Peculiar Mines In Colorado

Tu a recent led uro before the !;iHion Club of N. Y., Professor J. S. Newberry described sevcral newand peculiar mineral deposita whicb lio liad been studying in Colorado, in the course oí' his remarka he said : I ventured to predict Romo timo ago that Leadville was destined to be as important x gold campas silver camp, ana iny words were verified so farthat froin eight to ten million dollars of gold were taken out of the California Gulch. Now, the question is, liow did the gold come there? Up to tlie present time it lia-s not been fully traced to its source, and L made up my mind that there were discoveries to bc made that wou ld surprise peoplc. TIn; development of the "Colorado Princo" is one of these surprises, and I venture to say not the last one. The gold here is found botween a stratum of liinestone and porptayry, tho liinestone being bclow. The deposits are not in the samo fora) as the bog iron oree, as is generally supposed. They are composed of decomposcd iron, with iron pyrites, eulphide of iron, sulphide of lead, with more or lesa of ether mattors. - These ores are mixed in a heterogeneous maas. WTion thoy come to be oxidi.ed the iron iloats-on the top, and as we go lower and lower we iiud the vein grows richer - in gold and silver principaily. This deposit, as 1 said, is found in a cavity fornied between the liiiics tone and porphyry, and nryjudgmeut is thal thateavily was foraied by the action of surface carbonatcd water that pcrcolated throughand mode that line ot' drainage. Then the stream down this line ent out tho limestone by solution and lel't the cavity, which has been lilled in by this rubbish, which in duo time becaino oxidizcd and brought into the condition in which we fin I it. If wefollow it lower down WO t-hall findsolid pyrites instead of sulphjaes. These will contnin as muoli valuable ores, although a different treatnient will be necessavy in ug or Binolting. Oi' the mines of iliis description tho "Highland Chief " is one of the most extraordinary, simply from the magnitude of the deposi't. The stnieture is similar to that of tho "Colorado Prince." As to tho workings there is a shaft of SS fcet, cutting through tho porphyry, and gtiikiug the ore body. From tliis to a depth of l(r feet there is uu botton) to the ore. This most extraordinary deposit is a type of these mines which 1 have been Jcscribing1. - No one knows at present llie extentof this fissure, butit seems not improbable that itwill be one of the great gold iiekls of the world. It is cert.iinly, in my opinión, one of the most pi-omising gold fleldu that has been diseovered on this continent. No portion is taken oui that will not pay tbr working it. While 1 was there thirty tona pivo a return ot' $50.95 per ton. I do not know of any gold mine in the world, with a width of 60or 80 feet, that will average $50 to the ton. The California mines, from 10 or 12 to 15 feet in width, return about $15 to the ton; in the Black llills, in gold niin.es whieh are, really paying, a width of 150 to 175 feet, oarries $S, $t), and $11 a ton. Now all of us who know anything about miningdo not want any property botter than that. AVhere you havo a great quantity of quartz containing gold, and eheaply worked - as most of this hard frecd rock can be - and find it will stand two tons to the stamp at $5 per ton, no botter proflt could be desired. But these mines at Leadville show proniise ot 'a much largor proflt. 1 do not mean to say they are better than all othcr mines, but at present the deposita are found to bc eutirely beyontt parallel. ïiieir value ruus tVoin $:!, 100 lo f 2 mul h ft-actiou per ton. 'l'he Silver Cliff, liaoine Bassick aud otlier mines tlieru are not yct udHerstood, oud tücir jtcolo fonnation has buen luisropresciital.