To the northwest of the Good Hope Mine is the Victor Mine, formerly “La
Plomo.” This mine is now better known as the Steele Mine. The vein is a
foot or more in width, consisting of a highly crystalline quartz, in
which is disseminated a small amount of iron and lead sulphuret and lead
carbonate. The rock is quite rich in gold, some of it showing gold
without the aid of a lens.
A tunnel 900 feet in length had been run to develop the vein, on which
an inclined shaft had been sunk to a depth of 200 feet. Besides this
work there were numerous other superficial workings, in which quartz of
good grade was exposed. The vein occurs in a region of metamorphic
rocks, the foot wall containing much quartz and biotite mica. The
hanging wall is dark gray color, and quite fine-grained in texture.
Hornblende crystals are plentiful throughout the rock. Other rocks in
the vicinity are mica schist, chloritic rocks, quartzite, and other more
massive crystalline rocks. Granitic dikes (pegmatite) cut the formation
on all sides, none of them being very large. These dikes are
characterized by their exceptionally coarse crystallization. Good-sized
tourmalines, of jet black color, are numerous in the granite.