Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-01-29
.ses u. For the esSPKCrAToR.
LETTER FROM COLORADO.
THE weNDEaFuL BAss1E MINE.
QuEBlDA, CusrER, CO., CoI4 9

eF LETTER. FkUM CULUhADV.
THE WONDERFUL, BAssIE MINE.
QuEBDA, CusTER, CO., Coll.
,.y..s, ( sgSe January 18th, 1884.
Six years ago. the town of Querida pos
ses .ed but two houses. To-day, altho tn
town has not had as rapid growth as man.
other western towns, the inhabi,anta fee
that Que,ida has taken firm hold OF lite
and when many of the towns noted 10
mushroom growth have reached their clima1
and died. Qnerida- will steadily and surel!
advance to heights of prosperity undream
ed of by them. -
The town consists mainly of one street
on which are the principal business houses
and many of the miners homes. On tht
right, looking northward, near the centre o
the town. stands the substantial and com
Portable home of the Superintendent of the
Bassie Mine. There are great many 9th
er mines in Custer county, but at present
the Bassie is producing more than an ag.
gregate of the others.
MIR. Perkins, the Superintendent. is a man
Of great mining experience, under him The
Bassie Mine has become what it is, having
declared four dividends in the last year OF
one hundi ed thou sand each.
The discovery of this mine was not un-
usual. Its first owner dug ten foot hole,
but lacking the means, or perhaps pluck,
left it. Ed. Bassie, very poor man, then
jumped it At first, he had not means to
hire help, or even have assays made, but by
saving wood. he managed to have a load of
ore shipped to Canon City. This alone
brought him five Thousand dollars. OF
course, then, his prosperity was assured
He sold part interest for three hume red
and fifty thousand dollars (350, 900 COZ re-,
serving tenth. The mine still bears his
name, altho' the town is called Querida, the
Spanish for sweetheart.
On the right of the town is hill-you
would call it a mountan-just half way
down, a spur juts out abruptly. In this
spur is the main shaft, which has now
reached depth Of one Thousand feet! But
the main entrance to the mine is through a
tunnel at the foot of the hill, four hundred
feet long. At the end of this tunnel, just
under the apex of the hill, is the engine
room, about forty feet long and twenty feet
wide. The shaft passes tile lower end Of
this room. In this mine the ascending and
descending is done by means ola cage This
is connected with the engine by wire::cable,
two inches in diameter and long enough t.'
reach the bottom Of the shaft. The ore is
brought out in cars which are placed on the
cage, and. of course, the men come and go
in the same manner. The whole distance
is accomplished With lightning rapidity; but
so gentle is the motion, one can hardly
realize the distance.
To Mr.. Davie Houston, the obliging night
Foreman, is dus my earnest tha,,ks for es-
corting me so faithfully through this vast
underground structure privilege accord
ed to only few!
could hardly muster courage sufficient
to take che final step on the cage, and drop
down the dark abyss. But did, and was
six hundredth level. At every hundred
feet there is level, and large station
room cut from the sides of which tile miner
al is stopped entirely out, for this mine, un-
like any other on record, stands alone, baf-
fling geologists and contradictng science
rhe formation isprincipally boulders, some
of which are solid mineral, others are only
covered with a thin crust of mineral.
In almost all other mines the mineral is
found in leads or veins. which are between
the distinct walls, called the hanging and
t..'ot walls. They genel ally consist of one 1se.
Or one class of ores. In this mine are found
gold, silver, tellurium, lead, copper, zinc,
indeed almost all ores.
On this level, as on all the others that
are worked. is pump, and a pump monkey.
The pumps are kept going in order to keep
down the water.
We then descended to the eight-hun-
dredth level on the steps, as it gave us the
means of examining more carefully the
mine, and going through the many drifts
and slopes. Il seemed a new world. At
every turn we Came upon men who, in their
miners, suits, could easily be mistaken for
imps of dark ess; that is, if my impression
OF such lmps is correct! About seventy
five men are continually underground, and
fully as many more are employed on top
Some days many thousand dollars, worth of
ote are taken out. The output being by
no means regular.
Again We called the cage, and in mo-
ment we we're &C the nine-hundredth level,
or more than one Thousand feet UNDER
ground!
This mine is perfectly ventilated, and as
safe as a mine can be, being thoroughly
part of it with twelve by
twelve tran>fer,! When the mineral has
been exhausted, the cavities are filled in
with waste rock, making solid ground again.
Notwithstanding The vast amount of work
done, aud the many men employed, very
few accidents have occurred. The ratio be-
ing less for mines than railroads!
Much could be said as to the efficient
management of the present authorities, Mr..
c G. Perkins, the Supt., Messrs. Robert
McGregor and Davie Houston, the Fore
men. The safety and preservation of life,
being their first consideration, and the sule
interest of tue company they represent next
Again we took the cage, and giving the
signal for ascent, were drawn rapidly above,
in utter darkness, as our lamps would not
remain lighted in the strong draft, created
by the cage. Imagine going one thousand
feet in less than minute!
As before stated, che engine. room is just
III the centre of the hill, tuunel four hun
dred feet in length leading into it frJm the
outside base of the hull. Here the engineer
guided by skill and intelligence, silently
pelf',rms his work, knowing that human
lie depends upon his attention to duty.
The Car men wait in turn for their cars
20 be filled, then run rapidly through the
tunuel on a tr ANYWAY and dump their pre-
cious ores into the mill. Much of this ore
is crude, and is at once sacked and shipped
to be smelted. That which is mixed with
earthly matter is put iutO the crushers, some
times boulders two feet in diamater and
crushed. After going through the differ
ent wash'ngs, screeuing~, the jiss, and the
revolving buddle it is found free f, ,om earth.
and resembles tine gravel Even the earth
washed from the mineral is valuable, aud IS
taken through another Set of processes, the
mineral in it coming out like fine .and-
Thi, is then placed on drying floors and
when dry is shipped to be smeited.
The mill is a very large building, employ
ing an engine, and "a large force of men,
presided over by day aud night foreman
Near the mill stand, the blacksmith shops,
Foreman's Office, aud store rooms. The
latter contains all the paraphernalia suit
able to running mine of such dimensions,
and enough variety to astoni,h anyone Of
ten five thousand dollars north of piping,
elbows, T. joints bolts, nuts, and oils are
used in month!
About nine months ago. restless vaga-
bond element determined that as they were
not satisfied with the ale of affairs under
Mr.. Perkins's administration, they would
cause his resignation! These s'Mollie Nc
Guires," formed an organization, aud wrote
Mr.. P. letter, to the eff ct that he must
leave Querida before the 18th of the next
mouth! They also wrote to the s'Bassie
Mining Company" 8 .,ing that if Mr.. P.
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