Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-09-05
SHALL WE BoRE,

That is the question. 1t is the
question stockholders Of the Boise
County Mining company are asking
one another. When the company
was organized year ago last spring
there was no thought Of sinking
shaft. The plan was 10 get boring
machine and go through the false
bedrock to determine whether or not
there was pay gravel on the granite.
Finally some one proposed sinking
shaft, advancing the argument that If
they should bore and find pay, shaft
would then have to be sunk and the
expense of boring would be money
thrown away. All old miners we're
confident that granite would be
reached at the depth of l2O or 100
feet, and did not think there would
be any water to amount to anything
to contend with. One by one the
stockholders began to change their
views, and all said: "a shaft goes.'
A shaft has been sunk to depth of
lis feet. It. has cost whole lot of
money. The digging is easy; the
drawback has been the water. Not
expecting SO much water the company
did not properly prepare to handle it.
The spirit of economy ruled IN the
matter of machinery. This, last year,
proved to be not economy, but ex-
travagance. A new boiler this year
was purchased, and it is first-class
one, but the difficulty this year has
been an increased flow of water. The
sand cut the packing out Of the
pumps with great rapidity, and while
repacking the water would rise rap
idly. Two pumps were put down
and with the pump compartment mons
too large for one pump, they wer'
handled under difficulties and disad
vantages. The shaft is too small ant
the pumps of insufficient capacity
The shaft ought to have been three
compartment instead of two. Hin,
sights are better than fore sights. w
all know now how money could hav
been saved and more progress made
We also all agree it would have bee
better on the start to have stuck t
the FIRST idea, that of boring. If b
boring pay is struck then there vi
= be no trouble in getting to it. Th
main thing is to find the pay. Stock
e will then sell easily at good figure
The company will then know ju.
how deep the shaft will have to b
sunk and necessary preparations mad
to get down. The first thing to q
would be to raise another compar
n ment. This would cost but littl
The last few feet sunk indicates th'
n gravel is not far below the bottom
the shaft. A large amount of wo.
and bark was brought up, washe
u pebbles were mixed up with the m
terial, and the flow of water great
= increased. All this indicates a ne
approach to gravel. A boring m
. chine would settle the question, ar
Q cheaply. Thirty or forty feet d;
can he bored through this false be
lie rock and sand. People of this pla
I'd who predicted what :he result of
rs attempt to sink to granite with Il
machinery used would be, and wou
=. not buy stocks, will put up money
:. the company will decide to boz
a If pay is struck between the fal
and primitive bedrocks, Idaho Ci
will soon be again what it was in t
I'd sixties, city with many thousan
rn of inhabitants. If gravel is found
x the granite, it is about sure thi
ill that it will be much richer than "
the surface ground, which was i
. mense. The richest ground ever d
" covered was below a false bedrot
!" just like this, in Australia and
:" Williams creek, in Caribou, Brit
a' Columbia. On Williams creek ,
' surface ground was not nearly as r
" as that of this place, but below
Wv false bedrock a four-foot strata
"' gravel yielded from 5000 to 81
for each set of timbers-si by fl
ION feet. This place, it is safe to say, ,
ain be no exception to the rule. BY
m. means let US find out, and as soon
Oh. possible, what lies between this fs
eir bedrock and the granite. Times
,va hard and will be harder if this en-,
ora prise is not made success. If !
ow can only be reached this fall,
question of how to get down wi,
shaft will be easily solved. tn
an o,,ld than ha NO d;fSc,lty ;, ro 10