The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-05
THE MINES.
some OF Butte'S BOnanzas-.They are
Opening BETTER on All Sides.
ihe Magma Charta-MoultOn-AIicc-Lex
Observation-Disclosures,
MAGMA CHARTA.

Which, iuuSC necessarily be hOlled dOWn to a
limited space, is but a faint showing of this
leviathan mine, The amount of opening
and developing work done on this mine is
great. Accompanied by Superintendent Hall,
eur reporter explored the Magma Charta yes
terday. The long tunnel, driven along the
vein for a distance of oyer 1900 feet. exposes
a vast vein of silver ore, varying in thickness
from ten to thirty feet. In this tunnel three
remarkably promising bonanza chutes of
rict ore have been cut through, opening up
ore bodies that are immense. Thousands of
ions OF ore cail be extracted from this mine
eXpeditiously. Assays run from 46 to .OS
ounces in silver to the ton, and the reserves
OF This Character of ore are, seemingly, meal
cnlab.e. Ore of a higher grade is found.
Work at the main shaft of the Magma Charta
consists of the driv ing Of four. levels on the
north vein of the mine. The levels are driy-
ell to the east and west on a strong vein of
hrst-class ore. The ore Aoisted from these
levels averages 50 ounces in silver to the ton,
and much of 1t is impregnated with back
sulphurets that assay over 400 ounces to
the ton. In these levels the ore is uniformly
good. A new dump-chute, with a capacity
of fifty tons, has just been erected.
THE MoTIToN.
A steady and ~tireless activity is manifested
at the Moulton mine every hour in the day
and every day in the week. The large three
compartment shaft has reached a depth of
27O feet, which is over one-third of the dis
lance contracted for sinking it. The shaft is
going through extremely hard granite that is
hard to drill and blast. Three eight hour
shifts are worked in the shaft, which, consid-
ering the hard rock to contend with, is
making fair progress downward. Within the
last few days the air had become so bad in
the bottom of the shaft that a pipe had to be
run down TO furnish air for the men below. A
small air pump, driven by hand, will be used
until the air compressors are put up, when
the difficulty will be overcome by a constant
supply Of fresh air. The powerful new
hosting works are nearing completion, and
when finished they will be models of solidity
and beauty combined in all their parts.
About fifty men are employed by the Moul-
ton company, and the greatest energy is en-
hibited in pushing the work forward. The
II inch pump and piping for the main shaft
are Oh the way and expected in a few days.
Their new steam saw mill has arrived and is
going to the timber, where it will be EN-
ployed to Its fullest capacity in emitting lum
Der and timber for the mill and mine. 1t is
the finest piece of machinery of the kind in
Montana territory.
ALICE.
Operations at the Alice mine, in all the
workings, progress entirely satisfactory. No
sensational developments are reported. In
all the upper levels of the mine, from the 800
foot level uptothe l00-foot level, the drifts and
slopes are being energetically worked, and are
producing an average daily output of ore
reaching about eighty tons. The ore coming
out is dumped into the 20 and 60-stalnp mills,
mixed into suitable proportions for success
full treatment, and comprising the different
grades of ore found in the mine. AT the
VINE on the north vein of the Alice, at the
50O-foot level, work is pushed forward with
vigor. The Wine is going down through a
fine vein of high grade ore of over seven feet
in thickness, and is now down oyer S. feet.
When it gets 100 feet deep d crosscut will be
run to the mann shaft, and thus establish the
60O-foot level of the mine OF the work at
the 700 foot level nothing "reportable" is d.
vulged for the present, but the strong pre-
49,. ~, Z, Chat tLo. x1o a.oa.o.A j.. IL;
such developments as will materially en-
nance the value OF the property on the stock
boards, when the moment for giving publlci-
ty to the facts arrives. Plenty of good grade
ore is raised from the mine, and some very
rich rock is found, showing lunches of silver
in coil and thistle-head shape.
LEXINGTON.
y superior quality of ore is hoisted daily
from the cid incline shaft at the Lexington
mine. Work of extracting ore from the east
level goes on regularly. The quality is first
rate and the quantity lifted daily averages
about l6 tons. The ore body Of the mine is
reported to be looking exceedingly fine. The
prominent position that the Lexington mine
occupies in the list of b~onanzas is fully main
tanned as the mine is worked, Yesterday
water was being holsted from the new shaft
by horse power and put into cisterns. Work
is to be resumed in sinking this shaft soon.
BELL.
The Bell mine is yielding about thirty tons
of high grade ore daily, and there is no call
to increase the yield at present. The east
level is developing a material improvement
both as to the size of the vein and the quality
of the ore, with favorable indications MS of
something big ahead. The first annual meet
ing of the stockholders of the Bell Company
is to be held on the Sth, when, without doubt,