New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-21
Az ACTIVE MINING DISTRICT.

SALT LIKE CITY. Utah, Oct. 21.-There are more
life and activity to-day in PaIleys Park than in any
other mining district in the vicinity of Salt Lake
Citv. Everywhere within radius of three or four
miles Of the Ontario Mil new mines are being
opened or prospect holes explored, and new discov
cries the order of tho dav. While Little Cotton
wood and Bingham are either standing still
making very slow advances. Park city Is growing
with remark able rapidity. and every one who has
an interest there is looking for a boom" next
year. When returning to salt Lake City day or
two ago. from the Park saw several companies OF
fortune-huniers going IN with their families and all
their bly, possessions loaded into small wagons
"A kind of inin grafton which have seen very lit
tie of since my visit to Leadvlle early IN the SUM-
mer and one which proves that the fame Of the
camp has reached othTm ningregons in the Rocky
Mountains.
One of the first discoveries ever made IN Pariey's
Park OF rather one of the first that considered
important and attracted wide attention, that OF
the McHenry. about two miles southeast of Park
City. on the Provo River sid Of the divide. This
mine was very widely advertised. but old Cali
fornian who visited it the early days has told me
thar II was never more than promising pros
pect" believe that the owners thought that they
had found great bluff thar was full of silver ore,
and that it was true that the rock. which was SO
mountain Of silver, did contain argcntiferous ore
in small quantities; too small. however TO make
the operation OF the nine profitable Before the
worthlessness OF tie mine was demonstrated the
property was sold TO foreign capitalists for
large sum, but think 1t never paid them anything.
and work upon II suspended for several years.
Recently operations have been resumed by some
gentlemen. of whom Mr. Chambers superintendent
of the Ontario Niue, IS the cIei, with view. not
Of taking out the rock which was formerly found
be lean, but of discovering "a continuation of the
Ontario vein on the McHenry ground. This com
Dany has bond on the property. and as they have
been very much encouraged by the discoveries they
have made. Will probably purchase it.
At the time when the McHenry Mine was attract
ing attention only a little prospecting had been
done on the Ontario. and no one suspected how
valuable il was. The first silver mill built at Park
City was the MaIsac, owned by Michigan COM
pany which made the common mistake of investing
their money IN machinery for the reduction IF ores
before they ascertained that they were likely to
have ores 10 reduce. They soon found that mill
without mine or with an unproduclive mine
a bad investment. Hundreds of others, in new mill
lug camps, before and since, have undertaken to
cook their hare before thew caught him.
But the Marsac Mil was a good investment for
Park City If not tor owners. II FASTENED the de-
veloDment of the Ontario Mine. the Of which
alone has made the district attractive and given it
a future When Messrs. Tevis, Haggin & Hearst.
the California firm which has become so well known
in connection with the development of the Black
Hills mines. and who seem to make success Of
every mining operation in which they engage,
bought the Ontsrio Mine and began to operate it.
they leased thus mill. and it not until the prop
ertv WIS proved t. be valuabe-not, indeed. until
II had earned enough money TO pay for "a
NIL OF It's Own-that there any expen-
dture for that purpose. The Ontario Mine, when
purchased by the wealthy CalifOrnians five or SIX
years ago was only prospect. well-defned VEN
had been opened and free milling easily worked
ore of far grade had been found, but nothing had
been done to demonstrate the extent OF the deposit,
and the amount paid for the mlne-abOut S35, 900,
believe-was probably all that II vas worth at that
time The new owners began operations at once
with that boldness and hberality In the expendl-
ture of money that characterize all their enterprises
and which seem invariably to insure them success.
They are said to have spent 100000 before the
mine began 10 pay expenses; but when IL did begin
to make RETURNS it exceeded all expectations Since
the stock OF the Ontario Nine sold in NewYork
for 500 share 1t has returned S24 each share in
the shape of dividends besides paying for extensive
improvements and for the erection Of new hosting
works in the place of those destroyed BY fire about
a year aqo Although the mine at the time Of that
disaster filed with water and suspended operations
for months, the amount of ore on hand was sufil-
Gent to keen the mill running all the time. and there
was no suspension of dividends.
AS the Ontario Mine is the only one in PaTley's
Park that il producing in large quantities, and
as il IS popularity believed that the future Of the
district depends upon the attendant upon
the efforts now being made TO trace the Ontario
vein spent more time during my recent visit 10
Park City in examining that mine and look
ing over the country east and west OF IL than
in visiting prospects" hat seem 10 have no con-
necton with it. 1t very probable that there may
be good mines in other parts of the Park, but they
are not Just low held as high esteem. The gem
eral direction of the Ontario vein is east and west
with dip TO the north but near the point of dis
coverv there is a slight change in its direction, and
il IS very probable that there may be other bends
discovered when it Is followed III one direction or
the other Near the eastern end Of the Ontario
claim the vein NAV be seen very plainly but 10
barren. Going toward the west a short distance
the free-milling TO the surface. and from
that point seems TO ike into the ground to the
west the base ores being found nearer the surface
the further explorations made. In other words,
the free ores lie on topOf the base Ores should
expect them 70 do, but are shallower on the west
ern end of the Ontario claim than the centre or
further to the east.
The developments ofthe mine consist Of two shafts,
the older 5OO-ieet deep, and the newer, further
west, 600 feet These connected by drifts on
the VEN. which also extend in both directions
from the stations 100 feet apart and besides these
large stoues have been worked out above the 500
loot level The ore now beng mined IS very base
and has 10 be carefully treated before going % the
stamps and matchmaking pans, bus its grade Is
good, probably IN the neighborhood OF 100
ounces 10 the ton. some mining much higher and