MINING MAGAZINE : DEVOTED TO Mines, Mining Operations, Metallurgy, &c., &c. EDITED AND CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM J. TENNEY. VOLUME ONE. FROM JULY TO DECEMBER, 1853. PUBLIC NEW-YORK: PUBLISHED AT 142 FULTON-STREET John F. Trow, Printer, 49 Ann-street. 1853. 7 THE MINING MAGAZINE: DEVOTED TO Mines, Mining Operations, Metallurgy, &c. &c. VOL. I.-JULY, 1853.-No. I. ART. I.-INTRODUCTION. WHEN the miner sinks his shaft into the bosom of the earth, penetrating the unstratified rocks, which like walls of adamant forbid his progress, unheeding the floods of water pouring upon him from above, or the springs which gush up at his feet, fearless of the darkness gathering faster and faster as he advances, or the deadly vapors which begin to float thickly around him, it is to obtain the iron, the coal, the copper, the silver and the gold which have given to the hand of man such an invincible dominion over the physical world. These wonderful treasures, imperishable as the eternal hills, congealed in the hardest rock, made pliable only by the all-devouring element of fire, have given him strength to subject all nature to his use and pleasure. Those heroic spirits who first gathered the metals and worked at forges in the childhood of our race, were esteemed as worthy to be second only to the gods, and the fruits of their labors were called "thunderbolts" of power. Their names have been en rolled in the sacred annals of men. The nation with a fertile soil and inexhaustible mineral treasures, possesses elements with which a hardy people may aspire to supreme command over mankind. Our country presents all which the most stupendous ambition could desire, its boundaries are enlarged to the utmost limit; its soil yields the productions of almost every zone, and all our national energies have been exerted in their cultivation and diffusion. Our commerce is sprinkled on every sea, and our flag floats in every breeze. Has not the time come for us seriously, and in full strength, to attempt the exploration of our mineral treasures? Apart from the allurements of gain, has it not become a duty, resting on us, now to enter extensively upon the development of these hidden stores, and pour them into the treasury of the world, thereby to promote the comfort, increase the happiness, and aid the improvement of the mass of mankind? The rapid progress of geological science has rendered essential service in the development of the riches within the earth. It is at once its object and boast to redeem the search after metallic ores from the hazard which in times past attended it; to teach the miner to discard the belief in sinister influences, and evil spirits, by showing that these substances have not been distributed by chance, but that each is referable to some peculiar geological deposit; to direct the inquiry for them upon fixed principles, and in conformity with the laws which regulate their occurrence. If we suppose a shaft to be sunk, or a perpendicular excavation made into the earth, upon the border of an extensive plain, skirting a mountainous district, it will first pass, for nearly a hundred feet, through layers of loam, clay, and sand. This deposit from an existing river is denominated alluvium, being the earth resting upon the rocks. The second formation succeeds, which is called drift, or diluvium. This is composed of coarse sand and gravel, with fine sand, containing large rounded masses of rock called boulders. The third series of strata through which the shaft penetrates is composed of layers of clay, sand, gravel, and marl, with occasional beds of quartz and limestone. They contain many petrifactions and are usually horizontal; they are all called tertiary. After these come the secondary, composed chiefly of solid rock, mostly made up of sand, clay, and pebbles, cemented together; in this series of strata are found many remains of animals and plants, greywacke, limestone, sandstone, coal, lias, clay, marl, green sand, and chalk. Beneath these are the primary rocks, which are destitute of organic remains, and have a structure more highly crystalline, and are inclined at a greater angle to the horizon. Here are found granite, gneiss, mica slate, limestone, gypsum, talcose slate, hornblende slate, quartz rocks, and clay slate. It is in the primary and secondary rocks that metallic veins are most numerous... Copper is found in the greatest abundance in granite and in the schistose or shity rocks above it, although it also presents itself, but in less abundance, as high in the secondary series as the new red sandstone Lead is chiefly confined to the carboniferous limestone, it is often associated with the ores of silver, but more commonly with those of zinc, copper, and iron. Silver is mostly found in the primary and secondary rocks, and, like many others, occurring in veins which sometimes communicate with fissures beneath, and have probably been occasioned by deeplyseated subterranean agency. Gold offers an exception to the general rule of metals existing in veins; it is disseminated in minute quantities throughout those rocks (usually of a quartzose character) in which it occurs, and is chiefly obtained in alluvial gravel resulting from the decomposition of such rocks, or from the sands of rivers which, flowing over them, have washed out the particles of gold. It is in the alluvial soil on the banks of the Sacramento that the rich gold washings occur, which have attracted so many to the shores of California. Platinum, together with zircon, the diamond, and many other gems, is also found in alluvial deposits, their original source being, probably, the same as that of gold, while iron is usually found associated with coal and limestone, without both of which substances it would be almost impossible to reduce this valuable ore to a metallic state. There is a mineral substance which, by some, may be regarded as more precious than gold or silver, the occurrence and profitable discovery of which geology is able to determine, and that substance is coal. If the mines of the precious metals were closed at once, and gold and silver no longer obtained for use, mankind could, after some considerable revolution in adopting other representatives of value, progress nearly as before; but deprive civilized communities, especially those of the Old World, of their coal, and it would be a catastrophe almost fatal to their welfare and happiness. From that moment when her supply of mineral fuel was exhausted, and her last coal-field consumed, would the future historian of the revolutions of empires, date the decline and fall of Britain's power. No longer would she be the great factory of the world; no longer would she triumph over time and space, and traverse, like ourselves, land and ocean, with a rapidity almost incredible; her steam power would be annihilated, and with it her prosperity and supremacy as a nation. The importance of developing the deposits of mineral treasures, requires no argument at this day. It only remains to speak of the part we propose to take, in connection with a subject of such extensive magnitude and national interest. And here we would prefer to be judged by our deeds. If we can aid to extend the interest felt in this branch of industry, to diffuse both scientific and practical knowledge, to point out the dangers and shoals to be avoided, to make known the labors and the worth of those who, unnoticed and unknown, have toiled in this field, and given the fruits of their diligence to mankind; or if, in a word, we can add in any degree, by our efforts, to the mass of national wealth and happiness and prosperity, our enterprise will not be in vain. Every subject which can be interesting or useful to those engaged in mining, or in the manufacture of metals, or trading in ores and other minerals, will be embraced from time to te; for |