JUNES OUTSIDE THE LEADVILLE DISTRICT. 533 



The main working tunnel was run into the base of the mountain on a 

 level with the mine buildings, a little west of south in direction, and cut 

 the ore bodies at 5l0 and 590 feet from its mouth, respectively. From 

 this drifts run along the veins in southeasterly direction, from which it was 

 intended to carr}^- stopes upwards towa];d the crest of the mountain, which, 

 at its summit, is seven hundred to eight hundred feet above the tunnel level. 

 The direction of these ore bodies converges towards the fault plaue, and it 

 was estimated that the latter would be cut by these drifts under the crest 

 or a little south of that point, the distance at which it would be reached 

 depending on the angle of dip of the fault plane, of which nothing definite 

 could be ascertained. If this dip were very steep or near the vertical, the 

 distance of intersection would be correspondingly greater. It was evident 

 from what was seen during the examination that the ore bodies, in spite of 

 their appearing at first glance to be vertical veins, are following, at least 

 approximately, tlie stratification of the sedimentary beds, and in this respect 

 resemble the majority of the deposits of the region. They were, therefore, 

 probably formed before the folding and faulting to(^k place; in which case 

 they will end at the fault plane, their continuation beyond that plane having 

 been carried up by the movement of tlie fault, and since eroded away. It 

 is, of course, possible that the ore currents by whicli they were deposited 

 came up along the fault plane itself, in which case the ore bodies would 

 naturally be found to continue downwards on that plane. Should this be 

 found to be the case it would be the first instance observed in all this region 

 of original ore deposition on one of these great fault planes.^ 



Peerless mine. — At the head of Horseshoc gulch are a number of claims, 

 two of which have developed a considerable amount of ore. Of these, the 

 Badger Boy is in the Blue Limestone, which is exposed in the bed of the 

 north fork of Four-Mile Creek. The Peerless mine is at the very crest of 

 the ridge, just south of Peerless Mountain. Its ore is found about twenty 

 feet below the top of the limestone in irregular lenticular bodies. The 

 limestone is here very silicious, the upper part resembling quartzite, but it 



' Since this visit a wealthy company has developed the mine, building a railway eight miles long 

 for transportiuj; ore and supplies and a mill for the reduction of the ore. The fault plane is said 

 to have been cut by the drifts along the vein, but trustworthy accounts are wanting as to the results 

 of developments bearing upon the above points. 



