The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-09-05
The North Star Mine.

AnlS nine Is one OF group OF
patented mines situated on the east
fork of Wood river. The group
comprises the North Star, Morning
Star, Ketchum, American Eagle,
Baby Ethel and Dipper, and join
each other, 80 that work on one OF
the group is more or less advanta-
geous to all of the rest.
The North Star was originally
located in 1879, and was at one
time owned and operated by J. o.
Swift & Co. 1t passed into the
hands of the Philadelphia & Idaho
Company in 1883, and has been un-
dergoing development by them ever
since. The mine is opened by
means of tunnels, of which there
are several on the ground, the com.
bined length Of which is about two
miles.
The length of the present work
ing tunnel is about 1900 feet, and
is a very excellent piece of work
manship, being high, roomy and
straight. 1t taps the ledge about
500 feet below the surface, taking
the incline of the vein as the line of
measurement, which indicates an
angle from the perpendicular OF
about 40 degrees. Above this tun-
mel, and between that and the sur
face there yet remains 600 feet in
depth that is unprospected.
Water, of which there is only
about forty gallons per minute, is
lifted out by steam pump, which
is operated by the same power that
runs the hosting works. This
power is produced by two boilers
which are stationed at the entrance
to the tunnel outside Of the mine,
and are, consequently, 700 feet from
the machinery they furnish the
power to drive, the steam being
carried to the machinery through
covered pipes passed through the
tunnel for that purpose.
Perched on the side Of the steep
mountain thousand feet above the
river are the company's boarding
house, smithy, lodging apartments
for the miners, ETC.. and from here
tramway leads down the side OF
the hill over which the ore is passed
to a road, whence it is transferred
to wagons to be delivered at the
mill on the bank Of the river half q
mile below, which mill has capac-
| ity of thirty tons a day, and not
ten tons, as mistakenly stated in
our article of last week.
At the labyrinth of buildings
Just mentioned on the hill side the
present main working tunnel of the
mine is entered. This tunnel, az
has been said, is 1900 feet in length
and taps the largest single body o.
| ore we ever saw. Beginning at the
inner end Of the tunnel this i'm
mense body of ore extends length
wise along the vein distance o
800 feet. Various crosscuts show
it to be from 6 to 40 feet wide, will
an average width of over ten feet
| Upraises made for the purpose o
determining its height prove it to
be no less than 100 feet in depth
About so feet below the level of The
tunnel the great body Of ore JUS
referred to, which is low grade, OF
concentrating ore, the vein narrow'
into five or six feet and the ore Il
changed to mass Of almost pure
argentiferous galena. A shaft has
been sunk on this vein about 3O(
feet, and this high-grade galen'
ore is found to continue at frequen
intervals to that depth. So tina
there is already developed in tn
mine body Of concentrating or
containing at least 100000 cubi
feet with frequent deposits of galen'
from four to six feet wide contln
uing for 300 feet below it. Thes
galena deposits lie in Horizontal
pipes and extend great distance
along the vein. Such showing il
any locality outside of Wood Rive
would create an excitement, and !
certainly indicates permanent am
valuable mine.
About thirty men are employee
| in the mine. sinking q shaft, stopin
out ore, manning the cars and hoist
ing machinery, and the like, am
the present ore yield of the mine !
about IS tons a day. Below tn
present working tunnel secon
tunnel is now being driven into tn
hill in a mine called the Mornin
I Star, which is intended to tap tn
ore vein 100 feet below the bottom
of the shaft. This tunnel whe
completed will not only open tn
Morning Star at depth of 800 fee
or more, but will drain the waite
out of the North Star, and enabl
the company to stope out fully 80
feet in height of the ledge for nearl
half a mile without the bother 9
expense of pumping out water.
A popularity Of the North Sta
mine and. we believe, of the con