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Show .. Geological Survey Looks Into Interesting Deposits of the . Cedar Mountains. SULPHUR SMELTER NOW BEING WORKED H H-'J . Mineral is Deposited From the HJ Numerous Springs of Vj That Section. The hot" sulphur springs and traver-H' traver-H' tine deposits in the vicinity of Cody, Wye, have been known for many years nd ' were briefly described byGcorge . II. Kldridge of the United States Gco- ; logical survey, in a report on a geologl- ,'r -ral reconnaissance in northwestern Wyo- , mlng, published by the survey in ISM. A moro recent aoconnt of the deposits, fr alo very brief. Is given by C. A. Fisher H in the survey's professional paper No. V'T 53, on the geology and. water resources of the Bighorn Basin. The first official , report on the workable sulphur deposits , of the region has, however, just ap- j' poared. in the form of an adance chap- f., ter from bulletin No. :U0. "Contributions ti to Economic Geology, laOT." the basis of H the report being an Investigation made K during the Held season of 1D07 by E. G. j ! Woodruff, one of the geolos'Si of the H" Federal survey. The deposits describod by Mr. Wood- ruff are located about three miles west of Cody, alone the base of Cedar monn- f I , tain, on the south .side of Shoshone river, j Though geologic conditions are favora- tile for the formation of sulphur both H-' 3iorth and south of the river, the de,- H posits considered workable at the present ft . ilme :irv confined to a belt two miles Vf long and !ss than one-fourth mile wide, u extending southeastward from tho hot j ' springs along the foot of the mountains T io Sulphur creek. All of the mines now y producing sulphur are included In a small area a few acres In extent, located near 1 the north end of tho mineralized zone -outh of Shoshone river. This area Is w shown on the mnp that accompanies the Hl' report. ffl The sulphur occurs native in smaii yei- 11 low crvstuls and In gray stroaks in the I - rocks, and Is found in Irregular beds in I (limestone and travertine associated with I Hue crvstalllnc aggregates, nillng cavities I j two to eight Inches In diameter, and also I disseminated through the limestone, I whore It has been deposited by sulphur- if bearing gases permeating small crevices I In the rock The cavities mentioned seem to bo portions of subterranean channels i through which the hot sulphur-bearing -waters flowed and on the walls of which t the sulphur was gradually deposited until the chamber was partly or entirely filled. ' TCo regular arrangement of cavltlcs has , been discovered, though they seem to be In groups at places where the waters : , found free passage. In the areas between the groups of cavities only a small amo'unt of sulphur is found, but In the i ' enriched pockets the sulphur reaches 30 ' to 50 per cc.nt of the rock and becomes 5 commercially Important. .1 That the sulphur was deposited by hot ' jj springs Ih Indicated by the presence of 1 sulphur in the waters now Issuing'' from t$' the hot springs In Shoshone canyon. The ivaturs of these springs, which issue at a temperature of 9S degrees Fahrenheit, " contain large quantities of hydrogen sul- ry . vphldo and carbon dioxide, and hold In ' r solution compounds of many other mln- orals. The water is clear and emits an odor of sulphur so strong that It may be detected in the canyon two miles i downstream from the springs. I 1 The sulphur is mined by means of open pits located In promising plnces. Small holes are put down and the rock is blast ed with powder. The rock is then sorted 1 hv hand and all ore estimated to con- r tain more than 30 per cent of sulphur r (.the yearly average of the ore smelted Is, So ppr cent) Is taken by wagon or train to I the molter, near tho mouth of the can- yon. The sulphur refining and milling plant was built In 1906, and during the llrst year of Its operation produced S50 tons of sulphur from 2833 tons of ore. Of this amount 350 tons were sent to Omaha. Neb., the chief distributing point, and , the remainder was used In compounding com-pounding sheep-dipping preparations In ' Wyoming and adjacent States. The mar ket price Is 85 a ton at Cody. The process pro-cess used at tho plaiit Is not considered very efficient, as only about two-thirds of the sulphur which the rock contains Is 1 melted out: the remainder, being con tained in the ganguc. Is thrown on the refuse dump, Mr. Woodruffs paper, which may be obtained by applying to the director of the Geological survey at Washington, D. ( C. describes the surface features of the I region, the geological relations of the de- r posits, and the natr.ro. occurrence, and t genesis of the ores. It includes also a , list of the survey publications relating fd to sulphur and pyrite. |