veins of Stockton district crop out for 2 miles in length. crossed by a series of smaller veins, acting as feeders.

They are

At Ophir the Chloride Gem group has been consolidated, a steamhoist provided, and work begun in a workmanlike manner. The main ledge is a contact between lime and slate, the latter overlying. Into the lime foot-wall country rock several small veins open at a right angle with the contact. These were formerly owned and worked separately, and the work ceased when the high-grade ore in the mouths of the pipes was exhausted. The workings are an incline, equipped with steam-hoist and a level at a depth of 250 feet. High-grade ore, 100 ounces or more per ton, is being taken out, although not in large quantities. This, perhaps the first mining ever done in Ophir, is regarded with great interest by the mining fraternity. It is thought that there has been too little opening of veins on their strike for the vertical openings made, a great mistake where the ore makes in pipes, many of which do not outcrop. A miner sinks in one of these pipes perhaps 600 feet, getting enough to pay his way, or a little more, and then quits precisely when he ought to begin to mine by opening out a level at the bottom of his shaft or incline and cutting other ore-pipes, which could be worked out with comparatively great profit.

Nothing was done in mining at Deep Creek, Tooele County, in 1884. The Havana property has plenty of rock carrying from 30 to 50 ounces silver per ton, but it has been impossible to raise money to put on the plant necessary to work it.

UTAH COUNTY.

At American Fork, Utah County, some assessment and development work was done, but no ores to speak of were produced or marketed. The surface workings of the Silver Bell stopped, at a depth of 400 feet, in a large body of about 40 ounces dry ore.

An adit was begun 2,100 feet from the shaft and 1,200 feet vertically below it. The Treasure, including the Dolphin, has been opened by shaft 185 feet deep, and several short drifts off the shaft, all in ore. A ton of galena from the foot-wall sampled 414 ounces silver, $6 gold, and 29 per cent. lead. The Cariboo Mining Company (Salt Lake) is developing a group on Mineral Flat. Several of the veins bear high-grade ore, not in large quantity.

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

but

Shipments of fine bullion from the two companies, Stormont and Christy, at work at Silver Reef, for 1884, were 234,217 ounces. The Stormont is stoping on all the levels from the second to the sixth, inclusive, and sinking for the seventh level is under way. The ore aver ages about 20 ounces per ton, and total cost of mining, hauling, milling, dead work, and repairs is given at $12.75 per ton. Eighty per cent. of the value is saved. The bullion runs from 800 to 950 fine. About 90 men were employed. From July, 1879, to the end of November, 1884, the property, and mainly the Buckeye and Savage claims, has produced 1,404,976 ounces silver, from 74,300 tons of ore, and paid $145,000 in dividends.

The Christy Mill and Mining Company has been succeeded by the Christy Mining Company. It was idle two-thirds of the year, but is now turning out 20,000 to 25,000 ounces silver per month. In seven years to December 15, 1884, it took out 1,851,484 ounces of silver. Its

dividends are not known. It is safe to estimate its profits at one-third the gross yield, or at the rate of about $100,000 a year.

The Barbee and Walker has followed the Leeds into summary liquidation under the sheriff's hammer.

The Tutsagubit district, Washington County, boasts of a mountain of soft lead ore, of rather low grade, owned by the Mountain Chief Mining Company. It is 25 miles from Saint George, and the 1-stack smelter built the past year, to smelt the ores, is on the Virgin River, 85 miles from the railroad at Milford. The property may prove a second Horn Silver, but it is doubtful if it can be worked unless the railroad is extended to or near it.

CHAPTER XII

WASHINGTON TERRITORY.

Many believe that mining for the precious metals in this Territory has a promising future, and that with better facilities its numerous gold and silver bearing ledges, which have been but slightly worked, will be developed and add materially to the production of the precious metals. In addition to deposits of gold and silver the Territory possesses immense coal fields and iron and marble in abundance.

Messrs. Wells, Fargo & Co. stated the production of the past year to have been as follows:

This is a slight increase over the preceding year, as estimated by the same company.

The amount of gold deposited at the San Francisco mint during the year, credited to this Territory, was $34,878, which is considerable of an increase over the previous year. It is estimated that of the refined bullion deposited by Messrs. Selby & Co. at the San Francisco mint during the year at least $50,000 was from the mines of this Territory, which would indicate a production of over $86,000. From the facts and information in my possession, I have estimated the production for 1884 to have been: Gold, $85,000; silver, $1,000; total, $86,000. The review of this Territory was prepared by Mr. A. M. Lawver, of San Francisco.

CHEHALIS COUNTY.

Some rich mines have been discovered in the eastern portion of Chehalis County. Specimens of silver-bearing quartz have been assayed and found to yield from $100 to $1,300 per ton. A bed of anthracite

coal was also found.

Scattered over the Territory are quite a large number of Chinese, who in many instances are making good wages. There are 9 Chinese miners working a very profitable claim on the west bank of the Columbia, 11 miles above the mouth of the Wenatchie. Their average daily pay is $1.50 to the man. The claim has been worked by them for the past twelve years. Both banks of the Columbia are good for gold deposits, and are worked by Indians and Chinese throughout the entire length of bars, from the Nez Spielum to the San Poel.

There are 5 Chinamen at work on the east bank of the Columbia, opposite Whitestone reserve. There are also 20 Chinese miners at work between Hawk Creek and Camp Spokane, on the east bank of the Co

lumbia. This is an old, well-paying claim, with valuable deposits of fine gold in direct wash from the Coeur d'Alène and Spokane Rivers.

In Rock Creek mining district, near Kettle River and between Lake Soogoos and Kettle Falls, near the British Columbia line, there are nearly 200 Chinese at work, with Indians and other old frontier miners. This is an old mining district, equal in extent to that of the Kootenai country. Average daily pay is about $2.

KITTITASS COUNTY.

Cle el-um district.-A correspondent from Ellensburg gives the following interesting facts concerning the Kittitass mining region:

"The Cle-el-um mining district comprises the mineral lands lying east of the summit of the Cascade Mountains, and, generally speaking, that between Mount Stuart on the east and the Snoqualmie Pass on the west. The discoveries thus far made yield gold, silver, nickel, and copper, and may probably be called smelting ores.

"Prospecting has thus far covered but a limited portion of the district, and the surface only has been examined. The principal properties now under location are the Copperhead, Bullion, Centennial, Black, Honeycomb, True Fissure, and what is called the Hawk. These prospects are well defined upon the surface, and yield by different assays from $17 to $100 per ton, in about equal proportions of gold and silver, 3 to 80 per cent. copper, a trace to 36 per cent. nickel, and $2.50 to $2,000 per ton of silver. Last season was principally occupied in tracing these lodes and making locations. But little is known of the character of these ores at any depth, except as to the bullion, in which at 10 feet the ore has changed from $3.50 per ton in silver and 80 per cent. copper to 40 per cent. of copper and 13 per cent. of silver sulphurets. A huge magnetic iron lode runs through the entire district, in proximity to what is known as the red or porphyry formation, and between these the Copperhead lode has been traced from the Cle-el-um River 6 miles northeast to contact with the granite formation at Mount Stuart.

"At several intervening points the Copperhead comes squarely to the surface, always with black oxide of copper on top, and developing into copper glance or gray copper at limited depths. All along this lode, at different points, are croppings sufficiently massive to supply an ordinary smelter for years. The value of these mines is much enhanced by the abundance of good timber and the large supply of water that is found throughout all the mining camps in this county. As there are no means of transportation at command, reduction works will have to be erected contiguous to the ore-beds, where the metal can be extracted economically, until such time as facilities for shipment are afforded that will not absorb all the profits in the handling of the crude ore."

The Bullion Mining Company have their incline shaft at the depth of 140 feet. Good ore continues all the way down.

The ore of the Silver Bow contains copper pyrites and oxides, the assay value of which is from 40 to 50 per cent. copper and about $35 per ton in gold and silver. The ore-bodies vary from 3 to 8 feet in thick

ness.

Between the Cle-el-um mining district and Kittitass Valley are the Pechastin and Swauk mining districts, as also the recently discovered Teneway coal fields. In the former district one 6-stamp mill and 3 arrastras have been running for some six years on gold-bearing quartz which has averaged from $20 to $30 per ton in free gold. Thus far the property has been in the hands of inexperienced persons, who have been H. Ex. 268-28

content to work the ores for the free gold, while the rich sulphurets have gone down the creek. This season they put up a new mill, with more complicated machinery, for working the base ores, and for once the discovery owners have sunk to a sufficient depth to give them a full year's run in their mine. This district is 40 miles from Ellensburg.

Swauk mining district.-This district, which is 25 miles from Ellensburg, shows several good properties, the principal being developed upon a reddish brown formation running through the entire district in slate, and developing at several points into veritable mountains of quartz. Immediately upon the Homestake lode lie what are known as the Swauk placers. From one creek claim some $50,000 is estimated to have been taken out, and from the contiguous high bars nugget gold has been drifted out weighing in single instances as high as $250 and $700 in value. Eleven hundred dollars in wire gold was taken from a single crevice in one of the high-bar claims, and a man can make from $2.50 to $4 per day in the ground drifting for the coarse bed-rock gold alone. Three reasons have prevented the previous wholesale workings of these high bars: First, the gravel is from 8 to 30 feet deep, and pay is only found in the gravel where the wash is extra heavy; ground sluicing would not pay enough more to supersede the drifting process; second, to procure and bring in water for hydraulic washing was considered almost an impossibility; third, men working the creek claims would not allow the high-bar locations to tail into the creek, thus making it necessary to "crib up" their tailings, which prevented the profitable use of water for even ground-sluicing purposes. A company having suc ceeded in securing the creek ground for dumping purposes, and also a number of high-bar locations, a survey was made and it was found that 4 miles of ditch or flume will bring water in abundance to a point 150 feet above these locations, which, after being used at that point, can be carried to work upon a body of hydraulic diggings in Kittitas Valley. The quartz mines in this district are showing more good rock at present than at any time since their discovery.

The Humming Bird has about 500 tons of ore in sight that will mill from $15 to $30 per ton in free gold. The lower level taps the ledge at a depth of 125 feet, and in the west face of the tunnel the formation indicates nearness to the main chute. The vein in sight is 15 inches in width, of heavy sulphuret, with some free gold, while the sulphurets carry from $80 to $300 per ton.

Adjoining the Humming Bird is the Bob-tail, the vein of which will average about 4 feet in width for a distance of 200 feet. About $15 per ton in free gold is obtained from the ore. The company has a 6-stamp mill on Pechastin Creek, near the mines, and has saved about 75 tons of sulphurets and tailings, awaiting the erection of other machinery that is to be built for working base ores.

The Pole Pick mine has a good showing for becoming a paying property.

The Golden Phoenix, the richest free gold mine in the district, has a ledge from 1 to 20 inches in width, and yields about $175 per ton in free gold, while the sulphurets assay from $300 to $4,000 per ton.

In this county, in Cle-el-um district, bituminous coal in unlimited quantity and of superior quality abounds. The surface vein is said to be from 12 to 14 feet deep, while an understratum, separated by a layer of slate, is being sunk upon and is more than 6 feet deep and the bottom not yet reached. This understratum is of a much better quality and has a glistening jet color. Coal from the upper stratum is in general use by blacksmiths, and they pronounce it an excellent article. Its value is being appreciated so much that it is superseding the use of charcoal.