steam boilers, than dry wood. It can, therefore, be used to great advantage for generating steam and smelting ores.

Two analyses made by Dr. Torrey, of New York, gave the following

results:

The value of these beds of lignite is greatly enhanced by the simultaneous occurrence of fire-clay and iron ore. The former, found in layers from three to five feet thick between the different strata of coal, is of a grayish blue color, burns almost white, and compares favorably with the well-known standard clays of Europe. It has been used with the best success in the manufacture of muffles and scorifiers for assaying, and being equal to this severe test, it may be pronounced sufficiently refractory for all purposes. The iron ore occurs scattered over the surface, all the way from South Boulder to Coal Creek. At a depth not exceeding five feet, masses of a thousand pounds have been found in the sand, and though no defined bed has yet been discovered, the great quantity of superficial boulders gives ground for hope that such a deposit exists. The ore found is probably a weathered spherosiderite, now appearing as a limonite, containing from fifty to sixty per cent. of iron. Besides the iron it contains alumina, silica, and some manganese, and needs only very little lime as flux to yield an excellent pig-iron.

The importance of these coal and iron beds for the whole region west of the Missouri river cannot be overestimated. Professor Hayden, in his report on the lignites of the West, says: "Indications of large deposits of iron ore have been found in many other localities along the line of the Pacific railroads, and if the mineral fuel which is found here in such great abundance can be made useful for smelting purposes, these lignites and iron ore beds will exert the same kind of influence over the progress of the great West that Pennsylvania exerts over all the contiguous States. When we reflect that we have from 10,000 to 20,000 square miles of mineral fuel in the center of a region where, for a radius of 600 to 1,000 miles in every direction, there is little or no fuel either on or beneath the surface, the future value of these deposits cannot be overestimated."

Recently some trials have been made in Golden City to coke this coal, which are said to have given the most satisfactory results.

In the South Park extensive salt springs occur, and large works have been erected there, in 1866, by Rollins, Hall & Lane. The salt produced is said to be very pure; but owing to some cause, which I could not learn, it contains from 13 to 14 per cent. of water.* The principal drawback to the success of this enterprise, however, is the fact that the company are unable to work so cheaply as to exclude the competition of eastern salt; and at present all the reduction works, so far as I know, get their supply of salt from the East.

*This presence of moisture in the salt indicates, perhaps, a less purity than has been claimed for the product. Is it not due to the presence of other chlorides, more hygrescopic than the chloride of sodium -R. W. R.

SECTION IX.-NEW MEXICO.

CHAPTER LIV.

GENERAL GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SKETCH.

In their course through the northwestern and western Territories the Rocky Mountains form an almost continuous chain of great altitude. Entering the northern boundary of the United States, in latitude 490 north and 113° 52' longitude west of Greenwich, they follow a general northwestern and southeastern course through Montana, Wyoming, and a small part of Colorado. Here they deflect suddenly, at about latitude 40° north and longitude 1060 west, and, turning to the south, enter New Mexico between the 37th and 38th parallel, divided into two ranges, the eastern one of which is formed by high, lofty peaks and continuous ridges of great height, which terminate abruptly a few miles north of Santa Fé. The western arm consists of many detached mountains of less height, with low passes between them. This branch is called, in New Mexico, the Sierra Madre, and is the connecting link between the high mountains of the north and the equally lofty Sierra Madre of the republic of Mexico. In the northern Territories the dividing line of waters flowing to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans follows the highest and most continuous chain of the Rocky Mountains, but in San Luis Park, Southern Colorado, and in New Mexico, the lower western range forms the watershed.

This peculiar formation of the great mountain chain in New Mexico, its inconsiderable height compared with that of its continuations to the north and south, and the great number of still lower passes, undoubtedly point out the Territory as the most natural thoroughfare between the East and West; especially so, as in these southern latitudes the absence of deep snows in the winter presents an additional advantage for railroad lines.

On the eastern slope of the eastern arm of the Rocky Mountains, south of latitude 37°, rise the head-waters of the Red River, the Vermejo, Poñil, Cimarron, Ocaté, Coyote, Lapello, and Moro Rivers, all affluents of the Canadian; and the Pecos, one of the principal tributaries of the Rio Grande. On the western slope of the same chain the Costilla, Colorado, or Red River, the Arroyo Hondo, Rio del Pueblo or Embudo, Chimayo, Pojuate, and Rio Santa Fé, all flowing into the Rio Grande westerly, have their origin. It is a fact little known, but very interesting, that the Pojuate and Santa Fé, flowing west, and the Pecos, flowsouth-southeast into the Rio Grande, all head in the same lake in the mountains, about fifteen miles northeast of Santa Fé.

As mentioned above, the eastern range of the Rocky Mountains terminates abruptly north of Santa Fé. A high and wide plateau extends from here southward, between the Pecos and Rio Grande. The monot

On some maps there are two streams laid down-the Cimarron and the Cimmaron. The latter forms the headwaters of the Red fork of the Arkansas River. The former, here alluded to is one of the tributaries of the Canadian River, and so of the Arkan

ony of the landscape is interrupted by several isolated and low mountain chains of short extent, the Cerillos, Old and New Placer, Sandia, Manzano, Organ, White and Sacramento Mountains, which can hardly be called a continuation of the Rocky Mountains. Most of them are composed mainly of syenitic rocks, which, during their upheaval, broke through palaeozoic sandstones and carboniferous limestones. These latter are found generally on the flanks of the ridges, but sometimes also on their top. Both the syenites and carboniferous limestones are trav ersed by mineral lodes. Dykes of porphyry are frequently met with near the lines of intersection, and have either caused much disturbance in the stratification or metamorphosis of the adjoining rocks. Between and surrounding these mountains is the high plateau of New Mexico, almost level, and mainly underlain by tertiary and lower cretaceous rocks. The sandstone forms frequently table mountains, (mesas,) and contains in many localities beds of lignite and bituminous coal, two to five feet thick, alternating with layers of iron ore, fire-clay, and shales. The latter are frequently filled with large fossil leaves. Wherever eruptions and overtlows of porphyry have acted upon the formations containing coal the latter has been completely metamorphosed into a beautiful anthracite of excellent quality. This anthracite is proved to be of the same age as the lignites, by the fossils contained in the shales overlying both in the same succession. Variegated marls and beds of gypsum are exposed in many localities on this plateau. It is evident, therefore, that the larger portion of New Mexico has, in former ages, been a part of that large tertiary sea, which extended through nearly the whole section of the North American continent west of the Missouri, and forms now the eastern and western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The many isolated mountains and short ranges in the Territory of New Mexico undoubtedly were as many islands in that sea, before that part of the continent reached its present elevation.

Another characteristic feature of the geology of New Mexico are the extensive layers of lava, spread in several localities horizontally on top of the sandstone strata. A very large area is covered by them, for instance, between the Raton Mountains and the Canadian River. The craters of now extinguished volcanoes are found in many parts of the Territory.

many

of

Not less interesting are the great number of deep cañons of the rivers and creeks in New Mexico. In the northern part of the Ter ritory, for instance, the cañon of the Rio Grande, west of Taos, is over 1,000 feet deep, with walls perpendicular; the cañon of the Ocaté ents through a mountain; it is so narrow that it cannot be seen until the traveler stands at the very brink of the precipice, and frequently the river appears to run up hill. A correspondent writes, "It seems to be unlikely that these deep cañons could have been formed by gradual erosion from the surface alone, and it is quite natural in this country, where subterranean rivers are yet of frequent occurrence, to think of these as one of the causes of these abnormally deep cuts. The subsequent breaking down of the overlying strata and the gradual washing out of the loose detritus would appear to be a more reasonable explana tion of the phenomenon." I must decline, however, to accede to this hypothesis.

West of the Rio Grande del Norte, which traverses New Mexico from north to south, the same formations are met with as in the eastern part of the Territory. The principal mountains here are the San Juan Mountains, between the Conejos and Chama Rivers, affluents of the Rio Grande, and the Rio Blanco, one of the tributaries of the San Juan, an

affluent of the Rio Colorado of Arizona; further south, near the 35th parallel, the Sierra Madre proper, which consists of several isolated mountain chains, with low passes between them. Zuñi Pass and Navajo Pass are the most prominent. The projected line of the Kausas Pacific railroad passes through the latter at an altitude of 7,177 feet above the sea. From Zuñi Pass the Sierra Madre extends in a southeastern direction toward the Rio Grande Del Norte. Here the Madalena Mountains are situated. Another chain passes thence to the west, culminating in the Sierra Blanco near the boundary line, in Arizona Territory. Still further south the Pinos Altos and the unapproachable Burros Mountains interrupt the monotony of the tertiary plains. Between the Rio Puerco and the Rio Grande west of Santa Fé are the Jemez, and still further west the Nacimiento Mountains; north of them, those of the Tierra Amarilla and Abiquiu. All of them are known to be filled with minerals, but in most of them prospecting has not been carried on sufficiently to permit of giving details in this connection in my present report.

The climate of New Mexico is mild and very healthy, the sky as clear as that of Italy, and the air transparent and pure. In fact, the very act of breathing in this country makes existence in it a pleasure. The soil is fertile wherever water for irrigation is at hand. Most of the plains are covered with a very nutritious grass, (grama grass;) but some of them are waterless, dry deserts, so that artesian wells will have to be resorted to for a supply of water. The mountains are covered with pine, cedar, oak, &c., and, together with the flowery meadows in the valleys, present a very pleasing scenery to the eye.

CHAPTER LV.

THE MORENO GOLD FIELDS.

The total product of gold of this Territory for the year from July 1, 1868, to July 1, 1869, is, according to the best informed sources, $500,000, coin value. There was no silver produced during the year, with the exception of the small quantity which occurred alloyed with gold. Although there are rich silver mines in the Territory, which have been worked by the Spaniards and Mexicans during the past centuries, all of them lie idle at present, for reasons which will be given in another part of this report.

The increase over the gold product of last year is mainly due to the discovery and development of the new mines on the headwaters of the Cimarron River, a branch of the Canadian, (not the so-called dry Cimmaron, which empties directly into the Arkansas.) These mines are situate under 36° 30' latitude and 105° longitude from Greenwich, around Baldy Mountain, a high peak in the Rocky Mountains, on Ute Creek and Moreno River, both of which are affluents of the Cimarron. The Ute Creek mines lie about seventeen miles from the town of Cimarron, (Maxwell's Ranch;) Elizabethtown, the principal mining town of Moreno district, is situate about twenty seven miles west of the town of Cimarron, and thirty-five miles northeast of Taos. According to Mr. M. Bloomfield's measurement, Baldy Mountain is 12,908 feet high.