Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-08-16
The Climax.

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the 10th Of last January, was, on thu
Monday following, placed under th'
superintendency of J. E. Pitcher, wht
brought to his assistance as foreman
Ed Geflord.
The property, as previously worked
showed up plenty of mica ofgood quail
ty but left the mine in an unsafe condi
ton rs no timbers Of any consequence
had been put in and which necessitatec
the extraction Of mica at considerable
disadvantage. At the present time how
ever, the mine presents altogether q
different appearance, its internal and
external workings are the envy Of all
practical superintendent and miners
and the extent Of the mineral shown uu
and its economical extraction should do
the owner proud and is pointed to with
justifable pride by the force employed.
Since the advent Of the present manage
ment the number Of men employed,
work done and mica extracted has been
as follows:
Work commenced with force Of ii
men and the pay roll shows that num-
Der up to the middle Of last month when
it was reduced to g. With this force,
besides making weekly output of 100
pounds Of mica, shaft, which is sunk
to the 100 foot level has been timber.
ed with ii inch material from bottom
to top, the inside measurement Of which
is 6x4 feet, two feet of this space has
been set Off for manway, giving miners
and others safe and convenient mode
of ingress and egress. From this shaft
drifts have been run on the 60 and 100
foot levels southwest and northeast from
the shaft and on the lead. On the 100
foot level the southwest drift is i'm IS
feet and the northeast 25 feet On the
60 foot level the sw drift is in rs feet
and the ne 50 feet. All four Of these
openings are the full width Of the lead,
averaging ii feet, and which is enclosed
with slate walls. The stull timbers i'm
these drifts are lSx22 inches in thick
ness and are placed i'm such position
that the more weight placed on them
the better they retain their position.
On these timber tagging is laid re-
ceiveing all surplus rock, filling
in the space where mica has been ex.
tracted. which not only strengthens the
mine but saves hosting. All the tim
bering done and a portion of the drifts
run constitute the dead work that had
10 be done in order to get the property
in shape for working it to advantage
and on its present economical scale
Sine the middle of July force of
only six men has been run on the prop
erly and are enabled to keep the output
up to its average of 100 pounds per
week. Ofthe above number 2 are en-
ployed on the GO foot level back stoping
and as the spar and mica is blasted out
it falls through an opening made by un-
derhand Stopping from the 60 to the 100
foot level where one shoveler is all that
is required to place it in the bucket
ready for hosting, which is done by
whim operated by horse power. AS it
reaches the surface one man takes the
bucket containing the waste which is put
on car and run to the dump. The
mineral is sorted by the shoveler at the
bottom Of the shaft, sent up separately
and sent to the mica house where enc
man does the sorting and cutting when
it is taken into weighing room and put
up into pound packages, marked and
packed ready for shipment, the latter
work being the self-imposed task Of
Supt. Pitcher, while the foreman is en-
ployed in directing work in the mine,
placing timbers' etc.
A personal examination Of the mine
on Thursday left us firm in the belief
that the Climax is one of the best mines
of which Custer county can boast, and
all the openings of the lead, which are
studded with mica, IS a guarantee of its
permanency. The quality of the mica
is A and the total amount produced to
date is S,440 pounds Of an average value
of $435 per pound, making the total
value of the output $36,7l4.
The superintendent and foreman in
form us that there is now enough ground
open TO rmn the present force or s
months, and with steam hosting works
the output could be increased to 400
pounds per week with an added force
sufficient to run four hammers. With
the mine in its present shape two ham,
mers are breaking more rock than
could be done with six when the prop
erty changed hands.
The property shows for itself and any
one the least skeptical in regard to the
permanency Of the mica industry of
Custer should visit it and be convinced
to the contrary. Every visitor is re
ceived with courtesy by those in charge
and kindly shown through the entire
workings and the modus operandi Of
preparing the product for market.
Why is II that it is only drink or
CIGAR that your friends ask YOU 10 have?