Volume 08 (1864) (474 pages)

86 Ghe Niining aud Srientific Dress, {For the Mining aud Scieutific Press.) THE MINERS’ LABORATORY, Assaying Copper Ores. ASSAY OF COPPER ORFS CONTAINING TIN, ARSENIO, LEAD AND BISMUTH—BASED UPON C. MOUR'S METTOD. When ores contains the above substances, in addition to copper, as in the process described last week, pulverize the ore very fine, weigh out 25 grains of ore, very carefully, aud place the ore in a small porcelain crucible, one that wili hold about two aud a half ounces of water, and instead of addiug to it pitric aud hydrochloric acid, add a mixture of equal quantities of nitric and sulphuric acids. Cover your crucible with a large watch crystal, and evaporate very slowly; when it is nearly dry, add a few drops more of the mixed acids, and repeat this operation wheu itis op the point of becoming dry, three or four times. Tinally evaporateto dryness. Remove your watch erytal and heat the crucible and contents thoroughly, and continue it in that condition until the white fumes, you will observe going off, are cowpletely driven off. Allow tocool now very gradually; remove from the sand on the stove. When sufficiently cold, add hot water, say one ounce; allow the whole to stand for about ten minutes. Add a little piore water, filter, wash the residue on the filter, seyeral times, with boiling water. To your clear solution add a few drops of hydrochloric acid; should a white curdy precipitate be formed, itis silver. Add then a few more drops of hydroclorie acid. Heat slowly. After the precipitate has settled down on the bottom of the beaker, add a few drops more of hydrochloric acid. If a precipitate is not formed, all the silver has been thrown down. Filter now; wash the precipitated silver on the filter, several times, witb hot water. The filtered solution contains all the copper. Now immerse in this a piece of polished iron, and proceed as in the other nssay. Sitver Mocntary.—A letter from an old friend gives us the following information from this imporant mining district:—The town is about one-quarter of a mile long and about one-sixteenth in width, situated between mountains from 6,000 to 7,000 feet in hight. The lots are fifty feet by eighty feet iu depth aud are well fenced. The old story of “ feet plenty and money scarce ” applies here, just now. ‘There is po doubt existing among the settlers of Silver Mountaiu in regard to the general richness of their mines. Wood and water abound in plentiful supply. Two saw mills are already iu operation, aud two more will be completed ii the Spring, with four or five quartz mills. We hope our hard working friend, who unsuspectingly furnished these items for our journal, will be abundantly rewarded for his toil in this new gold, silver and copper field of Amador county. Batp Eaove—Consouipatep.— bis is a California Iueorporation. The company’s mine is located onGold Flat, near the city of Nevada, and in the imiuediate vicinity of the celebrated Sneath & Clay, one of the richest gold mines in the State. The Pittsburg mill aud mines, now owned by Wickes & Co., are also in the same vicinity and all within a line of a few rods. ‘The latter has been successfully worked for sonie twelve years, and is now paying better than ever, The rock in all three of these mines presents similar characteristics. The location is one with which we have long been familiar and we trust our friends of the “Bald Eagle,” when they get their mine thoroughly opened, will find it equally as valuable as that of either of their neighbors. Mr. T. L. Bibbins is Secretary of the company. His office is in the new building at the corner of Montgomery aud Pine streets, in this city. A Miners’ Hosprrar.—The establishment of a Miners’ Hospital is among the measures now before the Nevada Territorial Legislature. An institution of this kind is greatly peeded, both in that V'erritory . and in California. OWENSVILLE MINES. At the upper crossing of Owens river, about forty miles nbove San Carlos, a new town has receutly been laid out, called Owensville. ‘This town bids fair to become the centre of alarge and important mining region, which has already been divided off into four districts, as follows: Keys, White Mountain, Slate Mountain, and Lone Pine. Vhese mines were first discovered in the White Mountain distiict, which was laid out and organized in the spring of 1861. The other three districts have been successfully organized during the past summer. This region includes several large and fertile valleys, covered with a luxuriant growth of native grass, and all susceptible of a very high state of cultivation. Bishop’s Creek Valley, on the west side of the river, and directly ouposite Owensville, is abont ten miles square. It has already beeu sectionalized by the Government Survey, and is now fast filliug up with settlers. Over one hundred quarter sections have been located witbin the past three months. There is also a large tract of agricultral land in Deep Spring Valley, adjacent to the mines iu the White Mountain district, and not yet oceupied by settlers. Aurora and all the mining region known as Esmeralda, will soon derive its supplies of grain, hay and vegetables from Bishop’s Creek Valley. North of Bishop's Creek Valley, and some twenty miles from Oweusville, there is a large torest of very superior timber, equal to anything’ in Califoruia. This track is about ten miles square, apd will eventually become of great value. In fact, it already presents a fine opeuing for the employment of Capital. The first company which puts a saw mill into this timber will be {sure to realize a fortune. ‘I'bere is already a saw mill on Big Pine Creek, about fifteen miles below Owensville, and the only oue in all the region watered by the Owens river. ‘his mill is scarcely able to supply the wants of its immediate vicinity. Lumber, here, is now worth the whip-sawing price—from $100 to $150 per 1,000 feet. All the hills, in the valleys aud about the mines, are covered with a sparse growth of Pinion, which affords a very good timber for fnel and mine timberSteam power will never be uecded ip any portiou of this region, as au abuudance uf water power may be bad from innumerable muuntaiu streams, which abound everywhere, both in the agricultural and mining districts. Yhe miues are chiefly silver, carryiug also much gold and copper, and are generally found iu a slate formation. ‘Ihe veius are from two to twenty-five feet thick, witb a northerly and suutherly direction and but slightly inclined from a perpendicular. Mr. M. Page, an old prospector, well acquaiuted with this region, from whom we have obtained the above particulars, has left with us a large number of specimeus from the different ledges, nearly all of which bear a strong resemblance to the Green Hyed Monster and Helipse ledges, which are well known in this city, aud which are located about forty miles to the south. There are twenty-five houses already up and in process of erection at Owensville; in the immediate vicinity of whicb place there are now fully 400 inhabitauts; and not less than 250 in the White Mountain aud adjacent districts. Miners and agriculturalists are constantly going into this region, chiefly by way of Visalia and Keysville or Walker's Pass. A new road will soon be opened from Millertown, via the head waters of the San Joaquin, which will intersect the Los Angeles road, at Owensville, reducing the distance to these mines, as at present trayeled, fully 200 miles. iug. Pick Saarrenino Macaine.—The Editor of the Grass Valley National has seen a machine for sharpening picks, the inyentiou of an ingenious mechanic of thattown. The machine, says the National, works well. If it does so, and economises time and labor, it is a yalnable iuventiou. Esmeralda Correspondence, Esmeraupa, Jan. 19th, 1864, Frank Warppe.t, Esq:—lu my last letter F gave you a passiug description of the future. prospects of Esmeralda, as it then appeared. Now.1 will give you a few more items, or rather facts, from this place. When the Aurora and Sopora wagon road is completed, and from the fact that Aurora piust be the diverging point to nunierous other mining districts, including Owen's River Valley, and also on a direct line to Reese River, it is evident that this place must build itself a reputation, as standing pot only as one of the highest cities in the world, geographically, but '™ richness and prosperity. Yet if we were to lay aside this advantage, and examine the mines as they are—and not like J. Ross Browne, in his “ Peep at Washoe,” by imagination ouly—but go over Silver, Last Chance, and Middle Ilills, and through thie principal mines that are bciug successfully worked at the present time, even the most absurd thinker would say that Aurora, with her nines alone, has a foundation for a city that will grow as if by magic, and stand asa bright emblem to the world for ages to come. ‘The wheel of Time has again rolled over, and has already started on its next revolution During the last two months it has been very dull here, and money has been scarce. Such is the case in , nearly all places at the close of the year. But 1864 has changed the aspect of things. The three principal mills that are being worked present cities within themselves. Not only by day are to be seen hundreds of miners wending their way to their respective places of work, but by night the busy scenes are like observable. The Antelope Co., on Silver Hill, are working wore men now than ever before; the rock that is pow being taken out is exceedingly rich ; their mill on Bodie Gulch wil) be running in a few weeks, then look out fora big advance in their stock. Itis already going up. ‘The Utah Co. contiuue to work their ledge with energy. The rock pays well. The Cortez Co. are working day and night. It is not too much to say that they have got one of the richest claims in the district. The New York Cousolidated is within the limits of the same rich belt. This company bave a well-defined ledge, and take out rock full of the precious “oro-’? Vhe few tons that are piled up at the mouth of the shaft will bring them in rich returns when crushed. ‘The Iowa Co. have a house over their shaft, and are pushing alicad. Frow the bottom of their shalt they are getting good rock. I send you these “brief mentions” that you may know what Esmeralda has done and is dvuing siuce you left. In my uext I will give yon some facts conceruing the other mills in the district. Respectfully yours, RARE Stace Line to WasHor.—We would call the attention of our readers to McCue’s Wasboe Stage Live, advertised in our columns to-day. McCue is au old stager and has been running for the past six years. He always takes his passengers through within schedule time, and has never met with an accident. The stages now leave each end of tlie route upon alternate days. A daily line will be put onnext month. The Henness Passis an easy and expeditious route by which passengers can reach Virginia City. Street RauRroaps 1n Nevapa Trrrirory.—A Company is before the Nevada Territorial Legislature asking for a grant to eonstruct a railroad along the streets of Virginia City and extending the same through Gold Hill. The Company offers to pay fur their franchise a yearly county tax of $50 ou each car employed upon the road—the chaiter to continue for fifty years. A Stock Boarp has been formed at Gold Hill, Nevada Territory, with the following listof officers : O. H. Platt, President; Samuel Arnold, Vice President; G. W. Pease, Secretary, and H. G. Maynard, Treasurer.

86 Ghe Niining aud Srientific Dress, {For the Mining aud Scieutific Press.) THE MINERS’ LABORATORY, Assaying Copper Ores. ASSAY OF COPPER ORFS CONTAINING TIN, ARSENIO, LEAD AND BISMUTH—BASED UPON C. MOUR'S METTOD. When ores contains the above substances, in addition to copper, as in the process described last week, pulverize the ore very fine, weigh out 25 grains of ore, very carefully, aud place the ore in a small porcelain crucible, one that wili hold about two aud a half ounces of water, and instead of addiug to it pitric aud hydrochloric acid, add a mixture of equal quantities of nitric and sulphuric acids. Cover your crucible with a large watch crystal, and evaporate very slowly; when it is nearly dry, add a few drops more of the mixed acids, and repeat this operation wheu itis op the point of becoming dry, three or four times. Tinally evaporateto dryness. Remove your watch erytal and heat the crucible and contents thoroughly, and continue it in that condition until the white fumes, you will observe going off, are cowpletely driven off. Allow tocool now very gradually; remove from the sand on the stove. When sufficiently cold, add hot water, say one ounce; allow the whole to stand for about ten minutes. Add a little piore water, filter, wash the residue on the filter, seyeral times, with boiling water. To your clear solution add a few drops of hydrochloric acid; should a white curdy precipitate be formed, itis silver. Add then a few more drops of hydroclorie acid. Heat slowly. After the precipitate has settled down on the bottom of the beaker, add a few drops more of hydrochloric acid. If a precipitate is not formed, all the silver has been thrown down. Filter now; wash the precipitated silver on the filter, several times, witb hot water. The filtered solution contains all the copper. Now immerse in this a piece of polished iron, and proceed as in the other nssay. Sitver Mocntary.—A letter from an old friend gives us the following information from this imporant mining district:—The town is about one-quarter of a mile long and about one-sixteenth in width, situated between mountains from 6,000 to 7,000 feet in hight. The lots are fifty feet by eighty feet iu depth aud are well fenced. The old story of “ feet plenty and money scarce ” applies here, just now. ‘There is po doubt existing among the settlers of Silver Mountaiu in regard to the general richness of their mines. Wood and water abound in plentiful supply. Two saw mills are already iu operation, aud two more will be completed ii the Spring, with four or five quartz mills. We hope our hard working friend, who unsuspectingly furnished these items for our journal, will be abundantly rewarded for his toil in this new gold, silver and copper field of Amador county. Batp Eaove—Consouipatep.— bis is a California Iueorporation. The company’s mine is located onGold Flat, near the city of Nevada, and in the imiuediate vicinity of the celebrated Sneath & Clay, one of the richest gold mines in the State. The Pittsburg mill aud mines, now owned by Wickes & Co., are also in the same vicinity and all within a line of a few rods. ‘The latter has been successfully worked for sonie twelve years, and is now paying better than ever, The rock in all three of these mines presents similar characteristics. The location is one with which we have long been familiar and we trust our friends of the “Bald Eagle,” when they get their mine thoroughly opened, will find it equally as valuable as that of either of their neighbors. Mr. T. L. Bibbins is Secretary of the company. His office is in the new building at the corner of Montgomery aud Pine streets, in this city. A Miners’ Hosprrar.—The establishment of a Miners’ Hospital is among the measures now before the Nevada Territorial Legislature. An institution of this kind is greatly peeded, both in that V'erritory . and in California. OWENSVILLE MINES. At the upper crossing of Owens river, about forty miles nbove San Carlos, a new town has receutly been laid out, called Owensville. ‘This town bids fair to become the centre of alarge and important mining region, which has already been divided off into four districts, as follows: Keys, White Mountain, Slate Mountain, and Lone Pine. Vhese mines were first discovered in the White Mountain distiict, which was laid out and organized in the spring of 1861. The other three districts have been successfully organized during the past summer. This region includes several large and fertile valleys, covered with a luxuriant growth of native grass, and all susceptible of a very high state of cultivation. Bishop’s Creek Valley, on the west side of the river, and directly ouposite Owensville, is abont ten miles square. It has already beeu sectionalized by the Government Survey, and is now fast filliug up with settlers. Over one hundred quarter sections have been located witbin the past three months. There is also a large tract of agricultral land in Deep Spring Valley, adjacent to the mines iu the White Mountain district, and not yet oceupied by settlers. Aurora and all the mining region known as Esmeralda, will soon derive its supplies of grain, hay and vegetables from Bishop’s Creek Valley. North of Bishop's Creek Valley, and some twenty miles from Oweusville, there is a large torest of very superior timber, equal to anything’ in Califoruia. This track is about ten miles square, apd will eventually become of great value. In fact, it already presents a fine opeuing for the employment of Capital. The first company which puts a saw mill into this timber will be {sure to realize a fortune. ‘I'bere is already a saw mill on Big Pine Creek, about fifteen miles below Owensville, and the only oue in all the region watered by the Owens river. ‘his mill is

scarcely able to supply the wants of its immediate vicinity. Lumber, here, is now worth the whip-sawing price—from $100 to $150 per 1,000 feet. All the hills, in the valleys aud about the mines, are covered with a sparse growth of Pinion, which affords a very good timber for fnel and mine timberSteam power will never be uecded ip any portiou of this region, as au abuudance uf water power may be bad from innumerable muuntaiu streams, which abound everywhere, both in the agricultural and mining districts. Yhe miues are chiefly silver, carryiug also much gold and copper, and are generally found iu a slate formation. ‘Ihe veius are from two to twenty-five feet thick, witb a northerly and suutherly direction and but slightly inclined from a perpendicular. Mr. M. Page, an old prospector, well acquaiuted with this region, from whom we have obtained the above particulars, has left with us a large number of specimeus from the different ledges, nearly all of which bear a strong resemblance to the Green Hyed Monster and Helipse ledges, which are well known in this city, aud which are located about forty miles to the south. There are twenty-five houses already up and in process of erection at Owensville; in the immediate vicinity of whicb place there are now fully 400 inhabitauts; and not less than 250 in the White Mountain aud adjacent districts. Miners and agriculturalists are constantly going into this region, chiefly by way of Visalia and Keysville or Walker's Pass. A new road will soon be opened from Millertown, via the head waters of the San Joaquin, which will intersect the Los Angeles road, at Owensville, reducing the distance to these mines, as at present trayeled, fully 200 miles. iug. Pick Saarrenino Macaine.—The Editor of the Grass Valley National has seen a machine for sharpening picks, the inyentiou of an ingenious mechanic of thattown. The machine, says the National, works well. If it does so, and economises time and labor, it is a yalnable iuventiou. Esmeralda Correspondence, Esmeraupa, Jan. 19th, 1864, Frank Warppe.t, Esq:—lu my last letter F gave you a passiug description of the future. prospects of Esmeralda, as it then appeared. Now.1 will give you a few more items, or rather facts, from this place. When the Aurora and Sopora wagon road is completed, and from the fact that Aurora piust be the diverging point to nunierous other mining districts, including Owen's River Valley, and also on a direct line to Reese River, it is evident that this place must build itself a reputation, as standing pot only as one of the highest cities in the world, geographically, but '™ richness and prosperity. Yet if we were to lay aside this advantage, and examine the mines as they are—and not like J. Ross Browne, in his “ Peep at Washoe,” by imagination ouly—but go over Silver, Last Chance, and Middle Ilills, and through thie principal mines that are bciug successfully worked at the present time, even the most absurd thinker would say that Aurora, with her nines alone, has a foundation for a city that will grow as if by magic, and stand asa bright emblem to the world for ages to come. ‘The wheel of Time has again rolled over, and has already started on its next revolution During the last two months it has been very dull here, and money has been scarce. Such is the case in , nearly all places at the close of the year. But 1864 has changed the aspect of things. The three principal mills that are being worked present cities within themselves. Not only by day are to be seen hundreds of miners wending their way to their respective places of work, but by night the busy scenes are like observable. The Antelope Co., on Silver Hill, are working wore men now than ever before; the rock that is pow being taken out is exceedingly rich ; their mill on Bodie Gulch wil) be running in a few weeks, then look out fora big advance in their stock. Itis already going up. ‘The Utah Co. contiuue to work their ledge with energy. The rock pays well. The Cortez Co. are working day and night. It is not too much to say that they have got one of the richest claims in the district. The New York Cousolidated is within the limits of the same rich belt. This company bave a well-defined ledge, and take out rock full of the precious “oro-’? Vhe few tons that are piled up at the mouth of the shaft will bring them in rich returns when crushed. ‘The Iowa Co. have a house over their shaft, and are pushing alicad. Frow the bottom of their shalt they are getting good rock. I send you these “brief mentions” that you may know what Esmeralda has done and is dvuing siuce you left. In my uext I will give yon some facts conceruing the other mills in the district. Respectfully yours, RARE Stace Line to WasHor.—We would call the attention of our readers to McCue’s Wasboe Stage Live, advertised in our columns to-day. McCue is au old stager and has been running for the past six years. He always takes his passengers through within schedule time, and has never met with an accident. The stages now leave each end of tlie route upon alternate days. A daily line will be put onnext month. The Henness Passis an easy and expeditious route by which passengers can reach Virginia City. Street RauRroaps 1n Nevapa Trrrirory.—A Company is before the Nevada Territorial Legislature asking for a grant to eonstruct a railroad along the streets of Virginia City and extending the same through Gold Hill. The Company offers to pay fur their franchise a yearly county tax of $50 ou each car employed upon the road—the chaiter to continue for fifty years. A Stock Boarp has been formed at Gold Hill, Nevada Territory, with the following listof officers : O. H. Platt, President; Samuel Arnold, Vice President; G. W. Pease, Secretary, and H. G. Maynard, Treasurer.