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TUNGSTEN, NICKEL, COBALT, ETC.

By FRANK L. HESS.

TUNGSTEN.

INTRODUCTION.

By far the largest part of the tungsten produced each year is used in making tool steel. The market for tungsten, therefore, depends largely upon the steel trade, and when in 1907, along with other business, the steel industry suffered a great falling off, the demand for tungsten decreased greatly. Prices which during 1907 had reached $14 per unit for ore running 60 per cent or over of tungstic trioxide fell until there could hardly be said to be a real market in 1908. In many places men had started to develop tungsten deposits in 1907 and would have continued development even at low prices, but they had no market for their ores, and so were forced to stop work. In a number of cases large buyers bought ore for which they had no immediate use mostly to keep the miners, or part of them, in the tungsten fields, so that when the hoped-for greater activity came to the steel trade there would be men on hand to get out the tungsten ore which would then be needed. Although this was a far-sighted business policy, it was also generous, as firms paid to miners, with whom they had dealt for a considerable time, prices higher than those for which foreign ores could be bought.

It has been difficult for some producers to understand why the price of tungsten should have gone down with the slackening in the steel trade, because there has been a widespread belief, based upon frequently published statements, that most of the tungsten mined went into armor plate, and it was supposed that there was no cessation in the use of such steel by the United States and other governments. The writer has been informed by the Ordnance Bureau of the Navy Department that tungsten is not now, and, so far as known to that bureau, never has been used in the manufacture of armor plate in this country, and it is not known to have been so used in other countries, though it has probably been used in experimental armor plates. One of the greatest essentials of armor plate is its ability to resist shock, and this property is not imparted to steel by tungsten. Most armor plate depends for its shock-resisting properties upon the addition of nickel and chromium to the steel from which it is made and upon special treatment.

TUNGSTEN ORE INDUSTRY BY STATES.

South Dakota.-There was no production of tungsten ore in South Dakota during the year, but the Wasp No. 2 mine, about 2 miles south of Lead, sold some ore that had been previously extracted. The ore is sandy dolomite impregnated with wolframite. At Hill City development work was prosecuted by the Wolf Tongue Mining

87150 M R 1908, PT 1- 46

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Company, which was formerly known at this place as the Black Metal Mining Company, on claims in which wolframite occurs with light-colored cassiterite and a very small amount of scheelite in quartz veins. The American Tungsten Company holds claims 3 miles east of Hill City, on which wolframite occurs in quartz veins with a little scheelite, but no cassiterite. No work beyond assessment work was done during the year, although the company has its own mill upon the property. There are a considerable number of similar tungsten-bearing quartz veins in the region, but little has been done upon them.

Southeast of Hill City are tungsten claims upon which wolframite occurs in coarse pegmatite.

The Black Hills wolframite occurrences have been briefly described by the writer in Bulletin 380, just issued by the United States Geological Survey.

Colorado. Tungsten mining has so far been confined to Boulder County, although prospects have been reported from several other counties. The mines are situated near Nederland in a strip of country about 9 miles long and from 2 to 3 miles wide, running from southwest to northeast along Middle Boulder and North Boulder creeks, Nederland being near the southwestern end of the area. Close by are apparently related veins which carry gold, silver, vanadium (in roscoelite), molybdenum, and tellurium. The country rock is composed of schists and gneisses cut by granite, which is in turn cut by other intrusives. Tungsten occurs as ferberite (iron tungstate) in sheeted veins in the granite, which show many vugs lined with beautifully crystalized ferberite.

During the year the Cardinal Company and the Stein & Boericke Company combined as the Primos Mining Company, and this is probably the largest tungsten-mining company in the world. It controls the Conger and other properties and has a mill at which custom work is done.

The Wolf Tongue Mining Company owns a large number of claims in the Boulder County area and also runs a custom mill. Its mines are over 300 feet in depth, and the ore is reported to be as rich as nearer the surface.

The third large concern operating in the district, the Philip Bauer Company, which mined upon claims known as the Rogers group, has been succeeded by the former manager of the mines, Eugene Stevens, who also operates a mill.

There are many smaller operators, most, if not all, of whom have their ores concentrated by one of the mills mentioned.

Montana. The only tungsten ore known to have been mined in Montana during 1908 was a lot of hübnerite from the Birdie mine near Butte. This mine was formerly worked for silver, and hübnerite is reported to occur in the same vein in shoots which carry the mineral in thin blades embedded in quartz. Some of the blades are yellowish and remarkably translucent.

At Jardine a brownish to amber-colored scheelite occurring in gray quartz has been mined in connection with gold in the mine of the Kimberly-Montana Mining Company, but no ore is known to have been taken out during 1908.

a Tin, tungsten, and tantalum deposits of South Dakota: Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey No. 380, 1909, pp. 131-163.

Idaho. Scheelite of a light buff color is found at Wallace in the Golden Chest and Golden Winnie mines in connection with galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, tetrahedrite, sphalerite, gold, and silver, in quartz veins cutting slates. In the latter mine barite occurs with the scheelite.

A small quantity of scheelite has been reported from the North Fork mining district northeast of Ketchum, but the occurrence does not seem to be of commercial value.

Alaska.-On Lost River in Seward Peninsula, about 110 miles northwest of Nome, on one of the tin claims, a lode is reported to have been discovered which "carries 30 per cent of wolframite through 34 feet." Tin occurs on these claims in connection with greatly altered granite porphyry dikes which cut Silurian limestones and carry wolframite, scheelite, molybdenite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite, and it is presumed that the new find is in close connection with the older workings.

Near Nome scheelite is found in the gold placers on Glacier, Rock, Lindbloom, Boulder, Twin Mountain, and other creeks, though not in great quantity. The largest pebble seen weighed perhaps 2 or 24 pounds. Most of the pieces are less than a half-inch in diameter.

On Nelson Brothers' claims, Bonanza Creek, at the eastern end of Norton Sound, scheelite is said to occur in quantities large enough to make it a nuisance in the sluice boxes. The country rocks at both Nome and Bonanza Creek are schists.

A specimen of hübnerite has been received from Deadwood Creek, below Switch Creek, near Circle, where it was obtained in the gold placers. It is said that hübnerite has been seen in quartz veins in the vicinity.

Washington.-Wolframite is found at Deer Trail, Stevens County, and has been mined in the past, but litigation is reported to have closed the mines, so that there was no production during 1908. Farther north in the same range of mountains, near Bissell, 12 miles west of Addy, other wolframite mines are reported. Wolframite also occurs near Loomis, Okanogan County. Small quantities of scheelite and wolframite have been found in connection with cassiterite in pegmatite at Silver Hill, near Spokane; and wolframite has been found in Whatcom County, near the Canadian boundary, 25 miles west of the Simalkameen River.

California. The principal producing tungsten mine of California has been the Papoose mine of the Atolia Mining Company, at Atolia, 5 miles south of Randsburg, in San Bernardino County. The mineral is an almost white scheelite, which in color and general appearance much resembles coarsely crystalline limestone. It occurs in large lenses in a vein cutting a considerably weathered granite. The gangue is a peculiar quartz, which fractures like chalcedony. The company has a concentrating plant at which custom work is done. Water is bought from the Santa Fe Railway, which ships it in tank cars from the railroad wells at Hinckley, about 60 miles southeast.

Some production was obtained by lessees of the Par, Float Iron, and Toboggan claims. On these claims scheelite occurs accompanied by quartz and carbonates of lime and iron. Little was done on other tungsten claims of the district. Scheelite occurs in the Sidney mine with gold in quartz veins cutting schists, but has so far not been saved. Small veins of scheelite also occur in the Yellow Aster mine at Randsburg. The mine is situated in a complex of schists intruded by granites and granite porphyries.

An insignificant amount of scheelite is taken out of dry placers worked for gold, but at one time a paying quantity of residual scheelite pebbles was mined from the sands on the Papoose claim.

At Paris, between Atolia and Bakersfield, a small quantity of scheelite was mined during 1908 by the Tehachapi Mining Company. Scheelite, with galena, gold, and silver, is reported from the Newsboy and Silver claims of the Pacific Reduction Company in the Shadow Mountain district, reached from Cima, San Bernardino County.

A number of other tungsten claims were reported from the vicinity of Cima, but no definite information concerning them is at hand. Α specimen showing a remarkable intergrowth of wolframite and scheelite has been received from the Gold Copper Mining and Milling Company of the Clark district near Nipton. The sides of the vein have wolframite crystals embedded in quartz, while the middle of the vein is filled with gray scheelite into which the wolframite crystals extend. Some of the veins show wolframite but no scheelite. A number of tons of tungsten ore were reported to be on the dump. Near Barnwell the Sagamore Mining Company reported tungsten (wolframite?) on the Alpha claims in the New York mining district. Five miles from Barnwell are claims upon which hübnerite occurs with pyrite and chalcopyrite in comby quartz veins cutting granite. Eight miles east of Vontrigger, on the Searchlight branch of the Santa Fe Railway, hübnerite occurs in quartz veins cutting granite. Fifteen miles northwest of Victorville a small quantities of scheelite are found at the contact of schists and limestone. The occurrence is not of economic importance. Both wolframite and scheelite have been reported to occur at a point 15 miles north of Victorville, but a specimen of the supposed wolframite proved to be specular hematite in broad foliæ.

Hübnerite is reported from the Tin Mountains in Inyo County, 35 miles from Lida, Esmeralda County, Nev. Freight rates and scarcity of water preclude working the deposit. Wolframite has been found in Mariposa County, 12 miles north of Raymond, in a quartz vein cutting andalusite schists, but the quantity so far shown is unimportant. Granite occurs in the region, but was not seen within several miles of the wolframite locality.

Nevada. Hübnerite occurs in quartz veins at Round Mountain on the property of the Round Mountain Monster Gold Mining Company. A small amount of concentrates was taken out in an experimental run in 1907, but there was no production during 1908.

Hübnerite is reported to occur in the Paradise Mountains, Nye County, 60 miles north of Tonopah in a quartz vein cutting granite. Specimens show small amounts of scheelite also. Gold, silver, copper, fluorite, biotite, and pyrite accompany the tungsten.

A scheelite deposit, occurring in metamorphosed limestone at its contact with granite was under course of development, 4 miles from Browns, Humboldt County, during the year. The scheelite occurs in small grains through the altered limestone accompanied by garnet and other metamorphic minerals.

Hübnerite occurs at Ellsworth, Nye County, 65 miles southwest of Austin in quartz veins cutting granite. The veins were worked for silver in the early sixties, and there are said to be large quantities of tailings at the mines which carry a considerable percentage of

a Private communication from Gordon Surr, San Bernardino, Cal.

hübnerite. Fluorite, biotite, and orthoclase occur with the hübnerite, and the ore is stated to carry $4 in gold per ton.

One and one-half miles from Oak Springs, between 40 and 45 miles north of Johnnie siding, a claim has been prospected which carries some scheelite accompanied by powellite (calcium molybdate). The powellite resulted from the alteration of molybdenite. The occurrence does not seem to be of commercial importance.

At Osceola deposits have been under development which consist of hübnerite-bearing quartz veins which reach 3 feet in width and cut granite porphyry of post-Carboniferous age. The ore is in shoots and is accompanied by small quantities of scheelite, fluorite, and pyrite. Gold and silver are shown by assay, but the amount is not sufficient for economical recovery. Some hübnerite, part of which is said to have been rich pieces of float ore, has been shipped, but there have been no shipments for several years. Ely, the nearest railroad point, is 45 miles away.

Arizona.-The principal tungsten deposits in Arizona are those located about 4 miles north of Dragoon, Cochise County. There are a great number of quartz veins which cut a rather coarse granite and carry hübnerite with small quantities of white to honey-yellow scheelite, and pyrite, chalcopyrite, and fluorspar. Some mining has been done on the veins by the Primos Chemical Company, of Primos, Pa., but a much larger production has been made from placers formed through the weathering and degradation of the country. Some placer hübnerite was produced in 1908.

Hübnerite is described as occurring under similar vein conditions at Arivaca, 72 miles south of Tucson, in the Guijas Mountains. The distance to railway transportation is so great that little has been done with the deposits. During 1908, however, a shipment of ore was made from the Tungsten No. 3 claim by J. L. and Chas. E. Udall. Seven and one-half miles north of Nogales, near the Southern Pacific Railroad, are deposits of wolframite, the geology of which seems to be similar to that of the deposits near Dragoon. A small quantity of scheelite accompanies the wolframite. There has been little development work on the deposits, and only a small quantity of ore has been shipped.

In the Whetstone Mountains, about 12 miles south of Benson, wolframite occurs in peculiar segregations in a white granite and in a quartz vein cutting the granite. The wolframite appears to be an original constituent of the granite, just as hornblende or biotie occur in other granites. The Euclid Mining Company made a small production from the deposit, but work has ceased. The deposits are briefly described in Bulletin 380 of the Survey."

Eighteen miles northeast of Yucca, Mohave County, wolframite occurs in quartz veins cutting a siliceous mica schist. No production is known to have been made.

For several years Williams and Pittman have been producing wolframite from deposits in the Aquarius Range, 12 miles east of the Big Sandy, 50 miles southeast of Kingman, and not far from Owens. Several other tungsten-bearing localities are reported in the same general region, but nothing is definitely known of them.

Scheelite occurs with gold and silver in the Maudina mine, Old Hat district, Santa Catalina Mountains, Pinal County, northeast of

a Hess, Frank L., Note on a wolframite deposit in the Whetstone Mountains, Arizona: Bull. U. 8. Geol. Survey No. 380, 1909, pp. 164-165.

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