I 
306 GEOLOGY AND GOLD DEPOSITS OF THE CRIPPLE CREEK DISTRICT. 
Several veins have been opened in the mine. The principal one has a south- 
southeast course and an easterly dip of 75° to 80°. It outcrops west of the main 
shaft and is followed by the Jaycox shaft. This vein has been stoped for 120 
feet, from the surface down to level 2, and has been stoped also in the Lexington 
mine. A vein with similar strike, but nearly vertical, runs through the main 
shaft. It has been stoped a little about 50 feet north of the shaft. A north- 
south vein recently opened on the 150-foot level just east of the shaft is furnishing 
ore. A vein with a north-northeast direction has been cut just north of the shaft 
on level 2, and has furnished some ore. 
MINT, POINTER, ACCIDENT, AND RED SPRUCE MINES. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The Mint, Pointer, Accident, and lied Spruce mines are situated on the south¬ 
west spur of Gold Hill, near the “Low Line” track. They have been intermit¬ 
tently worked, chiefly by lessees, and the greater part of the ore has come from 
the Pointer mine, which began shipping in 1896 and is still producing. The Acci¬ 
dent shipped a little ore in 1897 and again in 1902, but was idle at the time of 
visit, as was the Red Spruce. The Mint shipped ore in 1901, and was being operated 
by lessees early in 1904. All are small mines. 
UNDERGROUND DEVELOPMENT. 
The Pointer shaft is 530 feet deep, with seven levels. The Mint shaft, 600 
feet northeast of the Pointer, is about 750 feet deep and has four levels—levels 
3 and 4 of the Mint being continuous with levels 5 and 7 of the Pointer respec¬ 
tively. The Accident shaft is about 330 feet northwest of the Pointer shaft,the 
two being connected by level 5 of the Pointer. The Red Spruce shaft is close to 
the Accident. Neither of these shafts were entered and no maps of their under¬ 
ground workings were seen. The principal drifts in the Pointer and Mint mines 
run approximately northeast-southwest. 
GEOLOGICAL FEATURES. 
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The geological relations are somewhat obscure, owing to poor surface expo¬ 
sures and limited underground development. The Mint shaft is in breccia, just 
north of the main contact. The Pointer shaft is in a mass of syenite, which is 
described on page 85. This syenite is exposed also in the Ophelia tunnel, south 
of the Pointer shaft, where it exhibits porphvritic facies near the contact with 
the breccia and is apparently irregularly intruded into the latter. The breccia 
near the syenite is altered to a hard, ringing rock which contains disseminated 
pyrite and in which the original clastic structure is partly obliterated. The relation 
of the syenite to the older granite of the vicinity is nowhere clearly shown. The 
syenite, however, is presumably intrusive into the granite. The syenite and 
breccia are cut by some irregular dikes of phonolite and “basalt.” The contact 
between the syenite and breccia is very irregular, and on the lower levels the 
