The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1882-05-20
THE BANNACK BONANZAS.
Resumiug OF Opening and Developing
work ON Rich Gold 1tness
Gold Bonanxas That VIII Again fielo
Plenty Of the Precious 4etal.

fl0nty OF Sne 1EocAVes
For the past three years the Bannack'
Marvsville gold quartz mines nave Only
been operated to \ limited extent. Inc
partial suspension of work on the quartz
mines Is attributable to various causes: On
the famous Dakota vein a depth has beer
reached that will require steam hofstine
machinery or the tapping Of the vein deer
by means of tunnel driven from the wes'
through the hill on which the Dakota Is 10
Gated. The Wadams mine has been work
ed to az great depth as 1t can be prohtaDiy
bv hand windlass hoisting process. Inc
celebrated Excelsior mine, rich on top IN
free. milling gold quartz, had turned into
iron ore, rich In gold, but too base to 6e
| milled with profit. The small, five.stamr
| mills of the district can not profitably re-
duce the immense bodies Of low grade, free
milling ore opened up In the Bee Hive,
Bannack, Wadatns, French, st. Paul, Penn
sylvania and other mines. These causes
with others of q local nature, had the effect
to produce almost an entire suspension Of
mining operations in the pioneer camp Of
Montana, and that, too, when there was
an abundance Of paying ore IN the many
mines Of that camp
Recently Messrs. Wallace s. Brannagan,
two experienced practical miners, bonded q
number of these Bannack-Marysville gold
properties, and Immediately commenced
the work Of opening and developing them
in more thorough and systematic man.
ner than was ever attempted in the district
before. Under their supervision forces Of
miners have been put on q number of the
mines bonded, and notwithstanding large
rs AnaA 1.,r~~1 hoA vanNoeooN{1V IN
be performed they are making rapid prog
sumption of work on the mines marks an
mack District for, there is little room to
doubt that within short time these mines
famous in the past for their production Of
goodwill once more take their place In
the list Of the paying bonanzas Of Montana.
Opening work on the Excelsior mine Is
actively pushed ahead. The tunnel, which,
is in $40 feet, is being driven by day and
night shifts, to make the connection with
the cid workings at the main shaft. The
main shaft has been cleaned out, and a
cross.cut will be driven from the shaft to
meet the advancing tunnel, thereby making
quick connection. At soon as this Is nc.
connplished station will be cut out at the
tunnel level in the main shaft. when the
work of dropping the shaft on the ore vein
will be resumed. The facilities for sinking
the shaft, when this connection is made,
will be excellent as all waste and ore com.
ing out can be CARED through the tunnel
and dumped on the west side Of the noun
tain. This will save the hauling of the ore
over a steep mountain.
The Excelsior vein is to I've opened 100
feet deeper than the old works The vein
at the place where sinking will be resumed
is solid sulphides of iron, rich in gold, and
averages oyer four feet in thickness. This
ore is of white, yellow and darkish blue
tints. Assays, run Sos, $8s and SITS in
gold to the ton-average, $88os. Select
ore assays over $500 In gold.
On the Bannack mine the sinking of the
main shaft to depth Of ninety feet on the
hanging wall has developed an enormous
zone of free milling gold quartz. Cross
cuts show the vein to be from twenty five
to forty feet wide. When the shaft has
reached the Ioo.loot level. the vein will be
cross.cut again. The Bannack ore mills
from 81, Sill, to $35 In gold to the ton.
Four hundred feet south OF the main shaft a
new opening, by tunnel, has been made on
the Bannack mine. At this opening twen-
ty.fve feet of ore similar in character and
grade to that found in the main shaft has
been cross cut. The amount of milling ore
now opened in the Bannack is almost In
calculable.
Messrs. Wallace & Brannagan have also
resumed work on the Pioneer mine, anoth.
err of the bonded mines. The sinking OF a
new shaft, to connect with the old work.
ings, Is under Roadway. This shaft, when
It strikes the opening below, will be one
hundred and fifty feet deep on the Pioneer.
The Pioneer vein is wonderful in width-it
being fully 60 feet from wall to wall, of
milling ore. The ore runs So to $6 per
ton. The facilities for working the ores of
the Pioneer n:ine,expeditiouslv and cheaply,
are the best. The ore can be carried on
cars through the Pioneer tunnel-{which
has been driven from the face Of the Ma.
rysville bar to the vein)-and dumped into
a mill on the banks Of Grasshopper Creek.
No stopping has been done on the Pioneer
A shaft, from the tunnel level, has been
sunk sixty feet deep III the ore, from the
bottom OF which a cross.cut, from wall to
wall, shows sixty feet Of ore From this
cross.cut level has been advanced one
hundred and forty feet In the ore body.
Work is to be resumed on the Wadams
and st. Paul mines shortly. The Wadams
has been great ore.produccr, and there is
large quantity Of ore in sight in the mine.
The Wadams and Bannack are on the same
ore-belt, which fact has been conclusiyely
demonstrated BY the opening recently made
on the west Of the Bannack ground in the
direction Of the Wadams.
On the Dakota mine the resumption Of
work has not yet commenced. Messrs,
Carhartt, Trask & Graves, and Phil She.
non, own the Dakota from the discovery to
NO. 10, west. The mine has been worked
to as great depth as it can profitably be
with horsepower whims. The Pioneer
tunnel, from the Marysville side of the
mountain, when driven through, will tan
the famous Dacotah vein below the old
workings. The driving OF this tunnel en-.
terprise through the mountain will require
capital, but will open the pioneer gold bo.
mana OF Montana in shape to work It
Spring Mountain District,
Parties just over from the Spring Mo,n,
tain mining district, in Eastern Idaho in.
form US that there is too much snow in tho,
district vet to do much work. The snow !.
NnNENN An vIvvN. T. A.