In West Calico, 2 miles west of the Waterloo, is the Langtry group of claims. The principal development is on the west end of the Langtry Mine. The Langtry may be called the anomaly of the camp, as it is a fissure vein pure and simple, or, more strictly speaking, two fissures.
The strike of these two fissures, which are 60 feet apart, is nearly parallel, but they will undoubtedly meet in depth. That on the south side dips northerly, while the other pitches toward the south slightly. Both stand at a high angle, and it is doubtful if they will converge inside of 250 feet from the surface. The veins are composed principally of a coarsely crystallized baryta with quartz, containing brown iron oxides, lead carbonate, ochre, manganese oxide, and chloride of silver. The average value of the ore was about 22 ounces per ton. The veins vary from a thin seam to over 10 feet in width on the north vein, having an average width of 3 or 4 feet. These veins occur in the “outside” or “mud” country, which lies along the flank of the southern slope of the Calico Mountains. The mud shales and argillaceous sandstones here lie nearly horizontal, the veins cutting them at an angle closely approximating 90°.
SUSPENDED MINING OPERATIONS.
The low price of silver during the past two years has resulted disastrously to the mining industry in Calico District. The great Waterloo, for many years the largest producer, and employing not less than 150 men in mines and mills, was closed down, as it seemed foolhardy to exhaust the great ore bodies when the profit derived from the extraction and milling of the ores was merely nominal. For years these mines had kept the sixty-stamp Boss process mill and the fifteen-stamp pan mill at Daggett busy night and day, but in the spring of 1892 the stamps were hung up and the mines closed, awaiting better prices for silver.
The Silver King Mining Company (limited), of London, has continued to operate, dropping twenty to thirty stamps night and day, under the superintendency of William S. Edwards. The King Company owns or controls three important groups of mines in this district, viz.: the Odessa, the Oriental, and the Occidental. The Odessa made a record during the early history of the camp by the production of ores of high grade. The policy which was pursued in those “palmy days”—to gouge out the rich ore whenever it could be found, without regard to future condition of the mine—left most of the mines in very bad shape. The Odessa is now recovering under the new management, and the property is being systematically opened, and it is thought all the ore can be extracted. In this mine are stopes from which thousands of tons of ore have been mined, and there is not a stick of timber of any kind in them.
These old stopes are being cleaned out, new levels opened, and good results are expected in the future. What applies to the Odessa in this respect is true to a great extent of every other large mine in Calico. They were all worked in a hand-to-mouth sort of fashion, and although many of these mines paid handsome dividends, little of the money was ever put back in anything like permanent improvement. All seemed to share a common opinion—that the deposits were superficial, and would not go down, and as a result no one felt like laying out money in an extravagant and unwarranted manner. But the mines have gone down, and the men in charge of the mines to-day can see the result of the mistaken economy of the early operators, and see in Calico an era of recovery of low-grade ore bodies and development work which is calculated to give the mines greater apparent permanency than ever heretofore. December 1, 1891, the King mill was enlarged by the addition of ten stamps, making thirty in all. The Boss process of continuous amalgamation was also adopted.
CHLORIDING THE MINES.
A system of leasing portions of mining claims, called “chloriding” in Calico, was introduced in the early days, and is still in vogue. Many poor men have made moderate fortunes in the district, and in days gone by all did well. The mines are leased on a royalty of one fourth to one sixth of the ore to the claim owner, according to its value, the owner receiving more as the grade is higher. Chloriders were at work on the Loo, Little Waterman, Humbug, Bismarck, Blackfoot, and other mines, during the past year. The ore obtained in this manner is usually sacked and shipped to a custom mill, where it is crushed, the charges ranging from $9 to $12, according to the character of the ore, some (the more brittle) milling much faster than others.
THE WATERLOO MINE.
The Waterloo property consists of four claims. The principal workings are in the Waterloo Mine, where large stopes have been extracted, though considerable amounts of ore still remain in sight. An idea of the extent of some of these Calico mines may be gained from the fact that the great ore body of the Waterloo is 1,100 feet in length, and is known to extend from the surface down to the 525-foot level. At the east end the ore-bearing zone is from 4 to 7 feet in width, widening downward. Going westward it increases in width until it is 60 to 70 feet wide. This mine, like those immediately about Calico, was worked for rich pockets, and, as a natural consequence, the mine was left in bad condition. Jos. D. Kerbaugh, the last Superintendent of the mine, had inaugurated a systematic method of extracting ore and recovered much lost ground. The ore is usually low grade, and this, in connection with the low price of silver, has resulted in the closing up of the mines. A narrow gauge railroad has been in use for several years to transport the ore from the Waterloo group and the King and Red Jacket Mines, owned by the same company, to their mills at Daggett, timber and supplies being brought to the mines on the return trips. The transportation of ore, I was informed, cost 12 cents per ton. The railroad is about 7 miles in length, and runs on a pretty steep grade.