Show ITHE THE BONANZA MINES OF PIOCHE nevadah NE NEVADA t p AND THEIR SALE TO A WEALTHY NEW YORK SYNDICATE SYNDICATE ne ne 1 sl IS HE burke was the first mine found THE T on pioche mountain this was in 1868 and the discovery di was made by b y indians who reported their find to the residents of a small mormon settlement twelve miles south called panaca the panaca people utilized this discovery by taking N A B LEWIS president of the mining in Q smelting smelling Sm elting co ore from the now famous meadow valley fissure which was so rich and of such high grade that thai they ran it down in blacksmith forges the resulting silver and lead bullion being cast into bullets virtually making silver verb bullets ul lets with old gold as an alloy in 1869 the news of this wonderful discovery became noised abroad and it was not very long thereafter before many prospectors flocked into the district from western nevada and california among the new comers being A W raymond at the time operating on irish mountain in lincoln county raymond at once bought the burke mine and located the raymond ely which has since produced thirty seven millions in silver gold i and lead upon the acquisition of these properties he took in with him as partner john ely and at once began the extensive development and operation of these bonanza pr propositions first putting in a five stamp mill at bullionville Bulli onville a mile north of panaca with which with a thirty days run he paid for the burke mine the mill and all expense attending the enterprise the mill paying big money from the day it was started u up P until it was closed down four months later when the plant was enlarged to stamps soon after a big hoisting plant costing was installed at the mine and a narrow gauge railroad was built to the mill in the treatment of the ore however with the crude methods then in vogue a most unsatisfactory recovery of the assay values was recorded leaving a fortune in the tailings it being estimated that from these tailings two millions in profits can easily be taken A year after the raymond bely ely had been in successful operation bob morrow of san francisco bought the meadow valley group on the truly wonderful meadow valley fissure and erected a 30 stamp mill at dry valley ten miles east of P pioche bioc he and also built a fine hoist at the mine costi costing no at least least the property before its close down producing and upwards in 1873 the raymond ely and meadow valley had reached water level at a depth ot of i 11 1200 feet the raymond ely putting in a large cornish pump costing which easily handled the water from the companas comp anys mine as well as from the meadow valley the meadow valley workings being maintained about twenty feet above the deepest level of the raymond ely on account of these 4 I 1 E F freudenthal I 1 supt bupt sf of the mankarian ManKa tian mining Q B smelting smelling Sm elting co conditions the raymond ely proposed that I 1 the meadow valley people bear half of the expense of pumping tb the e pro proposition posit on bein being y rejected by the latter company upon this refusal the raymond ely drew their pumps and drowned drownda the meadow valley avo workings ekings as well as their own thus starting a bitter fight which ended after years of litigation in the closing down of both properties one of the factors associated with the close down being the change of the character of ore at the water level in the raymond ely into a sulphide ore which could only be handled by smelting smelling sm elting when the litigation had ceased the price of silver had fallen the excessive charges for smelting smelling sm elting k and transportation precluded the possibility of ore being profitably handled that did not carry values of per ton and nally the death of the two leading factors C ca d k vit T v N jm 3 LP fil MIT V E J 6 r meadow VALLEY MINE w 41 10 0 Z t z 0 5 called a halt upon the immediate resumption of operations upon the closing down of the raymond ely and the meadow valley two of the most famous camou s mines of the district the creole american flag mazeppa the pioche no 1 the newark and other mines followed suit the activity of the camp just prior to this time being illustrated by the fact that twenty one mine and mill whistles daily heralded the time for foe the beginning and discontinuance of labor during the period of activity and production of the raymond ely the meadow valley and other mines on this thi 9 wonderful quartzite fissure the great porphyry belt or dyke paralleling the quartzite veins wash was ignored and it is only during recent years that its vast mineral wealth has been demonstrated and appreciated extensive operations in the yuba mine and in the pacific tunnel along the porphyry dyke showing three distinct veins one on both sides and one in the center of the dyke the three ore bodies forming forman a junction on the where a massive body of pay mineral has been blocked out the porphyry dyke has been prospected to a limited extent only along its entire length showing for a mile and a half a strong mineralized lodea carrying carry ing good smelting smelling sm elting and shipping ores it is now conceded by experienced mining men that the porphyry dyke is the mother lode of the district and the possibilities of the dyke can justly be estimated by the mammoth output of the quartzite fissures by which it is paralleled QUARTZITE 4 AND PORPHYRY FISSURES nearly all the mines of ely mining district lincoln county nevada are located on pioche mountain in a chain of mountains segregated from the main range cutting through the country in a northerly and southerly direction the formation of pioche mountain consists of true fissures in quartzite I 1 and it is on these that the principal mines of the camp are located the most moat fissures are the raymond prominent E ely ay meadow valley and the deerfoot deer foot on the RaYnI raymond ely ledge are located locate d the mine of this ond the creole and the burke on the meadow name came I 1 valley ledge are located the meadow badow valley nos 3 5 7 and 9 mines while paralleling the meadow valley and deer foot fissures is what is known as the porphyry dyke fissures fissure the porphyry vein being about midway ay be tween the two quartzite f fissures is and it is on this porphyry belt that the yuba and pacific tunnel are located the mountain being beina cut clit by a net work of cross veins intersecting the porphyry zone and on these there are numerous properties of merit such as the kingi king queen unita greenback vesta and treasure mines and numerous other properties which have added their thousands to the worlds circulating medium the east side of pioche mountain being fairly covered with dumps and honeycombed honey co combed M bed with shafts drifts tunnels and wh while ile a multitude of smokestacks smoke stacks of hoisting plants galore attest the wonderful activity which prevailed in this locality twenty five years ago ely ay V the burke mine on the R raymond the calp calam ledge was the first discovery in and was worked to a depth of feet having an accredited output of five million dollars the next discovery was the raymond ely mine which it is claimed paid eighteen millions in dividends during the six or seven years that it was actively and intelligently operated the owners following this extensive fissure to a depth of 1200 feet or to water level the ore in its general characteristics being gold silver and ledd lead in chlorides and averaging to ounces in silver 8 gold and 15 to 20 per cent lead the sulphides sulp hides below the water level being even richer with the ifie ore bodies considerably larger and carry no percentage in copper T 40 4 mi 1 W I 1 1 00 5 N 34 tar yusa F 0 LL LV 4 R autt vat MA 12 anish AT ORR 4 YN V IT YX V JIL IYE A the meadow valley was the next mine in this prosperous camp to attract the attention of mining men and investors the meadow valley fissure intersects with the raymond and ely vein on the east end of the raymond and ely claim and extends easterly feet the meadow valley is regarded as being one of the most wonderful and remarkable fissures ever found in any mining camp in the west it has been worked from the surface to the water level a depth of 1200 feet and the review is ia informed by reputable mining men that in the workings of the property a person can look up through the fissure assure from the foot level and see day light at the water level the ore is also richer and the ore bodies larger the deer foot ledge has been wonderfully productive of lead ores the deer foot mine having been worked to a depth of feet only the deer foot ledge or fissure intersects with the porphyry dyke at the easterly endline of the deer foot mine one of the most important features of the formation of mountain however and one which will doubtless become an important factor in the operation of the camp is the porphyry dyke or vein already alluded to this dyke cuts through the country for all of a mile and a calfi half and ranges all the way from twenty to seventy five feet in width it is all mineral bearing being interspersed by large and permanent nf ore chutes the continuity of which has been fully demonstrated by extensive work in the yuba the pacific tunnel and other mines the yuba having attained a depth of 1300 feet following a fine body of pay ore from the grass roots to this depth the ledge at this point being stronger k than at the surface and longer on its strike the ore being carbonates and sulphides sulp hides of good shipping value silver and gold predominating at the surface the porphyry dyke and raymond and ely fissures are feet apart JACK RABBIT BABBIT DISTRICT about eleven years after the discovery of the burke mine at pioche jack rabbit babbit min inz district was found and organized jaci jack rabbit is located fifteen miles northwest of P pioche and is easily accessible the day mine is the chief producer in the camp and it is stated that in its workings over tons of ore of an average value of 14 per ton are blocked out having a recorded production of from ten to twelve million dollars the formation is a true fissure in limestone the vein ranging from feet in width the ore carrying gold and lead and an excess of iron together with a fair amount of silica and lime thus constituting a splendid flexing fluxing a proposition the mine is equipped with fine hoisting plant air compressor and drills and is connected with pioche by narrow gauge railroad A at t a depth of feet the ore bodies are even larger than at the surface while there is an increase in silver and vold gold values the lead percentage remaining about the same the outcrop of the day mine is about 45 fe feet et in width carrying about the same values at the surface as on the occasionally very rich poc pockets bets of ore are found in the mammoth day vein an ing instance tance of this character being recorded several years ago acro when on the level two millions net were taken from one of these deposits the onondaga Onon dago mine is east of the workings of the day mine about feet on a vein that is at right 7 angles to the day fissure being a cross fissure the onondaga Onon dago ore is different in character from the product of the day mine as it runs heavy in lead going 60 per cent in this metal 20 ounces silver and gold the mine has been worked since the clo closing down of the day mine and its output shipped to salt lake smelting smelling sm elting returns showing a production of about A ver very y large tonnage of ore is showing in the mine at the present time OUTPUT OF THE MINES at this late day it is difficult to ascertain the exact output of the mines of pioche and jack rabbit existing records give an excellent cel lent idea of the amount taken out by the early operators since then however after the cl closing osino down of the principal mines a large amount has been extracted by lessees lessels les sees of which no account has been kept and yet the output by the companies as given by smelter returns by mill accounts and by very conservative estimates made would fairly stagger those not familiar with the great mineral wealth of this section and the magnitude and richness of its ore deposits the data obtainable tai showing a production as follows burke mine meadow valley raymond ely yuba I 1 poorman deer foot and alta day onondaga Onon dago Chlo riders total in round figures however it is fair to estimate that the mines of pioche and of jack rabbit have produced and yet with the millions already contributed by these mines and the mines of jack rabbit to the circulating medium of the world it is believed that a greater amount can yet be taken out and it js is estimated that the ore volumes bidock blocked out and in sight in these properties ready for extraction will exceed twenty million in value net and that this amount on account of improved railroad facilities can easily be realized indeed no better opportunity in the mining way was ever offered in this intermountain region the assertion being made by experts famili familiar ar with this section that with a railroad connecting the camp with commercial and smelting smelling sm elting circles with improved in and cheapened processes ses of ore reduction whereby 95 per cent of values can now be saved together with a reduction of the cost of labor and supplies machinery etc the mines of pioche and jack rabbit can be worked at a much greater profit today with silver at 58 cents than they could be during the early days day of this truly remarkable camp when the white metal brought an ounce SALE TO LEWIS AND associates about three months ago E F freudenthal of pioche interested A B lewis the eminently successful utah mine oper ator and his associates in the mines ot of pioche and vicinity and to such an extent that mr lewis made a visit to this section and finding the conditions so much better than represented and the mines so much richer in their mineral wealth than he anticipated that he at once started negotiations for the purchase of all the important properties in and around the pioche and jack rabbit in included in the transaction being all of the mines and mine equipment owned by the pioche con mining company including the bonanza mines already alluded to aggregating in all over mines and mining claims torether together 11 with the smelter of tons daily capacity the eighteen miles of railroad and theo equipment ito t jack rabbit the bullionville Bulli onville mill and tailings and the pioche waterworks water works system and at this writing he has successfully closed the deal the ultimate result of the transaction being that active and extensive work ain the operation of this gigantic property will berrin begin about september 1st alst a small force now being employed in preparatory work by the end of the present month the mining review is informed mr lewis and his eastern associates will have organized a syndicate on the property which will be known as the manhattan mining smelting smelling Sm elting company with a capitalization of of which mr lewis will be president and general manager 0 and mr freudenthal superintendent erin ample capital having already been supplied with which to place the mines on a producing and paying 6 basis in the immediate future NOTES the improvements and equipment of the consolidated properties represent an expenditure of over a million dollars 1 4 in the old time days the cost of minin mining and smelting smelling sm elting at pioche was close to 60 pe per r ton the present cost should not exceed 6 in addition to the developed and partially developed properties in and around pioche mammoth areas of virgin ground give promise of fabulous mineral wealth with careful and intelligent exploitation will lloyd one of the leteran miners of pioche and who has been leasing on the yuba tuba of late has bas a twelve ton lot of high grade sil ver lead ore ready for shipment mr lloyd |