Page 40 - The Mines of Kingston, New Mexico

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Percha district, and at the same time opens the eyes of the investi- gator to another new and extremely interesting field of mineral re- search. This, because so far as yet known it is entirely unlike any other mine yet discovered hereabouts, and is representative of a class
of mines that may yet prove important factors in the make-up of those upon which the town of Kingston depends for support. Those who have read the description of the formation as given in the pre-
ceding pages of this pamphlet, will remember it is stated that " In some places the porphyry fails to intrude itself clear through the limestone to the surface, but after rising to a certain plane, has spread out and is found in the condition of an interstratafication in the sedimentary rocks. Hence it is that the lime sometimes appears overlyingtheporphyry." TheformationoftheGreyEagleveinis a perfect illustration of this. The ore is found lying on top of the porphyry and underneath the limestone, which latter rock forms the surface of the hill into which the main workings have been driven. The consequence is that so far as exposed the vein is a contact, with a lime hanging and a porphyry, or trachyte foot wall. As it was o'riginally formed the vein would never have been discovered, but the erosive force that made the Lake fork of South Percha canon, scored off the mass of overlying rock down to and below the apex of the vein, at the particular point where the prospectors discovered it. This erosion also caused the apex of the vein to assume a horse-
shoe course so that riow.it is traceable from a point where it rises out of the bed of the creek at the east, westerly about 800 feet, south-
erly across the creek and then easterly back again for a long distance, conforming always to the contour of the hills through which it passes. The vein shows continuously for a distance of several thousand feet, and varies in width at the different openings, from two to fifteen feet* It is exposed in numerous workings, the princi- pal being those on the Grey Eagle mine. The first is a small cut just above the creek, which shows approach to the vein and will probably reach it in a tew feet further. The second is an adit in about fifteen feet showing a splendid breast of ore. The third is farther up the hill upon the course of the vein and has also an ex- cellent showing of ore in sight. On the south bank of the creek a tunnel is in about twenty-five feet but evidently below the vein, al- though some ore has been taken from it. Throughout the excava-