Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-04-27
Tin Development.

Mr.. Chas. ID. Deshlsr secretary Of the
Harvey Peak Tin Company, in recent
interview with reporter of the New
York Engineering and Mining Journal.
submits an extended statement descrip-
tive of the various properties owned by
the company and the plans proposed
for operating the same, from which we
extract the following:
! 1t is an interesting fact that the tin
deposits occur not in the native country
rock, which is slate, nor in the granite
upshoot forming Harvey Peak, but are
invariably found at the point of contact
of these rocks. Beginning at the ex-
treme eastern point Of the circle, we
| find the Eta group, the development Of
which has already been fully described
in Prof w. p. Blake's report. Here we
| have 200 ton mill. In this vicinity is
also the Sarah group, which has been
extensively developed and into which
we will run tunnel 300 feet. We have
now tramway between the Eta mine
and mill which we propose to connect
| with the Sarah group, thus enabling
| both groups to send their ore direct to
the mill. Continuing in northwest
erly direction and around the circle,
| there are the following groups of lodes :.
Bob Ingersoll, Legal Tender, Volunteer,
Addie, February, Excelsior and Logan.
The last four groups comprise total of
20 lodes. The Addie and Excelsior have
been well developed. We now come to
the bulk of our richest property at Hill
City and vicinity, which includes the
following groups; lie Grand, Edna,
Telegraph, No Name, Cassiterite, Mo-
hawk, Campaign, Gertie, Della, Cowboy
and Coates. On the two last work is
being vigorously prosecuted. AT the
Cowboy the shaft has reached a depth
of 100 feet, and at IS feet drifts have
been run east and west. At the Coates
there is a shaft of the same depth, with
| east and west drifts at sixty feet. In
the Cowboy an eighteen to twenty inch
vein has been encountered. At Hill
| City we propose To build Immediately
5OO-ton mill in four sections. The ma
chinery for this mill has already been
ordered from Fraser IL Chalmers, of
Chicago, and will cost over $57 900.
Should the production warrant it we
will increase the capacity to 20O0 tons
South of the Hill City deposits, and
within six miles from Custer City are
the following groups: Tin King, Little
Whale, Tenderfoot, Darwin and Gar.
If Professor Vincent SO decides we will
also build mill here; otherwise the
ore will be sent by tramway to the
Hill City mill. This completes the
circle. Water power is abundant and
in the fertile valleys on the slopes of
Harney Peak we have land in plenty
thnnSanIS of hot ba
required to thoroughly develop this ex-
tensive territory. transportation facil-
tiles can be easily provided for. AL
ready, we have entertained a PROPOSE
ton to build narrow guage railway
around the circle of our mines. In
year, we expect to spend not less than
100000 upon the property. We are
now employing POO men and this num-
Der will be almost Immediately increas
ed. AS to the quality of the ore, there
can be no better testimony than the
assays made in England, which were
sufficient to secure English capital in
the amount of 81 100000.
These assays were made on November
l4th by Johnson & Matthey, Mr.
Claudet, Assayer to the Bank of England,
and Capt. Davies, of the Dolcoath mine,
and resulted in an average yield equiva.
lent to 92 pounds of black tin, or "a
pounds of metallic tin per ton, taking
20 per cent as yield of metal On De-
cember 9th, Thos. Bolitho & Sons also
assayed quantity of over eight tons
from which was obtained over cwt Of
black tin tin ore) equivalent to 94.6
pounds of black tin per ton. This ore
yielded 66 per cent of metal of refined
quality, SO that the out-turn of metal
was 62.67 pounds per ton. This was not
ore selected for its richness Represen-
tatives Of the English investors went to
! Dakota themselves, and selected any
ore they chose. They sent to England
40 tons, and 10 tons Of this was again
| selected by them for the final assay, as
| representing the average.
The Journals comment, the tone of
which indicates no diminution what
ever in the degree of skepticism which
that paper has hitherto manifested in
| the matter of final success of this i'm
portant enterprise, is necessarily crowd
ed out by reason of a lack Of space.