The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-20

Col. Trumbo's Impressions-Rich Ore
and Cheap Mining.


and Cheap Mining.
Col Isaac Trumbo, of San Francisco, a
well-known mining man on the Pacific
coast, Is at the Rainier hotel. having Just
returned from trip to the Monte CrIsto
mining district. He has made large
fortune in mines in Utah and Nevada,
and Is one of the largest hydraulic miners
in California, besides being the principal
owner of the Bullion Beck mine in Utah.
He is one of the leading Coast authorities
on mining matters, his knowledge being of
q practical nature. To a Posr-ISTELLI-
eEscEa reporter he said last night:
ut would take two months to make
thorough examination of the district, but
in the three days was there l saw enough
to convince me that there is nothing like
it in the United States. If the stories they
tell me of ths grade of the ores is true
they could not be more perfect The hand
of nature has prospected the whole camp
better than millions of men with the pick
and shovel could have done. The sides of
the mountains have been torn off and the
soft veins have been worn out by the water,
leaving them in the sight of the whole
world. They run through the mountains
for miles and stand perpendicuiarly. SO
that tunnel can be run into any one of
them, and millions of tons of ore removed
simply by loosening it with the pick and
allowing il to fall into the Oars in the tun-
mel. After this back, that is, the ore in the
vein above the tunnel. has been removed.
another tunnel few hundred feet lower
down on the vein will be started and the
ore above removed in the same manner.
1t is the cheapest mining that 1t Is possi-
Bile to conceive OF, and were the ores of
very low grade they could be mined with
profit.
Several tunnels such as / have de-
scribed have been already started, and ore
is being taken out. The Wilnans mine
will be ready to ship ore first to the smelter
on tide water.
These ores are what are called base.
that is. they are gold ores containing
silver, iron and lead, and they are valu-
able. as they are thus easily sn.elted, iron
and lead acting as tiux, the only material
necessary TO be added in smelling being
limestone. The ores tina. will not bear
shipment viii be concentrated and they
are peculiarly adaptable to that process.
They are SOFT and easily crushed, and the
water power at hand is so cheap that the
cost of mining and concentrating will be
not more than 81 25 Der ton. Even il the
ore should cost SIS ton to mine and con-
centrase. You can readily see how profitable
a mine of even $40 ore would be. In con-
centratlEg four or tive tons of
this $40 ore is reduced TO one ton of con-
centrates worth $40 or $50. have never
seen q place where ore could be coneen-
trated so cheapiy. One small concentration
of 500 tons daily capacity will he ready for
business in about ten weeks, but dozen
such could be kept at work constantly.
The ore is brought down from the mines
10 the valley by cars running on wire
cables stretched high above the ground 10
avoid the winter SHOWS, making novel
tramway. l consider the deposits prac-
sicaily inexhanstibie. There are millions
OF tons in sight,