PREFACE. The State Mining Bureau is maintained for the purpose of assisting in all possible ways in the development of California's mineral re sources. As one means of offering tangible service to the mining public, the State Mineralogist for many years has issued an annual or a biennial report reviewing in detail the mines and mineral deposits of the various counties. The weak point in work of this character has been that the results of field investigations were so long in preparation that they had lost much of their usefulness by the time they finally appeared in print. As a progressive forward step in advancing the interests of the mineral industry, publication of the Annual Report of the State Mineralogist in the form of monthly chapters was begun in January, 1922. A monthly publication admits of several improvements over the old method of procedure: Each issue contains a report of the current development and mining activities of the state, prepared by the district mining engineers. Special articles dealing with various phases of mining and allied subjects by members of the staff are included. Mineral production reports formerly issued as an annual statistical bulletin are published herein as soon as returns from producers are compiled. The executive activities, and those of the laboratory, museum, library, employment service and other features with which the public has had too little acquaintance are reported monthly. The assistance formerly given to producers and consumers by consultation or correspondence only, is also proffered through this medium. While current activities of all descriptions will be reported in these Chapters, the Bureau will not discontinue its practice of issuing from time to time technical reports on special subjects. A list of such reports now available is appended hereto, and the names of new bulletins will be added to that list in the future as they are completed. The Chapters will be subject to revision, correction and improvement. Constructive suggestions from the mining public will be gladly received, and are invited. The one aim of the Mining Bureau is to increase its usefulness and to stimulate the intelligent development of the wonderful latent resources of the State of California. 'Mining in California' is sent without charge to those on the Bureau's exchange list and to all others who make written or verbal request. Pages are numbered consecutively throughout the year and an index to the complete reports will be included annually in the December number. ANNOUNCEMENT. In future, the publication of Mining in California' will be quarterly instead of monthly, and the next issue will be dated July, 1923. We find this action necessary principally owing to lack of available funds to meet the cost of printing. DISTRICT REPORTS OF MINING ENGINEERS. In 1919-1920 the Mining Department was organized into four main geographical divisions, with the field work delegated to a mining engineer in each division working out from a local branch office. This move brought the Bureau into close personal contact with operators, but did not materially shorten the time between the gathering of data in the field and their publication in the Report of the State Mineralogist at the end of an annual or biennial period. Mining activities and development noted by district engineers in their respective fields are now embodied in monthly reports published in each issue of 'Mining in California,' thus making these data available within a maximum period of thirty days, and the Monthly Chapter as far as possible a compendium of current mining progress throughout the State. The counties included in each field division and the location of the local offices are shown on the accompanying outline map of the State. (Frontispiece.) Although the petroleum industry is but little affiliated with other branches of mining, oil and gas are among the most valuable mineral products of California, and a report by the State Oil and Gas Supervisor on the current development and general conditions in the State's oil fields is included under this heading. Shasta County. REDDING FIELD DIVISION. W. BURLING TUCKER. Mining Engineer. COPPER MINES. Arps Group of Mines is located in sections 20, 21, 28 and 29, T. 34 N., R. 3 W., one and one-fourth miles north of Copper City, in the Pittsburg Mining District. It comprises fifteen patented claims, totaling 250 acres, adjoining the Copper City claims of the Shasta Zinc and Copper Company. Owners are William Arps and R. M. Saeltzer of Redding. Elevation 900 to 1200 feet. The property is located on the Copper City lode; the shear zone in which this lode occurs traversing the Bully Hill rhyolite and having a general course of N. 30° W. The ore is pyrite, sphalerite and chalcopyrite with barite as a gangue. velopments consist of six tunnels, two shafts and several crosscuts and winzes, aggregating over 3000 feet. The most extensive workings are confined to the Globe, Hearst and Kaiser Wilhelm claims, as follows: No. 1 tunnel on the Globe claim is 120 feet long, coursing N. 45° E. Seventy feet from the portal a winze has been sunk 25 feet deep and crosscuts run east and west. A streak of ore was developed which is said to have assayed $40 gold, 5 per cent copper and 400 ounces in silver. No. 2 tunnel, which is located on the Globe claim, is a shallow tunnel 450 feet in length, course S. 55° W. for 100 feet, then east 360 feet. Some streaks of ore were developed that are reported to have carried high values in gold and silver. Shaft No. 1, which is located near the southeast end of the Globe claim on Baxter gulch, was sunk to a depth of 50 feet, developing a lens of ore 8 feet wide, which is evidently the same ore body as was developed in the Baxter shaft on the Baxter claim, owned by the Shasta Zine and Copper Company. The ore extracted from this shaft is reported to have assayed 6 per cent copper, with $28 in gold and silver values. Some 200 feet northwest of this shaft there is a massive outcrop of iron, which shows a heavy percentage of iron pyrite. The course of this outcrop is northwest and dip about 50 degrees to the southwest. No. 3 tunnel is on the Hearst claim and trends a little east of north, about 200 feet. Four crosscuts from 30 to 50 feet in length were driven to the east of these workings. The third crosscut shows 26 feet of low grade ore, which is reported to carry $6 in gold and 9 ounces in silver. No. 4 tunnel, which is located on the Kaiser Wilhelm claim, is a crosscut tunnel driven N. 40° E., 500 feet. At 100 feet from the portal it cut a series of parallel fissures with strike N. 30° W. and dip 50 degree southwest showing ore carrying chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and pyrite. Several small lenses of ore were developed about 10 to 30 feet in length, and from 2 inches to 3 feet in width. On the surface above No. 4 tunnel and about 150 feet south of No. 5 tunnel, in an open cut there is exposed 15 feet of sulphide ore, which occurs along the main shear zone. No. 5 tunnel, which is located on the north end of the Kaiser Wilhelm claim, is driven N. 40° E., 400 feet. At a distance of 175 to 200 feet from portal it cut a lens of low-grade ore, containing galena, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and pyrite. On the surface about 100 feet above this tunnel, the shear zone is well-defined, having a general course of N. 30° W. dip 60 degrees southwest. Ore was mined at this point by open cuts and shallow tunnels, which is said to have carried high gold and silver values. Several cars of ore have been shipped from the property to the Mammoth smelter at Kennett and are reported to have averaged $20 per ton in gold and silver values. Equipment consists of blacksmith shop and tools, compressor-house, Chicago pneumatic compressor, air drills, cars and track. Idle. Bibliography: State Mineralogist's Report XIV, p. 761, Bulletin Colma Copper Group of Mines, located in sections 6 and 31, T. 33 and 34 N., R. 5 W., 6 miles west of Kennett, in the Backbone Mining District. It lies between the Uncle Sam and Mammoth holdings, at an elevation of 2400 feet. Owners are, M. E. Dittmar, of San Francisco, and Louis Monahan of Winthrop, California. The property is under bond to the American Zinc, Lead and Smelting Company, 1012 Pierce Bldg., St. Louis, Missouri. C. B. Nichols, superintendent. This group of claims is being developed through No. 5 tunnel level of the Uncle Sam mine in hopes of picking up the direct extensions of the Mammoth mine ore trends, along the so-called 'California fissure' or shear zone. The trend of the tabular ore deposition has been developed in the Mammoth mine, from the point of original exposure for a distance of approximately 5000 feet through the Mammoth property towards the Colma Copper boundaries. This is a very interesting piece of development work, and the logical point for further and deeper development of the Mammoth ore bodies. |