The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-04-30
More About the Silver king Mine.

More About the Silver King Nine.
Hon. G. B. Florence arrived in
town from Sawtooth on Sunday
evening last, after a hard trip Of
nearly three days duration, through
storms and snow. While in town
he kindly gave Us a number of in
teresting facts about the Silver King
mine, which will be presented in
this article, in order that our peo-
pie may learn what has been done
in that now great property by pluck
and energy and generous outlay
of money, and be encouraged by
the final splendid outcome of the
enterprise.
About the close of the year 1890
Major Hyndman took a three years
lease on the Silver King mine. It
was then played out" and shut
down, in which condition it had
been for two years. It's shaft, tun-
nels and Slopes were filled with
water. Its timbers, mill and build
ings were rust-eaten or rotting down
from disuse. It's reputation was
under a cloud that seemed to pre-
clude hope. Ite productiveness was
almost universally regarded as a
thing of the past. It's value was
generally believed to be nil. A few,
however, had confidence in it and
believed it good property. Major
Hyndman was one of these, and to
vindicate the correctness of his
judgment he procured a lease, as
above stated, and began a seige
against the multitude of obstacles
which beset his pathway to success.
These he has not only overcome,
but has also developed the Silver
King into one of the best high grade
ore mines in the west.
On taking possession of the mine
his first work was to run a drain
tunnel to draw the water off from
the mine down to the first level.
This tunnel, which is $50 feet long,
was put in at an expense of about
1900, part of the work being done
by contract, but most of it by the in
domitable Major himself. Itdrains
the mine to the depth of IS feet.
From all parts of the mine below
that level the water had to be lifted
out with a pump. For this purpose
a Lidgerwood engine and a Worth
ington pump of sufficient capacity
and power were procured and put
in place in the mine, involving no
inconsiderable outlay, as they had
to be hauled with teams over about
sixty miles of not overly good
mountain roads.
Between the 3OO-toot level, (which
was the greatest depth reached in
the mine before Major Hyndman
began to operate it, and the drain
tunnel above were 4, 600 feet of tun-
mel and shaft and a number of
slopes, which had been filled with
water for two years. This all had
to be pumped out, and the main
shaft, a 6x1O affair, cleaned out and
put in condition for use before any
other inside work could be done.
It has all been done, and the heavy
expense incurred has been met with
the regularity of clockwork, and q
success has been achieved that
promises to inaugurate a new era in
silver mining on Upper Wood River.
A worthless mine has been turned
into a bonanza; and this has been
done by pursuing an idea that most
people thought was baseless. 1t was
this: the former operators of the
mine had driven all of their tunnels,
except about IS feet, and done all
of their mining on the east side Of
the main shaft, as nearly everybody
thought if there was any large de-
post of ore in the mine it was on
that side of the shaft. But Mr..
John Reynolds, who knew every
particular connected with the his
tory and former working of the
mine, and whose services as fore
man Major Hyndman was fortunate
enough to secure shortly after he
began work, entertained different
opinion, which proved correct. He
believed there were better ore de-
posts in the mine than had ever
been found, and that they lay on
the west side of the shaft. Accord
ingly, as soon as the water had been
pumped out of the mine, tunnel
was started in that direction at the
3OO-foot level. This tunnel was
pushed for about 100 feet when,
sure enough, large and promising
ore chimney was tapped. Mean
time the main shaft WAS being sunk,
maintaining it's original form and
size, and at this writing there is q
double shaft in the mine 600 feet
deep, timbered with good substan-
tial sawed timbers and perfectly
adapted for continuous use as q
shaft. At the 4OO-foot and
also at the 5OO-foot level tunnels
have been run and the chimney
tapped by each. but as it inclines
toward the shaft they were each
ahorfer than the tunnel at the 300