The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-06-16
GLITTERING COLL.
A Spicy Letter from Our Black
Hills Correspondent.
Some Interesting Notes about the
Father de Smet Mine.
Other mining Interests.
CENTRAL Cry, june etb. 1s7,

CENTRAL CITY, June 9th, 1878.
TO the Editor Of The Leader.
1t is said that twenty years ago the
good Father de Smet told of .smoun-
tains of gold" in the Black Hills, and
the mine to-day named in his honor is
ample corroboration of his statement,
for the de Smet mine is truly a noun
tain OF gold. Mines in most countries
are rather common place looking OBJ
jects, about the appearance of good
sized rabbit holes burrowed in the
ground, or shafts a few feet square
sunk perpendicularly, but as present
opened the de Smet exposes to view a
mass Of ore 80 feet in height by about
200 in breadth. This mine was struck
in 1876 by finding a piece of rock show
ing free gold, and by merely stripping
a few inches of gravel the whole of the
mountain was exposed and the mine
opened. 1t is quite a picturesque OBJ
ject overlooking Central and Golden
Gate, so much so that 1t has attracted
the pencil of the artist for Harper's
Weekly and a sketch ~ n will sbort,v
appear in that periodical. An expert
enced miner will at once recognize that
no such body Of gold bearing rock was
ever exposed above ground in any
mining country. and those who have
never seer a mine win simnlv supnose
the apnearance a vast onarrv of DARK
slate mixed with white ouarty Ana
All ru,s pAvs i
from the grass roots down II wo,,a
he a fair estimate tn saw hat there are
10. 600 tons of ore actuallv in siOht
How great the quantity in the mine II
is imnoss;ble tn sav. Init what ia known
is suf,cientlv vast to iustifv the state
ment that the de Smet mine has nv far
the largest bodv of GOLD haaripo roct
in the world. Thes1owest denth sunk
from the ton of the hin ia 1oo feet. and
the tunnels are being RIM resnactivalv
from the east and west aide of the
mine. each being about $50 feet in
length. AN the deptb of the shaft and
tbe whole length of the tunnels are in
ore and there IL Tins a known hodv ~
ore 1oOin height and ,oO in ,readtb
This ia unnarareled in the history ~
mining Take tbe side Of ! resnecta
b,o bloct IN a c;tv WITH. +broa t;,oas tha
height Of the highest buildipo and an
idea can be formed of h anormou.
foce ~ oo,d hoor;no roct cor,os,n,
tho Father do smst m;na II vii, he
readily understood hat the mine -
eos;,v wortad and OF ANAL axna,sa
Tho mnars III. noots o,a n.rohaa ~
tba mountain side drilling and blast
inc and With a topcb ~ the hand roll.
;no doun rn.sso. 81 roct twontv tors
n na;aht naw +raot hos inc. haor
,a;d ond tho toornort Of ore will be
ohopt ON toms nor dav Though n would
i've a.. oosv 70 nm y nm 70 tno ION.
Thoro orc now evo Mill and 10. stomns
crusbino from tbis mine The -clean-
-, mos nooaa uas+araov ora o,tho,ob
7 hove not axact eo,ras got ;ndc;n,
from the Weld ner ton and the amonnt
c,,shod tho s,m would no IN tha na;obl
borhood of $50 ooo ar $40 nm
One striking fact in connection with
mines in the BLACK Hills ia that M ore
has ever been selected az in almost all
other mining camps. The face Of the
nina ia simnlv MCKEE or blasted ont.
and all goes to the mill. It therefore
appears as low grade ore. We're a sell
ection of epay rock, to be made. there
are streaks in some mines here that
would run into the thousands.
To-day grading has begun for their
new mill on their own ground immedi-
atelv under the mine. within the
next five months it will probably be
running. The c~apacity of the mill will
he from lao to $50 tons per day. about
n third of What the mine conld easily
turn ont. But its ore will keep-it will
last 40 much longer.
THE NEWEST THING
in mills is tbe Union mill. and It il the
first bnilt IN the co-onerative ~principle
The owners are six in number Brewer
Moore q ca Colorado men. and the
builders Of the Cnnninobam Moore
Cassels and other first class mills here.