Page 185 - The Geology and Ore Deposits of Sierra County, New Mexico - Bulletin 10

182 GEOLOGY AND ORE DEPOSITS OF SIERRA CO., N. M.
of 200 feet. The ore in this body was concentrated within a shallow basin formed by the dragging and folding of the beds along the fault in such a manner as to provide the maximum of favorable conditions for the concentration of an unusually rich body of silver ore. It is said that in the heart of this deposit, several carload shipments were made that ran over 400 ounces of silver to the ton, and that the cerargyrite was so massive that it was sawed from its position in the stope. The greater portion of the ore from here, however, was reported to have assayed be- tween 20 and 30 ounces of silver to the ton.
East of the Bridal Chamber a small deposit of ore was mined from the surface, and a second small deposit was removed from the Daly shaft at a depth of 50 feet. Farther down the dip of the beds no commercial ore was found, although considerable pros- pecting was done through the Daly, Office and Office No. 2 shafts. Along the contact of the Crinoidal limestone and Blue limestone, an almost continuous layer of the primary manganiferous-ferri- ferous-silver-bearing chert 1 to 2 feet thick was followed in these workings, but the bed was so far under the cover of Crinoidal limestone that it was not enriched.
BELLA WORKINGS
The Bella workings rank second to the Grande workings, both in the amount and grade of the ore produced. They are northeast of the Grande workings and include such well-known stopes as the Emporia Incline, Bunkhouse, Harrison, Strieby, Bella Chute, and the Last Chance workings. The Emporia In- cline ore body, which began as a narrow shoot under a few feet of wash, continued east 400 feet to the bottom of the basin, where the ore was found 150 feet from the surface. This was the deep- est place in the district from which ore was mined. The ore shoot then bent sharply toward the northeast, and rose gradually for 250 feet along the Harrison workings. It then turned toward the east to form the Bella shoot, which continued for 450 feet to the Columbia fault. The Incline ore, especially near the head of the incline, contained commercial quantities of lead in the form of ceiusite and galena. It contained a little iron, moderate amounts of manganese, and sufficient silica to make it a neutral ore. The central portion of the Bunkhouse stope contained much cerargyrite, while other portions yielded a basic ore containing some iron, much manganese and a small amount of silica. The eastern part of this stope produced an ore low in silver and silica, but so high in iron and manganese that it made desirable fluxing material.
Comparatively little ore was found in the Strieby, and although much development work was done and the area thoroughly prospected, there are few stopes. The Columbia workings north of the Strieby are close to the surface, and although insignificant amounts of work have been done, it was