OCR Text |
Show Memories of Silver Reef By Mark A. Pendleton, In Utah Historical Quarterly. (Continued from last week) "In addition to our climatic blessings we have an abundance of rich silver mines which your corresponent is now developing and bringing to the surface their rich chlorides and hornsilver all in sandstone, too." "About a month ago I discovered discover-ed the Tecumseh mine located on a hill by the same name. The vein is small but rich and easily worked." On a flat east of Tecumseh hill, Judge Barbee began to build a new camp which he called call-ed Bonanza City, designating it the Metropolis-to-be-of Southern Utah." He writes: "Bonanza City is growing fast. It is only about three weeks old, and can boast of an assay office, blacksmith shop, sampling works, Doarding house and several other wick-a-ups of smaller dimensions, and will soon have a miner's supply store to meet the growing demands of the country." In a letter dated Bonanza City, Feb. 7, 1876, Judge Barbee states: "This sandstone country beats all the boys, and it is amusing to see how excited they get when they go round and see the sheets of silver which are exposed all over the different, reefs. "This is the most unfavorable looking country for mines that I have ever seen in my varied mining min-ing experience, but as the mines are here, what are the rock sharks going to do about it." "I am of the opinion that this great basin has been the bed of a great inland ocean, and at some time there has been a great up-heavel up-heavel from volcanic disturbances which threw these sandstone reefs in their present shape, and in their upheaval, fissures were formed form-ed connecting with the ore sources in the depths of the earth. The sandstone and wood being porous, received and retained the gasseous emanations escaping through these fissures-hence the anomaly of rich silver ore in ' sandstone and petrified wood." Richard P. Rothwell, editor of the New York Engineering and mining Journal in a report dated June, 1879, states: "With regard to the diffusion of silver through the strata, there can be but one logical conclusion, namely: That the deposition of silver was perfectly per-fectly contemporaneous with the formation of the sandstone strata in which it lies; and that it was precipitated from watery solutions, at and during the time that the beds of sands were being deposited, deposit-ed, before it became rock, and while they were yet in a horizontal horizon-tal position. This being true, the precious metal should be con-existent and co-extensive with the beds themselves." A petrified tree encountered in the Buckeye mine yielded over 17,000 ounces of silver. It is also claimed that a fossilized frog was unearthed that was rich in silver. It is related that Col. E. A. Wall sent a piece of petrified wood shot through with hornsilver to the Smithsonian Institute. The person acknowledging receipt of specimen speci-men stated it was an interesting fake as silver in nature was not formed in petrified wood. Walker Bros, following the advice ad-vice of their mining expert, refused re-fused to further finance Judge Barbee's operations. But we have noted that fortune had favored the Judge when he discovered the Tecumseh. In April, 1876, a total of 33 vz tons of ore from this claim were shipped to Salt Lake City and Pioche, Nev., which assayed from $350 to $750 per ton. Judge Barbee writes exultingly: "Our . miners are our capital; our banks are sand banks; we draw on them at will, and our drafts are never dishonored." |