Old Mines of Southern California: Desert-Mountain-Coastal Areas Including the Calico-Salton Sea Colorado River Districts and Southern CountiesFairbanks, Harold W. (Harold Wellman)
History
Old Mines of Southern California: Desert-Mountain-Coastal Areas Including the Calico-Salton Sea Colorado River Districts and Southern Counties
Fairbanks, Harold W. (Harold Wellman)
Geology -- California, Southern; Mines and mineral resources -- California, Southern
Most of the ore extracted from these workings has been high grade,
usually running over $200 per ton, small lots often assaying several
thousand ounces. The property, at the time of my visit last spring, was
under the management of Dr. Endlich, E.M. This gentleman was making
every effort to systematically open and recover a vein that had been as
systematically and outrageously gouged. The workings were in bad
condition and at some points were positively dangerous. The mine was
gradually assuming an improved appearance and promised to yield better
returns than ever before. A good mill has been erected at the foot of
the mountain, in the San Gabriel Cañon, where a large stream of water
flows during the entire year. An office, boarding house, stables,
corrals, etc., had been built for the accommodation of men and animals.
In addition to this I found a complete assay office and chemical
laboratory, and here Dr. Endlich was experimenting with the rich cobalt
and nickel ores. As a result of his labors in this direction he
exhibited several bars of cobalt speiss containing a very high value in
silver. The assorted ore contains from 7 to 15 per cent in cobalt, 2 to
3 per cent nickel, and from 1,000 to 1,400 ounces silver per ton.
Dr. Endlich thus describes his methods: “The ore is crushed through a
twenty-mesh sieve, mixed with sufficient litharge to produce an 8 per
cent charge, and enough borax is added to take up the gangue (quartz,
heavy spar, carbonate of lime, magnesia, and iron). Carbonate of soda
and flour are mixed with the charge. If the percentage of arsenic in the
ore is sufficiently high to produce speiss none is added; otherwise some
metallic arsenic is mixed in. Some sulphides in the ore and reduced
sulphur from the heavy spar are utilized to produce mattes. The mixture
is melted in large Dixon crucibles; the slag poured off, and the
metallic product allowed to cool. The bars obtained are composed of
lead, silver, cobalt, nickel, arsenic, and sulphur, principally; the
lead being in the form of sulphide, the cobalt and nickel in the form of
arsenides. The bars contained from 4,500 to 7,000 ounces silver per ton.
The slag contained a trace of silver, and averaged about 0.75 per cent
cobalt, which can be worked over by arsenizing, if desired, and the
cobalt obtained in the resulting speiss.”
At this writing about 560 pounds of ore has been treated in this way and
the product shipped to Balbach’s works in Newark, N. J., for refining.
THE VICTORIA MINES.
This property is situated but a short distance from the Kelsey Mine. The
Victoria Mine was operated under English management for an English
syndicate two or three years ago. Lately all operations have been
suspended. The property, whatever it may be worth, is a monument to
mismanagement of the worst sort.
THE LORDSBURG STAMPEDE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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