New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-10-24

Watef-mark 900 tons OF equaIy ROou Ol'' NV
ore in the south spur has all been removed. 1t was
262 feet long, 10 feet deep and feet vide and
produced S25O. 900 worth Of the precious metals.
The ore in the Lexington Mine. like the surface
ore in nearly all other mines in this camp, Is tie
composed sulphuret Of silver-a red earthly sub
stance easily mined and rapidly crushed IN Mill.
Its average assay value is about sixty ounces IN
silver and el5 in gold to the ton, Of which from 90
to 20 per cent Of the silver and 70 per cent of the
gold are saved in the process OF reduction. Judge
Davis has a ten-stamp mill. in which he reduces
about fifteen tons of ore day at au expense Tor
mining and milling. not including the cost OF pro-
speciing for new bodies of ore. of about 81 ton
lie estimates that there is enough remaining III
the Lexington Mine to supply bis nil for two or
three years 10 come. After tba, unless he finds new
reserves he will have to continue his workings be-
low the wltcr-line.
IMPLEMENTS BELOW THE WATER LINE.
Two years ago it was popular belief III Butte
that the mines OF this camp were worthless below
the wateI-ine, and that when tic surface ores bad
been taken out profitable operations would cease.
This theory was strengthened BY the experience of
almost every miner here. Beginning ut the grass
roots with hiel-.rade oTes. the deeper they sank
their shafts the ieancr he rock became until thy
reached the water-liue, and there n was generally
only Of low grade bat very base IN IT'S character
No one. tEeIeiore, who lad a. mime !-at was Niehhs
"a profit vns willing 20 incur the risk and eNpen'e
V0Til y.
lack OF excitement ana en- huslasul ABOUT the camp
that would have existed II 1t ha4 been supposed
that tie mines we've moro permanent IN tier char
there was one firm which did not accept this
Dopuiar theDry-iho Walker Brothers. Of Salt Lake
Ctv gen -m.u possessed of large capital and lOUg
experience ~ mining n titan. They houaht the
Alice Mine. ~ the extreme northern part ot tie
camp, lor mere song. about four years ago. ana
spent 100000 in dove oplDg IL above TIE water
line ard for mae inery TO rednce the ore. ~ soon
rs the mine had reimbursed them -o chat. 10 use
Western miners phrase, 1t was " on velvet they
boldly stIutA lulo TIE wafer. Nhch turN H"I
re- .chsa depth OF 2OJ feet there was very little To
encourage theu To 20 on. The ore was of low
grade and Xgen-.sc 10 reduce. The knowing ones
i'm Bate shook their heads and repeated what they
han often sad before, that the miac, OF TINS camp
were surface mines and never would phy Tor work
ing below the water.
B.- the Walker Brothers were not TO be 50 easily
discouraged. Their mill was running ou the soit
rock above watcg-line and earning enough not Only
10 pay the exp nses II mining and reducing H. hui
also for q Il improvements thas were necessary AID
iDr the experiment IN deep mining Bc-lu's, the
property had actually cost them nothing ana theE
had good ore enough IN light 20 net them several
hundfo thousand dollars prOht u. atler all, they
shoult iiad no valuable ina their deep shaft and
should co. cude az any time 10 stop work upon Il.
ihey could afford. therefore, g. per,cverc. The
vein Iius ~ nj am lr of ,out 500 80 that mixing
shaft prrpendcuiarly from its apex at TIE surface.
the work, alter short distance, WIS entirely IN
the granite country rock, and the ven could only
be reached bv level run out TO u nom the shalt
At dcpth of 300 ieet the sinS ng Of thc Shaft was
stopped aud the lode was cUi Ivy lcvCi. Inc ore
was found 90 be much better than al depth OF ZvO
feet, and further explorations which have since
been made proved the rock 20 be richer even
than that near tbs surface. GiVe WINES are now
being sunk from the bottom OF tins level. and tie
ere grows better in them every foot. IhcJ ar now
down about twenty Ave lcet
Encouraged by tnis the owner, ordered the main
SHAFT % Dc put down 200 feet moro aud IL Aa. l-tI
done. Ic,e,s aro now being cut 90 thc vcia from
stations 100 feet ard 900 lee, deep. 1n0 ON toe ~
OF nay Visit b the mine. September -, me former
Was thin forty feet and the latter within twenty
feet OF the point wneIe they ought to nter5ect me
vein. Evrry entefprslmg miue-oWner m b".'r ,
and capitalists in the East aud IN California nfe
waiting with very great interest FOR tie report, b
from these two new levels, for II the ore 30 tlc
d.Dth Ct 800 feet : rs good AS or better than that
al the depth If 800 feet the theory that the mines
Of this camp worthless below the watel -.inc
viii have been exploded. and others VIII have /
courage t. sink their shafts down into the water.
Tins experiment has been an extensive one. HE
Alice Mime has produced 100000 worth OF silver,
aud Its entire income has been expended upon IT,
A VISIT TO TIIE DEEP LEVEL.
Nv visit 10 the 5OO-foot level of the Alice Mine
was a rather novel and interesting one. ATaycd
in a pair OF miners rubber boots reaching above
the knees, "a gum coat aud oll-cloth hat, and
armed with candle, | stepped upon the cage, ac-
conpan,d by The superintendent, Dir DAY, aud |
We were lowered into the bowels "i the earl not
less smoothly AID much more rapidly than one
descend. by the elevators in IHE TRIBUNE Buld- /
ing. After passing the 3O0-ioot level the water
began to drip pretty freely and at the bottom 1t
poured down IN streams a. large q. man niger,
II almost impossible to Keep The candies ont al
the torrent. Ot water. Al the 1905 OF iNc Uit II
the great Knowles" pump recently received irom
Massachusetts, and put IN place III the mine. lis
capacity Is l.GO0 gallons Of water minute forced
M 10 TIE surface. 900 feet but was then working
ut il. >lowe.t speed throwing 800 gallons minute
Tins kept the mine clear. go
Then was very little 10 be seen in either of the
deep levels. In the lowest two or three men were
tunueilimr through the granite toward the VEN.
about 100 feet from thc foot of the shaft They
had alTcatv struck lead two or three Inches
wide "A little chute PROBABLY, from the main lode.
Returning to tie surface We loft our gum clothes
and then visited the three upper levels OF the nne
At "a depth OF 800 feet considerable development
has been made, and large reserves of ore nave been
LETT in sight. he argentferous rock IN this level
Is hard. carrying some base metal, making II ne
cessary L. roa il IN the process Of reduction and
assaying on an average fifty ounces or more 10 Il
ION The vein from wall 10 wall is probably
from twelve 10 twenty-five feet thick but the best
ore is found in "a streak about Oho-halt As timex.
The ore in the 1OO-foot Lowell Is decomposed, and
ASSAYS average about fifty ounces. There Is
ore enough now III sight to supply the twenty,
stamp mil for several wears. III good ore Is found
III the deepest workings new miii VIII be put up
and sIaft VIII he sunk 10 the norm oil ire
present one, 80 strike the vein ~ depth OF 500
feet. The hosting machinery, mil and al me I'M
provement, about the mine arc Of tie best charac-
ter and the entire management seems u be tx eel
lent.
GENERAL CONCLUSIONS.
have now described the general features or this
camp aud takcn the reader through some of the
representative mines. 1t oaly remains to give
few of the conclusions which have drawn from
my observations
/. The silver deposits of b. e are unquestonaby
more extensive than those = any other district in
Montana th.t has Yet been explored. The only
mines that have thus far been opened are THOSE IN
winch nay ore was fonnd at Ice surface bat | see
10 reason d0uht that scores perhap, hundreds. o
the leads IN which the quartz Is lean OF barren al
the surface will turn out To DE good mines "Dcn
they are prOspectcd to or lOw The water-ilnc. IL
j. the exception rather tiau The ruio Tor miners to
find rich ores at the YcIy top oi Lode
=. Ihr production of the camp, almost excu-
sIvrly from surface mining has thus far been about
81 800 900. ana the monthly product OF the mill' Is
about : 2J,OOO besides tie value OF the matte
made al the smcter ana that OF the ore shipped out