OF ARKANSAS. 



47 



prospect holes on township 20 north, range 17 east, and township 20 north, 

 range 10 east, of the 5th principal meridian, are all that has been done in 

 Marion county, near the head of Sugar-loaf creek, to prove this lead 

 region. 



The principal entry on township 20 north, range 17 west, on the lands 

 of the New York company, was only carried about 8 or 10 feet into the 

 hill-side, with a width of about 4 feet. Judge Brickey, who superintended 

 this excavation, informs me that there were taken out of this drift from 

 4,500 to 5,000 pounds of lead ore; two hands obtained at the rate of about 

 1,000 pounds in tvvo days. A space of about one foot deep, and three feet 

 wide, yielded from 100 to 150 pounds. This ground was, no doubt, 

 sufficiently productive to pay well for Avorking; but it must be borne in 

 mind, that this drift was entirely too limited to give a just idea of how 

 productive the rock might prove, by regular mining operations; since it is 

 evident from all that is at present known of this lead region, that the ore 

 occurs irregularly disseminated in "pockets," "sheets," "joints," and 

 crevices; the pockets being cavernous spaces of various dimensions, 

 occurring only occasionally in the rock by local expansions of the crevice.' 



When ore is disseminated in this manner, it is always necessary to 

 prove the richness of each locality, by especial trial drifts and shafts. 

 Hence, those owning mineral lands, in this part of Arkansas, would do 

 well, if they wish to establish the value of their mines, and induce 

 smelters to erect furnaces, without which the mining business cannot be 

 carried on to any advantage, to sink shafts and run drifts a sufficient depth 

 and distance to test, satisfactorily, the productiveness of their mines. 



On section 19, township 20 north, range 17 east of the 5th principal 

 meridian, Armsted Hudson has sunk a few shallow pits on a hill, east of 

 his house, and west 6 deg. to 8 deg. south of the New York drift. Here 

 he discovered, likewise, more or less lead ore, and, on the opposite side of 

 the hollow, to the west, as far as Wood's pit, where lead ore was reached 

 at 45 feet, then two and a half miles to the south-west, near Grit's mills; 

 while the Short mountain location of Mitchell and Walker, lies two and a 

 half miles to the north-east. 



There appear to be two sets of lead-bearing crevices, or irregular veins, 

 traversing the magnesian limestones of Marion county; one set running 

 nearly north-east and south-west; the other east 6 deg. to 8 deg. north; 

 but so little has yet been done, even in the way of digging '• prospect 

 holes," that it is difficult, at present, to form a correct opinion on this 

 subject. 



Some detached pieces of lead ore have also been discovered at the 

 junction of the magnesian limestones and underlying quartzose sandstone 



