MINES BETWEEN ALTMAN AND GOLDFIELD. 
407 
CHARACTER AND OCCURRENCE OF THE ORE. 
On the first level a northwesterly vein dipping about 75° SW. is reached by a 
northeast crosscut 100 feet from the shaft. It consists of a partially oxidized, 
shattered, and sheeted zone in latite-phonolite. A small bunch of ore was encoun¬ 
tered just above the level. A stope 3 feet wide, 25 feet long, and 15 feet high 
furnished a carload of $15 screenings. What is probably the same vein was explored 
for a short distance on the second level, but showed no ore. 
The principal amount of ore came from the basalt dike. This is everywhere 
very soft and at the sides lies a decomposed, more or less clay-like gouge, which is in 
places oxidized, and which varies in width from a very narrow seam to several inches. 
The values occur in this partly as tellurides and partly as rusty gold. Where the 
values are exceptionally high the near-by basalt and country rock also may constitute 
ore. But since in general the dike was worthless, it was carefully shot down and 
then the soft selvage was picked down and caught on sheets. The process is called 
stripping, and requires no sorting. The value of the material so obtained varied 
considerably, but was always good, the range being $80 to $3,000 per ton. 
ORE SHOOTS. 
Beginning at the surface about 50 feet north of the shaft, on the basalt dike, 
is an ore shoot 130 feet long, which pitches steeply to the south. At level 1 it has 
been stoped 120 feet along the dike, the value of the ore shipped being about $80. 
On level 2 the shoot is 60 feet long and nearly vertical, the pay streak at the side 
of the dike being 1 to 8 inches wide. A small lot of gold-bearing rock too low in 
grade to be profitably worked, was taken out 40 feet south of the shaft on this level. 
On level 3 the shoot has been stoped for 50 feet. Between this and the next level 
the dike flattens considerably, and the ore shoot turns from nearly vertical to a 
much flatter pitch to the south, narrowing up and finally pinching out just before 
reaching the fourth or 400-foot level. Below level 4 the dike steepens again, 
but no ore was found between the fourth and fifth (470-foot) levels. Between the 
470- and 550-foot levels occurred the richest ore in the mine. The pay streak was 
wider and the values better than elsewhere. The ore shipped brought returns of 
$300 to $700 per ton. The stope here was almost 300 feet long. For 120 feet in 
the middle the main values were on the hanging wall, while at each end of the stope 
they were on the foot wall. Where the pay streak crossed the dike at the south a 
triangular body of very rich ore was formed, the screenings from which shipped at 
$1.37 per pound. At the north end, however, only a narrow seam crossed from the 
hanging to the foot wall. Below level 6 the ore was of good grade, hut was confined 
to a narrow strip on the hanging wall, directly under that which occurred on the 
hanging wall above. Between levels 7 and 8, 650 and 750 feet, respectively, from 
the surface, the pay streak was exceedingly narrow. A stope 120 feet long is con¬ 
tinuous with that on the two levels above, and a stope 40 feet long was made about 
50 feet to the north of the main ore. Stoping is in progress upward from level 9 in 
a corresponding position to the main stopes above. The values are contained in a 
soft greenish-black material one-half inch to 3 inches wide, mainly on the foot wall. 
Its value is about $275 per ton. 
