| Show THE JOPLIN ZINC FIELDS J D keifer well known in utah mining haunts who recently returned from the zinc fields of joplin mo talks most interestingly 11 regarding this section and of the activity now prevailing aling there in the mining of zinc and lead ores mr keifer has been in and around joplin ever since july last and is now working some prospects on the leasing system so prevalent in that country and he is feeling confident that he will make a strike there which ere long long will place him on the top rounds of the ladde fadde r of prosperity I 1 the joplin district proper according to mr lr keifer embraces an area about twenty square miles which is embraced between the arms of shoal and spring creeks this section it is believed by many containing the apex or uplift of the carboniferous sub time lime stone in which the jack or zinc accompanied by lead occurs the stratification carrying carr vina the ore bodies being deposited in what mi might 11 ait well be called blanket veins Ns a general thing in the search for the depositions of zinc and lead the prospector begins operations on what is termed broken ground which consists of breaks in the stratification fi the indications of open ground being depressions on the surface these depressions pres generally generall v following the faults and upheavals of the mineralized formation below so it is comparatively an aas easy N matter to locate the deposits of mineral anich are usually all y uncovered at depths varying from to 1 5 feet the methods employed in zinc mining in thi th r joplin district are sometimes of the crudest kind and thousands of men are employed independently dp in the business as lessees lessels les sees the mining section being dotted with hundreds of hoists ranging in size from the windlass to ru fine steam hoist and any number of reduction works adding 11 to the of the sec scene ne concentration being 11 the only method emp employ employed loved ed e d in in preparing the jack and lead for the market the ore after being crushed being 1 jigged th mills usually embracing I 1 a capacity of about tons daib although there is is one on plant in the district of aioo tons capacity the zinc industry around joplin according TO mr keifer ke ifer is rapidly assuming splendid proportions the output for the year 1899 being placed at ten millions with every indication that at the present year will witness a doubling linc of this figure fitzure some idea of the activity prevailing pre v ai ling around joplin can be realized by stating staring that this region is intersected by four railroad lines one of which between galena and carthage camthao e runs hourly trains an electric carline between these two points gives a half hour service while v many of the tb little camps in the area mi are connected by b electric roads with running e everywhere very where the country is well timbered well watered while thirty miles to the north ar an extensive coalfields coal fields so that almost everything ne ces sary for the well be ing of a large and s s hi v P e camp has selmin seemingly 11 ly been provided by dame nature quite a number of salt lakers are now successfully operating in the joplin zinc mines and according ae cordina 11 to mr keifer this is a poor man s opportunity |
