The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-19
FL CASTLE MINES.
The Large Ore BodIcs-yeed for Houses,
Works or Cheap Transportation.

The Large Ore BOd1cs-Need for Houses,
Works or Cheap Transportation.
1t is asserted that the bulk of the ore that
is mined to-day in Colorado would not pay
the expenses of shipment to Denver and
Pueblo if there were nc railroads running
to the various mining camps of that state,
says the Castle Tribune. 1t is is also true
Of those in other portions OF the union,
The Castle district is no exception. The
large ore bodies found in this locality will
not bear shipment which costa T27 a ton.
There has been ore sent to Aurora, ILL.,,
from the leading mines of Castle that have
Melted handsome returns. Large quanti-
ties of mineral valued at $50 a ton have
been forwarded to that smelter from the
Judge, From the Great Eastern ore WAS
sent there that Melted over $50 a ton TO the
owners, From he California there has been
mineral treated at the Yellowstone smelter
that averaged about SGG a son. The min
eral that is being disclosed in the lower
workings of the. Cumberland 1t is said, will
average over $40 u ton. tf
The product Of the mines of Castle, like
that Of Butte and Leadville, need to be
treated at homs, or possess cheap t.anspor-
tation to the smelters. 1t is claimed by an
eminent Colorado mining engineer in re-
cent papers contributed by him to the Lon
don Mining journal, that the average
working cost of treating lead ores in 1880
in the ten reduction plants in operation III
thai state was about Sl2 a ton. while at
Aurora, Omaha, Kansas City and st. Louis
the same charges amounted to $15.75 and
that in Montana in that same year. where
there were four lead smelters, one of which
was a private concern, that the average cost
of working lead ores amounted to a little
less thar $25 a ton, which extra charge WAS
duo tn tho HIGH prira nf Unod final
1t would cost much less to treat the car
Donate deposits of Castle. Such ores at the
smelter points in Colorado command from
ST to IS O ton over and above their assay
contents. In addition to Castle possessing
such desirable ore, it also possesses large
deposits of coal that may maxi excellent
coke. Few mining districts are as favora-
bly, provided for as this one. In a short
time from its large ore and coal deposits it
IL destined to become one of the principal
mining centers of the state.
Work on the Powderly and Blaine mines
has been completed for the season. When
labor was suspended on each of these prop
critics, the whole of the face of the drift
where the last work was done on the Pow
derly is in mineral. 1t is composed of hard
carbonates of lead that assay about twenty
ounces in silver md So per cent, in LEAD.
The formation in which this discovery was
made is in lime. The workings on this
property consist of two shafts, one of which
has been sunk twenty-five feet, the other
sixty-hve feet. The ore body was found in
g drift that is run a distance of forty-tve
from the head of the tunnel, that was ex-
tended 125 feet. At the point where min
eral was disclosed is near the west side line
of the claim. close to the Blaine ground,
Both of these properties are owned by the
Powderly Mining company. The Blaine il
developed by two shafts that nave attained
Il depth Of thirty and twenty feet.