The Elk Mountain pilot., 1882-07-27

The sampling and purchase of the
ores l know can be made a profitable
success.
The ore-bins of this mill are now
full Of ore, principally from the Forest
Queen, which is making large out
put; ore is being produced in quantl-
ties from FIVE different places in the
mine.
From the mill to the Forest Queen
is not much OF a walk, and being the
best developed as well as one of the
oldest mines Of the camp, it, of course,
merltcd attention first. ! learn its
history to be briefly this +: The prop
erty was discovered in 1879, purchased
by the brothers Harlan and L. r.
Thompson for $40, 900, who organized
a private company, associating with
themselves such men as d. C. Dodge,
R. w. Woodbury., Mr.. Woodward,
of Denver; ". T. Holt and other
gentlemen Of like reputation and
means. The first years product of
the Forest Queen was over $4,000,
the shipping ores netting $3.50 to
$1,000 per ton in Denver and Pueblo
over and above the very expensive
cost of transportation and treating of
those days. This gave the mine a
reputation the country over, aside from
the remarkable specimens Of ruby and
native silver that were distributed all
through the east in various ways.
The winter of 10 and 80 found
the country new and still unprepared
for active prosecution of work during
the winter season. What work could
be done, however, was vigorously
pushed, drifts run from the bottom of
sixty foot surface shaft both ways,
some of the pay stcped out !; while at
the same tunnel was started on the
ore tace, at the end and lowest part Of
the claim. Here they had excellent
pay for time, but passed it. In the
slxty-foot shaft it was apparently gone,
cut off; at the end of one drift it was
pinched, at the other the ore had ap.
parently disappeared, and from this
the story wentssabroad for time that
the Forest Queen had lost her vein,
and gave the Ruby Mining District a
temporary "black eye 1t certainly
has been temporary, for the mine is
taking out an average of ten tons a
day, which amount in the next thirty
days can be trebled if it is desirable,
proving that the vein and ore is there
all right, and in larger quantities, as
well as of more value per ton than
tie owners allowed themselves to hope
for.
As I was allowed free run Of every
thing, prefer to state what | have
seen myself, draw my own deductions
Of the future, and try to plainly place
before your readers things as they are
now. rather than to take up and point
out the errors that have occurred and
which all realize and can understand
now. For it must be remembered
that here was formation of country
rock thatwas entirelynew to all miners,
rock the formation and characteris-
tics Of which are peculiar to itself.
The minels now working something
over forty men. under the direction of
the lessees of the surface ores, under
contracts for driving levels In con-
nection with the tunnel, and Others
in the direct employ of the company
at SO much per day.
The surface of the claim measures
1000 feet along the course of the
vein, by 265 feet in width, and when
ever could get or a part of the walls
in place, I found it carried a regular
dip approximating 450 to the south
east, the course of the vein beng about
northeast and southwest.
At the time of my visit found Mr..
L. R. Thompson, part owner and
lessee form the company of the sur
face ores, seated alongside of 1o-foot
hole, out Of which a couple of men
were handing out large chunks Of ore,
on which Thompson was exercising
himself with a hammer, breaking the
ore IN sizes suitable for sacking. l