The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-07-09
AMERICAN TIN.
Splendid Results at Harvey Peak Tir
Mines In Dakota.

The Rapid City Republican, published
at Rapid City, OAK, says in relation to
the Harvey Peak Company's develop
ment and progress in tin mining in the
Black Hills, and especially of the opera
ton of the Eta Mine, the Coates, and
Bob IngersOll Mines, which are the
richest the company has yet developed:
The value of the tin annually import
ed into the United States in the shape
of tin plate and block tin reaches the
sum of over $25,000,00O. For wears
efforts have been make to discov.. a
profitable tin mine in the United States,
and although the ore has been discov-
cred in many places. no locality dis
covered prior to 1880 produced the tin
stone in sufficient quantity to make it
profitable. A man named Cox, it is
said, was the first to recognize the cas-
siterite in the gravel washings in the
Bear Gulch country. ContempOraneous-
ly tin stone was discovered at the Eta
Mine, which was at that time being
worked for mica.
Lodes of enormous size have been dis
covered and developed, showing thou
sands of tons of ore which will over
reach the value of those of the rest of
the world. The grand slumbering in
dustry has been slow in coming to an
awakening, but now it is thoroughly
awake and will move on with giant
strides until the Black Hills shall stand
forth us the greatest tin producing
region of the world. A New York COM
pany has confidence enough in the re-
ports TO send experts to the Hills to ex-
anime into the truth of the statements,
and as consequence an examination
of the Eta mine resulted in a sale of it
to the New York syndicate. They at
once proceeded in a business-like man.
ner and commenced the development of
their property. The results were so
hattering and promised such great sue
cess that the company commenced pur-
chasing other mines in different parts of
the tin area of the Southern Hills, and
have had a large concentration mill
planned to work the ore. The plans
were drawn up with direct and special
reference to the working of the ores at
the Eta Mine. The mill was made in
accordance with the plans and shipped
to the mine. Months elapsed between
the time of designing the mill and the
time when the wheels of the grand
monster plant were first revolved, few
days since, inaugurating what will
prove to be one of the greatest mining
industries i'm the world.
The average amount of tin stone in
the ores at the Cornish mines is about
1.95 per cent. This may be considered
reliable, rs the records of mining are
kept by the government and extend
through long period of years. In the
German mines it is 0.5 and 0.3 per cent
of the whole mass. The cassiterite in
the ores of tin seldom exceeds 8 per cent
in any country outside of the Black
Hills. The tin stone concentrated from
the Eta, Coats, and Bob Ingersoll ores
during their run the last week or ten
days average from to per cent of the
entire mass of rock crushed. 1t is beau
tifully separated from the ganguc, and
the product is Il large quantity of tin
stone of II rich grade. No one longer
doubts the fact that the Eta Mill is n
success The confidence of the compa-
ny in their enterprise is evinced in the
fact that they will erect another large
mill during the present year OH some of
their other properties. They own yalu-
able mines distant ut Hill City and at a
point about four miles from the Eta,
and also have interests in the Tender
foot region.
Things are working smoothly at the
Mills, though they have not been run
ming continuously. They started up the
10Th of last month and ran one ton on
~. No rock was then run until the Sd
inst, and run continuously until Sum
day, about seven days in all, perhaps Il
little less. The product is something
over $4,000 pounds of cassiterite. Only
forty or fifty tons of ore are being
crushed daily, while the capacity of the
mill is 200 tons daily. If the ore aver
ages 3 per cent the daily yield of tin
stone will be six tons. If the cassiterite
will average 30 per cent metallic tin
(some of it is pure, running 80 per cent
of the pure metaD, the result will be
5000 pounds of pure metallic tin,
which, at the present prices, would be
worth about 81 200, or $50, 900 month.
There is every possibility of the ore con-
tanning over 3 per cent of "assiterite, and
it will average over so per cent metallic
tin, so we may expect monthly pro-
duction from the Eta of $4,000 or
Whereabouts. There are few gold or sill
yer mines can beat this, and there is
plenty of it. Gentlemen who returned
from trip through the tin region are
enthusiastic and say that there's enough
tin up there to supply the world. No
dOubt this is true.
The ultimate success of the Eta con-
centrating mill was never questioned.
though some prophesied that the first
trial would prove abortive. All reports,
however. thus far received from the mill
have been entirely favorable to the en-
terprise. The success of the Eta Mill
was all that has been regarded necessa-
ry to confirm the mineral wealth of the
Southern Hills, and now that this vital
point has been established in the aflir-
NATIVE the friends of this section have
the broadest and tirmest grounds upon
which to base great hopes for the future
of the tin territory.