The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-05-31
LION CITY LETTER.
Operations Of the Hecla Company
The Property Paying Well Un-
der the New Superintendent
Examination Of the Company's
Mines Located at Lion City.


A letter relating to the mines OF this part
Of Montana, if not too tedious and long, may
prove of general interest, besides being cor
rect representation of the mining ind lstry as
it actually appears in this locality.
The mining operations of the Hecla Con-
solidated Mining &C Ccmpany, whose mines are
| located here at Lion City, are conducted on
very extensive scale, both rs regards the ex-
ktraction Of vast bodies of ore and the hand
ling of the same. Economy in the general
management Of the mines is observable, but
! it is not of that rigid or stingy kind of econ
| omy that is always calculated to PROSTATE a
great mining industry like the one the Hecla
company is engaged in. Last years opera
tions OF this company were not all entire sue
cess. The superintendent then in charge was
a novice in the mining business, and mere
expermenter in trying to handle a big acon-
cern. Hence, a failure followed. The bal
ance sheet at the end Of The last quarter for
the year 1880 showed company indebted
less Of S75, 900. AT this time new supp rim
tendent, Mr.. H. Knippenberg, took charge.
| The old supc rintendent retired to an Indiana
town, where he disposed of all his Hecla
shares at a very low rate for block thirty
day tenement houses, and industriouslv an
nounced that the Hecia's. mines had ''petered,''
and that Montana, as general rule, was
humbng Mr.. Knppenberg took charge
when there was cloud hanging over Hecla
affairs, but the company had good cres in
their ore-bins and in their mines. A change
in the mode of operations took place. and in
three months time the Indebtedness Of S15-
900 was vi ped out aud about S65, 900 Of a
margin TO the company's credit was left, after
paying all working expenses. Since then
everything has been running very smoothly,
with paying returns, and the company has a
bright fHture for tile rest Of the present wear,
aud, indeed, for number OF years to co,ne..
The present prosperity of the Heclas Com
pany is assured, and it's future success will
depend on the condition of its mines Their
| mines are all looking exceedingly well, with
a vast reserve Of good grade ore in sight. A
condensed report of some OF the principal
mines of the company win be of interest to
the mining public, and will dispel the delu-
sion that has partially gone abroad that the
f mines Of this section of Montana had been
bottomed and worked out. Through the
courtesy of Mr. James Parfet, mining super
: intendent of the company, your correspond
ent has been enabled to make a close and
f critical examination Of this properly, which
will be briefly reported.
Ine cluster OF mines on Lion Mountain
e known as the True Fissure, Sheep and Silver
Y Quartz. are all in excellent condition. Inn
1 portant ore developments have been recently
:, made that will be Of great advantage and viii
i yield large quantity of first class ore. The
: Cleopatra mine, located higher I'D the
i mountain, is showing splenddly. At a depth
\ OF 23U feet big vein of first grade ore is
: opened up, which averages fifteen feet in
e thickness, and from all indications is a bo-
# nanza that will yield an immense amount of
|. ore, the assay valne Of which is very satisfac
= tory. This ore strike is regarded as one of the
- richest ever made by the company, The ore
:, is soft carbonate and easily mined. Steam
: hosting machinery will be placed On this
- mine immediately which is now employi NO
large torce of men. The Atlantis mine.
worked to depth of 400 feet on an incline.
II has large amount Of hish grade Gre exposed.
a new pump has been put in this mine to dry
it OF surface water coming in. Work will be
vigorously pushed at thus plne which has
yielded thousands CT tons of ore in the past,
and which is in condition to produce much
= excellent ore III the future. An assay of the
= ore coming from the bottom of the Atlantis
IS shows 271 ounces in silver to the ton. The
% Cleve mine, located to the east of the Allan
~ tbs, is fine property, opened to depth of
4 45O feet by main shaft with levels run,
- which expose ore reserves OF almost unlimit-
. ed extent. In this mine alone the amount
= OF ore developed is sufficient, if so applied, to
II run the Hecla Company for two years. The
- franklin mine, another promising property
i of the company, has just been started up again,
u The resumption of work commenced at deptb
: OF l40 feet on a fine vein of carbonate ore,
s These are some OF tie principal mines of the
a company and the ore in sight in them, which
" y, can be easily and expedtiously extracted.
y may be counted, without the slightest ex-
,S aggaratlon, into tens of thousands of tons.
:, On the dumps, in the ore houses and bins of
+ the company, at present, it is estimated that
\ there are over $4,000 IONS of ore, of a first
:. and second quality, on hand. Their mines
70 are in such shape tlat daily ore product of
:, $50 tons may be readily obtsined by putting
y. OIL the required number of men. This ore,
~ at the low average of $40 per ton, would be
=, ~ worth $4,000 per day.
~ ~ Lion City is the center of the local trade of
81 these mines. The place is pleasantly located.
~ and, when the mines are running in full
~ blast, is always lively. Your correspondent
" was credlbly informed that the force of men
v would be doubled on the Hecla mines in a
" short time, and the present superb tendept
means business when he says so. In a stroll
through the town, an examination of the
;h property offered by Mr.. George E. Tarbell in
le the grand gift distribution TO take place in
Is Butte, showed the property 10 be the hest in
20 the town and TO be exactly as represented in
K the bills and circulars issued by him.
&c Taking a close view Of the mining situa.
re ton IN this portion of Montspa, it is yer,
iS tiattering, and the result of the Heela com
l. pany's operations fer the future will prove
m that this is no unfounded prediction
j. R. W.