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Show 67 One square mile will include the area marked by mineral croppings; half an acre will cover all the surface yet broken for mines. North and south is the general trend of the mountains from the main range, of which minor ridges and spurs project to the east. The district was organized in 1868, but placer- mining had been in progress prior to that time. It has been worked continuously. Its post- office is Ute Creek. The nearest railway town is Las Animas, 200 miles distant by wagon- road. Freight from that point is 3£ cents per pound. n^ The Aztec lode is in a wall- rock of slate and granite. Its direction* is from northeast to southwest. The veins are quite irregular, and dip into the mountains. No fossils are found in the immediate vicinity of theore- deposits, but just east of them cretaceous limestone occurs. The ores are worked by the wet process, without roasting. The average yield is $ 60 per ton, principally in gold. The ores are auriferous quartz, galena, chalcopyrite, malachite, pyrite, and calcite in rhombohedrons and in the form of geodes. The water- level has not been reached. As the depth increases, the ore grows poorer. In the Aztec mine, which is the principal one, a depth of 180 feet has " been attained. This was formerly worked by a company with mills, but it is now occupied by individuals, who reduce the ore in arrastras. The veins are 12 in number; branches join the main vein from the east and south. The width of the main vein is from 4 inches to 6 feet. Ore is found in pockets. The gulch- gold is worth 818.50 per ounce, mine- gold $ 17. According to reports, which are not very reliable, a total amount of 91,000,000 has been extracted. In 1874, a sum of $ 15,000 was taken oat, and about an equal amount in 1875. It is said that the placer-mines yielded $ 86,000 in 1860. When the mill was running regularly, 15 tons of ore were worked in 24 hours. It was a 15- stamp mill, each stamp weighing 400 pounds, and making 24 drops per minute. There were three pans, but no settlers. The amalgam was strained cold. The cost of a 15- stamp mill, delivered at the mines, is $ 30,000. A smelting- furnace with one stack can be made for $ 500. Other expenses will average as follows: reducing the ore, $ 6 per ton by arrastra, or $ 3.50 by mill; mining labor per diem, $ 2.50; milling labor, $ 2; running a tunnel on main vein, $ 25; sinking a shaft, $ 18. Grain costs from 3 to 4 cents per pound; hay from $ 12 to $ 15 per ton. Facilities are favorable for all produce except grain. Timber is plenty, and there is an abundance of good water. The coantry roads are good. The inhabitants of the district number about 60, besides wandering bands of Ute and Apache Indians. There are several varieties of game, including the deer, turkey, bear, and grouse. On the west side of the mountains placer- mining is extensively practiced. The water is brought from the Spanish range, through a gigantic flume, 47 miles long, which was built at a cost of $ 250,000, and ha& since been sold for $ 20,000. LOOKOUT DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA. Examined by Lieut Rogers Birnie, jr., August, 1875. The mineral cropping of this district is found throughout the eastern slopes of the Argus range, from Darwin Caiion on the north to Shepherd's Caiion on the south. The trend of the range is north and south; of the foot- hills, in which the depoits mostly lie, east and west. The |