252 ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF SILVERTON QUADRANGLE, [bull. 182. 
An abundant flow of water issues from the main tunnel, and proved 
troublesome when the mine Avas being worked on account of the 
rapidity with which it corroded rails and pipes. 
The North Star mill, erected about 1890, is equipped with 2 Blake 
crushers, 3, sets of rolls, 8 three-compartment jigs, 2 four-compartment 
jigs, 20 stamps, and 3 Woodbury tables. The power is water. This 
plain was running in 1899 as a custom mill. 
Belcher mine. — This mine, now abandoned, is situated in the high 
basin opening to the northeast on the northeast side of Sultan Moun- 
tain, the principal adit being at an elevation of about 11,250 feet. 
11 was Located in 1870, yielded over 300 tons of ore in 1881, and in 
1882 had become a steady producer. In 1883 there were three levels 
opened by tunnels, and a product of 1,700 tons of ore is recorded, 
averaging 38 ounces of silver and 40 per cent of lead. The outputs 
for the years 1883, 1884, 1890, 1891, and 1892, as given in the Mint 
reports, were $85,000, $13,500, $8,467, $34,995 and $63,510, respectively. 
The Belcher lode is in monzonite, and is said to be very similar to the 
North Star lode and to have nearly the same strike and dip. The 
workings were wholly inaccessible in 1899, and no observations could 
be made on the lode itself. According to Mr. W. H. Thomas, at one 
time part owner of the mine, the galena ore was less abundant in the 
lower levels, its place being largely taken by sphalerite. Aceording 
to another former owner, the lode was practically worked out down to 
the tunnel level, and there is no reason to suppose the good ore to be 
any less abundant below the bottom workings. 
Fragments of ore seen on the dump of the lowest tunnel showed 
galena, sphalerite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and tetrahedrite in a gangue 
of quartz and barite with some calcite. The ore was sorted, sacked, 
and carried on burros down a steep trail to Silverton. 
Empire (/roup. — Through the present Empire tunnel it is intended 
to work a group of claims on the northeast slope of Sultan Mountain, 
overlooking Silverton and Bakers Park. The more important of 
these claims are the Empire, Little Dora, Victoria, Jennie Parker, 
Ajax, and Hercules. They cover portions of three important lodes, 
which are only roughly parallel and which have a general trend of 
about N. 20 W. The Jennie Parker and Hercules are supposed to 
form a continuation of the North Star lode. 
The Empire and Jennie Parker were worked at a very early date by 
Melville & Summerneld, who in 1876 had a shaft 50 feet deep on the 
Empire lode and were erecting reduction works near the Animas 
River. The} 7 were apparent^ not successful, and the mine was idle 
for some years. In 1882 the Little Dora lode, which in 1881 was 
shipping ore from a shaft, was struck in an upper tunnel. This is a 
clean-cut fissure vein, usually about 2 feet wide, and, although small, 
has produced a fair amcint of ore. The Empire at this time was 
opened b} 7 a shaft 125 feet deep and is said to have had about 18 
