The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1893-09-30
War Eagle Tunnel.

ing, 'Object Lesson in Mining" mem
tions the 1t, 900 foot tunnel now being
run to drain the water from the Onta-
rio mine at Park City, Utah, and after
mentioning the cost Of this enterprise
and the saving it will finally accom-
plish, says:
The Statesman refers to this Park City
enterprise because it should serve as an
object lesson to some of our Idaho pso-
pie. Particularlizing, attention may be
called to the mines on War Eagle noun
tain in Owyhee county. The upper
works there have produced nearly II
not quite as much bullion as has been
turned out from the Ontario group. The
veins were work ed down to and below
water level, their richness being we'll
maintained to the lowest points reached.
Then came tho San Francisco collapse
which led to the closing down of all the
works. The properties passed into the
hands Of men who did not have the cap
itsl necessary to clear them of water
and work them. The failure had thrown
wet blanket on the camp; it was
looked upon as one Of the abandoned
stations of the mining industry, and as
such il has practically remained during
all these years.
The fact is that tunnel only about
one-quarter as long as the great Ontario
bore would tap the great gold veins sew
eral hundred feet below the old works
and make millions of dollars worth of
ore available. What is needed is for
some one with push to take hold of tho
problem and raise capital to run that
tunnel. The right man will make his
appearance in the course of time, and
when be comes War Eagle mountain
will surprise the country.
The surface works produced $50, ,000,-
600 in some seven or eight years. This
bullion carried from two-thirds to three
quarters of its value in gold, circnm-
stancs which makes the problem of
opening the veins lower down one of
particular attractivenese now when gold
mines are being 80 eagerly sought
after.
Time and again during the past six
years the editor of this paper has writ
ten articles relating to this project,
which has always appeared to him to
present an opportunity for one of the
most profitable mining enterprises in
Idaho. East of the summit on War Ea-
gle mountain is string OF mines run
ming from north to south which include
the Orc Fino, Elmore, Golden Chariot,
Minnesota, South Chariot and Mahog-
any, and parallel with these are adjoin-
ing claims among which are the New
York, Cum berland, Mountain Chief,
Red Jacket. West Of these only about
half a mile lies the great Poorman
group, reaching from north to south q
distance of nearly mile. Between
these two prominent strings of mines
mentioned are at least twenty known
veins of more or less Importance. Di-
rectly east of the Golden Chariot, thirty
eight hundred feet distant, is South
Sinker Gulch, from which tunnel
could be run which would cut through
the Cumberland and tap the Golden
Chariot at depth of fourteen hundred
feet. The Golden Chariot shaft is now
down to that depth. To work any one
of the mines in ths long string of mines
to which the Golden Chariot belongs,
from the surface to greater depth than
three hundred and fifty feet meaus the
cost of pumping the water out of them
all to the depth any one is worked.
This is the chief reason why they are
all idle. A tunnel from Sinker Gulch,
draining them all, would mean working
all of them to an average depth OF four
teen hundred feet, without employing
pumping machinery. None of these
mines have been peactiually worked to
a greater depth than FIVE hundred feet
Tbs Chariot has a shaft down fourteen
hundred feet, with good ore in the bot
tom, and the Mahogany has been SINH
larly proven to be rich at depth of
eight hundred feet.
Sinker creek will supply water power
sufficient to run air compressors and
drills to run this tunnel, and by going
half mile further down, could supply
ample power to mill all the products of
the mines.
AS we have said, this tunnel at thirty
eight hundred feet would strike the first
great string of mines. Extending it
west about half mile further 1--WE have
not now data to give the exact distance)
it would reach the Poorman, and
through it could be worked the great
string of mines of which the Poorman is
the central figure.
Between the Golden Chariot and the
Poorman, War Eagle mountain is ribbed
with veins, all of which the tunnel
would cut, some Of them at depth of
two Thousand feet.