Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-10-19
Tin Galore.

tive of Custer City and the great tin belt,
from which we extract the following:
This is the most beautifully situated
place in the Black Hills. 1t lies 500
feet, over one mile, above the sea- on a
natural "open" among the mountains
which, covered with pines, surround 1t
on every hand and in every direction
lie innumerable parks leading into one
another for many miles, in which al
ready are thriving farmers with an
abundance Of all kinds of crops except
corn.
All these heights are immensely rich
in mineral wealth-gold, silver, copper,
iron, mica, etc.-while tin, which had
been sought for in vain on our continent,
Is found in every direction, on hill top
and at the foot of ravines, encased
everywhere with glittering mica in
forms of surprising beauty. In 1884 tin
was found In Pennington county, and
the Eta mine was stocked in New York
and about 100000 were expended or a
stamp mill and operatorA A year later
MIR. III. p. Moore, of st. Louis, found tin
in Custer county, and he obtained l $50
pounds of ore, which was smelted in
New York and produced 1853 per cent Of
white tin, amounting to about seventy
pounds. subsequently further dIscov-
cries were made, notably on the Tender
foot, north of Custer City. Drifts were
made on the veins, and it may be said
that preliminary work has gone steadily
on since that time, at last reaching the
whole district fifteen miles from Custer
north to Hill City. The lodes are gen.
orally massive and well defined through
their whole length, with large and in
many cases very rich outcrops. The
Tenderfoot district is one of phenomenal
richness on the ten or twelve veins
which have been examined, and there
are about Hill City numerous locations of
rare promise on which a great deal of
work has been done, including expen-
sive machinery and buildings that are
now under construction.
In 1887 the Harvey Peak Tin com
pany was organized, only after the
existence of Black Hills tin had been
fully demonstrated by the best practical
American and English experts From
that time nothing in the way Of pro-
ductIon has been done. Thoroughly
satisfied with the results attained with
the imperfect machinery, the company
has devoted itself TO the work of acqui-
sition and development. They some
time ago shipped $500 pounds in one
lot to England. The company is now
putting up reduction works at Hill City
costing Sl50,000. and will erect like
works at Custer City the coming season,
" hich with the Eta mines will be con-
nected by u narrow gauge railroad
reaching all its locations. The English
syndicate, of which Mr.. J. Barring Gould
is the head, have advanced 81 100000
for the development of the properties.
They Gre doing permanent work-such
as constructing tunnels and erecting
machinery for reducing the ore--at ten
different points, and are actively carry
ing on development work at great
many other locations, and already en-
ploy over three hundred engineers and
skilled workmen. On the Tenderfoot
group, to take an example, work is ad.
vancing rapidly. The different veins
are being uncovered, in some cases to a
considerable depth, and the company
are putting up permanent works at one
point. Two tunnels have been begun at
Tin Reef, and two on Tenderfoot, where
also the machinery for power drills is
being put in place. Ii developments 20
on as they have begun, plants for the
reduction of tin ore will be opened up,
and tin will be produced early the
coming season at this locality and at
Hill City. The use of the power drills
will greatly expedite operations. These
drills, like those described in my letter
from the Newcastle coal mines, will
effect vast saving of time, labor and
money; one of them will drill ten feet
per hour, equal to the labor Of ten
skilled workmen,
The principal mines on which opera
tions are now beginning are the Coates,
Cowboy, Excelsior and February, near
Hill City; the Eta group on the east
side, and the Tin Reef, Cars and Oar
win, near Custer City. A visit to any
of these veins will convince the most
skeptical Of the existence of tin alike in
quantity. quality and accessibility. The
veins are typical fssure veins; the ore
is white, making a marked contrast with
the accompanying states. The walls
are smooth an3 the ore is separated
from the belts by clear partings. One
vein which / saw was from fourteen to
| fifty feet thick, and ii can be traced two
miles, in some places extending fifteen
feet above the surrounding surface.
The company have in the course Of
their experiments manufactured great
deal of metallic tin, equal to the best
foreign tin, being absolutely free from
iron, arsenic and tungsten, which are
the bane of the Cornwall tins. The
amount of ore obtained in their expert
ments has been close to 4 per cent,
while the English Blue Books give that
of the Cornwall mines as fraction less
than per cent. Specimens Of the ore
we're shipped from the Tenderfoot two
months ago TO the Paris exposition that
weighed from three to four tons, and
which are estimated to contain from Is
to 20 per cent Of pure tin. In England
tin ore as low as per cent is worked at
a profit. The veins lie on the slope of
the foothills, from 80 to 800 feet above
the bottom of the canyon, and they can
be worked for number of years with
very little machinery for disposing of
water, and at but slight expense for fuel.
This peculiar location on the slopes
will also aid In collecting the ores from
the numerous mines at central milling
points by means Of system of gravity
roads similar to those which are seen in
the coal regions of Pennsylvania.
Ofthe aggregate number of votes cast
at the late election in South Dakota