMPANIES ARE NUMEROUS. Owing to the wonderful developments in the Tonopah Extension mine, the re- cent discovery in the Golden Anchor and the quiet determination with which John McKane is expending vast sums of money In the exploration of his other properties, the whole of the west- ern part of the camp contiguous to his companies claims is experiencing an activity which almost amounts to the premonitory symptoms of a boom. Some recently Yormed corporations &re now selling treasury stock and pre- paring to commence operations, others &re from one year to two years old and are not now working, and haye nou done sufficlent work to properly ex- plore their claims at depth. Among the former may be named the Monarch Pittsburg Extension, Tonopah Gold Standard, Tonopgh Common, Red Rock Extension, Tonopah Wall Street, Pitts- burg Extension and. Manhattan Tono- pah. Among the latter are the Cash Boy, Little Tonopah Development Com- pany, Tonopah Great Western, Tonopah Golden Gate, Tonopah West. ‘While it is exceedingly hazardous to wenture any predictions as to the fu- /7 ———|}]]}}]]]| —| | 1111111} outcropped or appeared at the surface, and this outcrop covers only an area of about fifty acres. Ac this point the.orig- inal discovery was made. Had it not been for this outcrop of earlier andesite there would have been no Tonopah to- day. All the other mines in Tonopah were compelled to sink through the later andesite, or capping, for a distance varying from 200 to 1000 feet before en- countering the lode porphyry, and wher- ever the lode porphyry has been encoun- tered and thoroughly prospected veins have been discovered and are being worked to-day. 3 The first mining company to strike out boldly and demonstrate this fact was the Montana-Tonopah Mining Company, Under the management of Charles E. Knox and the superintendency of George Badgett the above company started its present working shaft in the later ande- site, and at a depth of 370 feet encoun- tered the lode porphyry and were imme- diately rewarded for their efforts, they having fortunately dropped on to the apex of what is known as the south vein, and which is producing many thousands of dollars. Further development to the north disclosed what is known as the Macdonald ledge, which is one of the most important discoveries in the dis- trict. Two other veins known as the Martha and ABK have been discovered and are now being developed. ‘PROGRESS OF MINES. The North Star Company, lying east of the Montana-Tonopah, found it necessary to go to a depth of about 800 feet before encountering the lode porphyry. They, also, were rewarded for their work by the discovery of a valuable vein, un- doubtedly the extension of one of the Montana veins. The Midway mine, adjoining the Mon- tana on the, west, sunk about 200 feet before mch‘n‘ the lode porphyry, and the owners were also successful in open- ing up two valuable veins, without doubt the western extension of they Montana veins, The Tonopah-Extenslon encountered lode porphyry at a depth of about 250 feet, when they dropped on to the apex of what is known as their north vein, and further development brought to light a seccnd vein. All thie ores being ship- ped from this wonderful mine are being extracted from the north vein. The Golden Anchor Mining Company encountered the lode porphyry at about 600 feet. The shaft is now down to the 800-foot level and in a crosscut at that line ore was found .and the vein is now being actively developed. The Pittsburgh has rea.ched‘; depth of 1000 feet ‘and crosscutting for their ore bodies will begin as soon as the 1100-foot level is reached. & The Ohfo-Tonopah is down to the depth of $00 feet and active and systematic development work is being prosecuted. The McNamara ‘encountered the lode porphyry at about 20 feet, since which time developments have disclosed a vein which is now being worked The shaft has reached a depth of 500 feet. - The Red Rock, Home and other new and important shafts are being sunk, and these mines will, no doubt, be heard from in the near future. The above- named mines lie to the north and west of the Tonopah Mining Company’s prop- ertles, which were ‘the original dis- be orz o GRS S S S A O SR SR S B S S SO M T R RS e coverles. The veins of the Tonopah Company’s property outcropping at the surface made it possible for them to mine and ship ore immediately, and the early his- tory will show that mililonis of dollars had been takeh out, principally by leas- ers, before the company commenced ac- tive operations. East, south and southwest of the Tono- pah Company’s property are other mines, viz.: The Belmont, Stone Cabin, Wan- dering Boy, Gold Hill, California, Jim Butler, Fraction and West End, which have been compelled to sink to various depths through the capping or later ande- site to reach the lode-bearing porphyry. The ores of the Tonopah Company are oxidized, which is explained by the out- cropping of the veins, while all the veins capped by the later andesite are sulphides. The values are gold and sil- ver, running about two-sevenths gold and five-sevenths silver. The general strike is easterly and westerly and the general dip is to the north. The width of veins varies from three to forty feet and they have been developed to a depth of 1100 feet. Taking the above facts and knowing the undeérground conditions as they actually exist, 1 consider Tonopah as yet in its infancy. FACTS ABOUT GOLDFIELD. Goldfield, situated about thirty miles south of Tonopah, was -discovered in October, 1902. It was named the Grandpa District, but was reorganized in Septem- ber, 1903, under the name of Goldfield. The first discoveries of particular impor- tance began in January, 1904. The geological conditions of the camp have not been thoroughly worked out, but so far as known are not very differ- ent from those/existing at Tonopah. The country rocks, as shown by outcrops, are largely rhyolites, with limestone ap- pearing in one or two instances. Deeper work, however, has uncovered andesites which seem to be entirely like those of tht Tonopah District. These are cut by heavy, persistent reefs of quartz, locally often designated as quartzites on account of their resemblance to true quartzite. These reefs are with little doubt true fissure veins of large proportions. Their strike Is in a general north and south direction and the dip is’very nearly vertical. The richer ores occur in regu- lar, persistent chutes in these reefs. Sin- gle chutes have in several - in- stances produced hundreds of thousands of dollars, and this only to the shallow depth that they have been worked thus far. In addition to these quartz reefs occuring in ande- site are similar reefs apparently in rhyolite, In which some of the highest values of the camp have been found. These rhyolite reefs are probably more widely distributed than those in ande- site, and discoveries in them at the pres- ent time cover an area of not less than fifteen square miles. The surface ores in all properties are in oxidized material, and these extend to considerable depth in some mines, as the January and Jumbo. In the Flor- ence, Combination and Quartzite, on the other hand, the sulphide ores replace the oxidized ores at very moderate depth. The values are almost exclusively in gold, and this is largely in native form. Tellurides, however, are found in increas- DESERT TEEMING WITH FINE GOLD Early Conditions for Bringing Prove Unfavorable It to Light‘ Railroads and Various Improvements Now Aid to Bring Development. ing quantity as depth Is attained in the sulphides. This is particularly true ot the Quartzite mine, which is situated near the extreme eastern border of the district. Up to the first of the present year the mines have been worked ex- clusively by lessers and by leaser meth- ods. The deepest workings thus far have reached 350 feet, and at this depth the veins are as strong and as persistent, | if not stronger, than they are at any point above. There is, therefors, no longer any question that the values will extend to at least the ordinary depths of mining. The producing mines at the present time are as follows: The January, Com- | bination, Florence, Jumbo, Red Top, Sim- | merone, Quartzite and the Sandstorm. Aside from these tnere are a number of others in a prospective state which bid fair to become producers in the near future. Prospecting in the district at the pres- ent time is probably being pushed more vigorously and more extensively than at any time in the camp's history. In view of the foregeing and the fact tuat Goldfleld is credited with producing in the past year nearly $4,000,000 its future as a gold producer is assured. BULLFROG REGION. Bullfrog, located about seventy miles south of Goldfield, was discovered in September, 1904. It was heralded as es- sentially a low-grade camp, with ore bodies of large proportions made work- able by the presence of abundant water for miiling purposes. While .ais is true, later developments have disclosed the presence of ore bodies of exceptionally high grade. The first evidence of this was a shipment made some weeks ago by the uriginal Bullfrog. Since then several discoveries of similar value have been made, the most important among them being the Montgomery-Shoshone, which is attracting a great deal of attention by the fact that it is making regular ship- ments of high-grade ore from develap- ment work alone. The ore-bearing formation of the camp is universally a rhyolite, probably the owest rock in the district. This Is cut in a general north and south direction by a series of quartz veins of varying thickness, and these quartz veins show values on the surface over a wide area. The developmeht work in the Montgom- ery-Shoshone has disclosed the fact that these north and south fissures are cut by an east and west fissure of much larger proportions, carrying very high values and from which regular shipments are now being made. Among the mines attracting particular attention at the present time are the following: The Clark Benson Group, the Natioral Bank, the Denver, the Original Bullfrog, the Montgomery Mountain, Shoshone-Polaris and several others. The ores are silver and gold, the values being in the proportion of two-thirds gold and one-third silver, The presence of silver is construed as an indication of depth and permanence of values. The area of this district over which values are being found is greater than fhat of Tonopah or Goldfield. The particular feature of this district Is the abundant supply of water for mill- ing and other purposes In the Amargosa River, which flows in a southwesterly di- rection through the center of the district. ‘Water from this source is being piped to the town of Bullfrog, a distance of about eleven miles. It Is also reported that water will be brought from the same source to the town ,of Rhyoiite, both of these towns being situated some dis- tance from the river, witile in the towns of Beatty and Gold Center, both of whicia are situated on the banks of tue Amar- gosa, water can be had anywhere at a depth of ten or fifteen feet. THE KAWICH CAMP. Kawlich, the newest of the camps, was discovered in December, 1504. It is situ- ated in the Kawich Range, about fifty- five miles east of Goldfleld. Owing to isolation and scarcity of water the de- velopment of the camp has naturally been slow. Recently, however, an abun- dant supply of water for domestic pur- poses has been discovered. The surface showing In camp was the most flattering of any la camp yet discovered. Strong, well-defined, per- . sistent ledges of quartz outcrop over an area several nules in extent. In one in- stance, on the original Goldreed prop- erty, such a ledge, cropping to the height of eight feet above the surface, carries an ore‘chute from four to six feet thick. Assays from this return values of from | $100 to several thousand dollars per ton. Good pannings were found over a wide area and the moderate amount of devel- opment thus far done discloses the fact that these values are extensive. High grade ore chutecs have been found In a number of places. On the original prop- erty a shaft has been sunk to a depth of 100 feet; at this depth the values found carry out the promise of the surface in- dications. Numerous companies have been formed and development work af & permanent nature is being ol The country rock in which the ledges occur is an andesite seemingly like '.::j in which the ledges of Goldfield Tonopah are found. The values, like the Goldfield District, are essentially in gold. ‘With the discovery of an abundant sup- ply of water for domestic Kawich, the leading town of the district, is rapidly springing into prominence, and people are goiug in in large numbers. One of the attractive features of Kawich is the prospect of working its ores in local smeiters with the lead-sflver ores of the limestone-quartzits areas ta the east. Among the lead camps In thess areas that are attracting the most attention at the present time is Reveille, thirty miles distant from Kawich, where development work has been In progress for the past year and near which there is an abundant supply of wood, water and flux for smeilt- ing purposes. In view of the prospect of using the lead ores in local furnaces to treat the siliclous ores, shipments have been discontinued and efforts are being concentrated on developing the ore bodies. The formations in the Reveille District are limestone and quartzite, the ore bod- les occurring on the contact between them as a replacement of the limestone. The districts above-mentioned have come more particularly to the writer's personal knowledge. In addition to these there are a great many others with which he is less famillar; amorg thesa might be mentioned Silver Peak, Lida, Lone Mountain, Tule Canyon and Silver Bow. Those interested In a more extensive treatment of the formations of this dis- trict are referred to the report of the United States Geological Survey, compiled by J. E. Spurr. DETCH HAs GOOD LUCK A One of the beneficiaries of sudden af- fluence, prominence and general good for- tune is Milton M. Detch, an attorney of Goldfield, Nev.,, whose enterprise and nerve led him to strike out for the fa- mous deserts of Nevada which have proved so prolific to the industrial touch of the prospector and miner in the past and continues to prove gocd wherever de- velopment is undertaken. He was born at Richmond, Ind., in 1873, where he was educated and admitted to practice his profession at Ouray, Colo., in In March, 1904, he located at Gold- fleld, where he has been eminently suc- cussful in his profession and in the or- ganization of over fifty mining comparies in the Goldfield, Bullfrog and other dis- tricts. As an attorney Mr. Detch has at differ- ent times rendered distinguished services in a number of important cases In which bhe was retained, but his main strength on professional is indicated In his success as a o ration attorney—a suc- cess that is conspicuous evidence of talent and business acumen. Mr., Detch is largely interested In « number of the best developed mining pros- pects In the Bullfrog and Goldfleld dis- tricts as an officer and director, which i an assurance to the pubdlic of no complications in connection with their vestments as far as the organization of their respective companies In which they have invested is concerned. TONOPAH 1S TOLD BY MEN WHO KNOW ABOUT THE FACTS ture of what is practically unprospect- ed ground, the indications are that by several of these companies, if supplied with sufficient money, valuable mines will be developed, thus considerably en- larging the productive area of what is even now a great camp. It was the opinion of Mr. J. E. Spurr of the United States Geological Survey that some of Tonopah’'s greatest mines would be opened up in the flat ground on the western extension of the proved vein system, where the ore bodies would be free from the disturbance caused by the upheaval of Mount Oddie. Develop- ments of the Tonopah Extension. mine with its Immense veins, their rich ore and absence of faulting go far to con- firm this theory. GOLDEN CROWN COMPANY. Between the Montana Tonopah ana the northern portion of the Midway Company’s territory is a single claim incorporated as the Golden Crown Min- ing Company and controlled by James L. Butler, the discoverer of the district. Over two years ago a shaft was sunk here to a depth of fifty feet, and since then no work has been done. Its loca- tion, however, makes it a valuable prospective property. Proceeding north along the western boundary of the north end of the Mon- tana territory are five claims, the prop- erty of the Tonopah Home Mining Com- pany, which, incorporated two years ago, was recently reorganized and active development work commenced. The lo- cation of the property certainly justi- fies thorough prospecting at depth with great probability of success, and a shaft has now reached a depth of 120 feet, encountering small values. On the slope of what is known as Mount Ararat, immediately mnorth of | Mount Oddle, is a group of claims own- ed by the Boston Tonopah Mining Com- pany in which United States Senator Nixon is heavily interested. On the sur- face of these claims is a strong ledge carrying values from $4 to $10 per ton. A shaft which passed h this was sunk to a depth of 400 feet and opera- tions then ceased, but were recently resumed and the sinking of the shaft has Deen continued. The development of this property is being watched with great interest, as the opening up of high grade ore in this vein would be of vast import to the entire district. The Belle of Tonopah, owning two claims about 1000 feet north of the northern boundary of the Montana Tonopah, has sunk a shaft to a depth of 520 feet. Operations have been sus- pended for several months, but will be resumed shortly. The Tonopah Silver and Gold Com- pany owns, close to this property, elght claims which, on the surface, show a strong, well-defined ledge car- rying values as high as $18 per ton. The company i{s now commencing to de- velop the property. On the northeast side of Mount Oddle, is the property of the Mizpah Extension Mining Company, which has developed a big veln carrying low grade values. The mine, which is largely owned in Philadelphia, has been closed down for some time, but. it is sald, will resume operations this summer. On the east side of Mount Oddie and adfoining the eastern boundary of ‘the Belmont, is the property of the Halifax Mining Company, controlled by Keith and Kearns of Salt Lake. A shaft has been sunk 800 feet and an immense flow of water, amounting to about 50,- 000 gallons per day, was encountered. It is said that the shaft will be sunk to the 1500 foot level. The Rescue Company owns one claim adjoining the Belmont Company’'s grotnd on the east. The shaft is now 400 feet deep, but the property is not being operated and it is not known ‘when work will be commenced. Adjoining the Gold Hill mine of the John Butlér Company on the south is the property of the Tonopah and Cali- fornia Gold Mining Company, where a main shaft has been sunk to a depth of 650 feet, with about 600 feet of drifts and crosscuts from different levels. The company is stated to have ore of shipping grade, but no shipments have yet been made. % - Adjoining this is the property of the Tonopah Ophir King, comprising seven claims, the control of which is owned by John McKane and his associates, but no development work has yet been com- menced. South and southwest of the town the mineralized area is cut off by two mountains named Brougher and Butler, between which is & narrow valley where are located the claims of the New York Tonopah Goeld Mining Com- pany, on which a shaft has been sunk to a depth of 700 feet, and crosscuts have been run, but no ore has been found. The T Fraction Exten- sion adjoins this, but has not yet found any ore. . - ok South of Mount Butler are the claims of the New England Tonopah Company, where two sunk, bu‘thm ore has T il From the foregoing, that the regular IW camp to-day are the ::o &:oml has not so the Mining and the | Montana. Tonopah ' - have for some time been ‘experi- Company, the Montana, Belmont, Tono- pah Extension, Midway and Jim Butler, and their output may be said to repre- sent a value of $750,000 per month, but the future of the camp, its permanent stability to the investor and its lasting prosperity must depend upon the economical and profitable reduction of the vt quantities of lower grade ore already extracted and exposed in the mines, the tonnage of which is -in- creasing monthly. ;i THE TONOPAH MILL. The large tonnage of ore left on the dumps by the leasers of the early days, most of which was too low grade to bear the expense of shipping, presented a difficulty which the Tonopah Mining Company seemed indisposed to cope with, and prompted the wealthiest leasers to take steps to solve them- selves, With this object in view, a num- Jber of processes were investigated and eventually it was decided to build a mill, embracing what is known as the “Boss” process, which had wor! suc- cessfully at Pachuca, Mexico, on ore of a similar character. The result is what may best be described as the finest and most modern plant of its kind in America to-day. & To build this the Tonopah Mining, Milling and Developing Company was formed with a capital of $100,000, the whole of which was subscribed for by Tonopah men. The mill was construct- ed for twenty stamps, of which only ten have been installed. Many new features tion. - ‘The process used pan amalgamation. The ore t crushed and after passing through a coarse screen is ground before being crushed { ntwo Huntington mills; from these it passes to revolving pans, where it is treated with a warm solution of bluestone and salt, the gold and silver being collected by quicksilver. Since commencing o the mill has treated 6590 tons, which e yielded | £0ld and silver to the value of $263,602, or an average value of $40 per ton. The charge for treatment fs $12 per ton and the average amount recovered has been are included In {ts construc- 'ts the continuous 85 per cent of the assay values. But although successful on the ozlde ores. equi The latter company has tested and rejected pan amalgamation, concentra- is first tion, concentration and amalgamation, hypo sulphide and the Boss continuous process. The company’s assayer, F. M. Field, has concluded experiments of dry crushing to 40 or 50 mesh, a chloriding roast with 6 per cent salt cyaniding. The loss in roasting amounts to 8 per cent of the silver and 2% per cent of the gold. The net saving of silver will be 80 per cent and that gold 85.7 per cent, assuming that the percentage of loss in the' roasting is tdtal; but as a matter of fact, a considerable amount of the metal will bejrecovered \In the dust flues and fume arresters. It is belfeved that if this process will stand a commercial test the cost of treatment will not exceed $3 per ton. In the meantime the Tonopah Mining Com- pany has decided to erect a 100-stamp mill At present the cost of marketing 'Tonopah ore of the value of less than $50 per ton is as follows: Freight, $9 75 per ton] treatment, $7 50; smelter de- duction, 5 per cent, and moisture (aver- age), 1 per cent. There is no doubt that thé erection‘of a smelter within reason- able distance of the camp would great- ly reduce these costs. Large bodies of copper ore, carrying a heavy percentage of Iron, are belng d.vpln‘&ed there by the Guggenheim Exploration Company, doubtless with a view of determining what amount of ore would be available for fluxes. And the question of fuel then arises. COAL FOUND AT COALDALE. - About thirty-six miles west of Tono- pah, on the line of the railway, and not more than two miles from it, have been discovered three parallel veins of coal, which have been explored to a depth of 180 feet. The coal is of good coking quality, and is also suitable for domestic purposes. A company entitled the Nevada Coal Company, in which the directors of the Tonopah Mining Company are heavily interested, has acquired control of over 2000 acres, which are being prospected by a diamond drill. Should good.com- mercial coal be found at depth, it will prove of immense value, as Utah and ‘Wyoming coal is largely used by many of the mines in Tonopah at a cost of $15 per ton. - ‘Tonopah ‘is a $4 camp, miners recelv- ing ;‘hsr:mm of pay for ol:h;m “wor] ese wages will cost of mining can £ As previously mentioned, the Tono- pah Mining Company will install elec- tricity for this purpose and the Nevada Power Company is now constructing a plant at Bishop Creek, California, 110 miles distant, where electricity will be generated and transmitted to Tonopah and Goldfield, and it {s believed that this power will be available in Septem- ber and will be much cheaper than power derived from wood, coal or crude oil as fuel. The practice of “blind which has been so largely followed with such wonderful success In this camp, may be briefly described as sink- ing through the surface ground to dis- cover the continuation of a known vein on ity course and extension. This practice was brought about by the geological conditions of the distriet, a flow of lava having covered to vary- ing depths the formation in which the ore occurs. All of the Tonopah mines have fol- lowed this course except the Tonmopah Mining Company, where the veins out- cropped on the surface. The Tonopah district has been care- fully investigated by J. B. Spurr of the United States Geological Survey, whe expressed the opinion “that the mine- ralization will be extensive in an east- west belt,” and that although mitch of the exploration work from warious causes had not resuited in any great discoveries, “increased attention to the geology of the district will partly rem- edy this. “The Tonopah veins are similar in nature, composition and origin to those found in some of the richest mining districts, such as the Comstock of Ne- vada, and the Pachuca district of Mexico. “Indeed, it is probable that all of these the Tonopah dis- trict the rich ores occur in the veins pah at a handsome profit, and when one considers the vast extent of the veius, ranging in width from .six to over eighty feet, their freat length and the depth to which they have been ex- plored, together with the indications that they continue to a still greater depth, the amount of ore in the camp to-day is simply immeasurable. Add to these known facts the un- known possibllities of the unexplored mineral bearing area, and It must be admitted that to the legitimate mining investor,