The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-05-29
MINES TO BE TAPPED.
.v,xx,Iw4Ts PLANNED UNDER
ooLoRADO MOUNTAINS.
c,a.,d silver Ore the Freight to Re Car
r,.d-Tunne's Begun and Projected
Roads to be Operated by Electricity.
The ingenuity of Americans has been

The ingenuity OF Americans mas pteH
exercised during the past few years
i'm devising economical ways of operat-
ing gold and silver mines. One OF the
most popular schemes TO reduce expenses
Is a tunnel. Individual mine operators
have constructed tunnels of more or
less depth, but IL has been only IN re-
cent years that the transportation tun-
mel proposition has become popular Dur
ing the last days Of the silver boom
the number OF such enterprises that were
SUGGESTED or started was legion, put
oply a few ever became possibilities.
Among these is the revenue tunnel near
Ouray, Col. constructed by the Carolina
Company, which owns the |lrslnlus Hihe
on Mount Sneffies
The mine is one Of the highest silver
properties in the State. The original
WORKINGS were 1850 feet above sea leieI,
and over one thousand feet above unoer
line. During its best years three hundred
and ifty men were employed III ana
about the mine and a postoilice tor
their convenience was established In the
settlement of mining cabins percned upon
the steep mountain side. During me
winter season the miners were ssparateu
from the world for several months,
though occasional trips In snowshoes IN
favorable weather were made down 10 me
mountain-walled, unique town Oh Ouray'
seven miles below.
When the present owners purche sed the
Virginius the privilege OF WORKING ho
mine from the adjoining property WE We
denied them, so that from the Outset
they had to expend money IN deVeiOplhs
their property. For thirteen years they
prosecuted the work The Nirglnius mine
has been worked through erosscut tun-
mel. which burrows into the mountain
a distance of 400 feet. At that point q
shaft was sunk upon the vein. The top OF
the shaft is 300 feet vertically under-
ground, and 1t Is Loo feet In depth' IN
the crosscut. 100 feet in from the en-
trance, n large room was heWp out
OF the solid rock TO contain the battery
OF boilers, OF which there are three,
each OF sixty horse power. TO get lhis
heavy machinery up from the rallroau
n wagon road had 10 be constructed 10
tho entrance. The smokestack rises
through solid rock upward or 5W teet 70
the surface, where IL projects a rev Zee.
into space. Electricity has Deeh cIiIe,.
into use 10 facilitate the enterprise 1 oui
and one-haif miles away up canon creek
PeltOn waterwheels working under -
foot Roadway, operate the dynamos tnd1
generate the electricity which is "lreI
down 10 the mine. The current operates
electric pumps with capacity OF t"o
hundred gallons of water per minute, De.
sides furnishing light TO all portions oi
The nronertv. The HOSTS are also worked
bv means Of the electric current
The mouth of the Reyenue tunn go -
A. an altitude of 1860 feet, ana three
miles by trail below the original entrance
Of the mine The first work was done
by hand until a distance OF Z9) leet was
reached, when steam drills were put III.
When a depth Of GO feet was gained ar
drills were introduced. The rock proved
10 be the toughest kind Of conglomerate.
The drills worked under 10 pounds pres
sure 80 hard was the rock tnat twenty.
four inches Of steel was often worn OIL
II twenty-fOur hours work with the drills.
at depth Of 774l feet the tunnel struck
the vein al a distance Oh WV ieet VERT
caly below the surface. w mere the lun-
mel intersects the vein an incline has been
raised at an angle Of 80 degrees FOR dls-
lance Of $40 feet to connect with the upper
workings. 4 double hoist is 10 De placeu
I'm This incline, while a runway Tor the
water and waste and q compartment Tor
ladders and wires are provided. The need
of pumping Will then be at an end as
the water Will pass out by gravity through
the tunnel.
Another similar enterprise is the New
house tunnel now being driven into the
mountains. at Idaho Springs. Three years
ago Samuel Newhouse OF Denver, "ho
had been engaged about mining camps
for fifteen years, and was tne pioneer
transportation man in the Leadville rush,
conceived the idea OF constructing a tuh-
mel to tap at great depth the veins or
gold in Ghlpin county. His idea was 10
construct a subterranean railroad with
the gold ores OF GHpin county as the
freight TO be transported. The tunnel Is
now q thousand feet long. The great
where Russell Gulch has its source, and
where the mining camp OF Nevadaville
clusters. is the territory 10 be reached
by this underground railway. WITHIN this
massive granite mountain there are over
800 known veins OF gold-bearing mineral.
lac cost OF operating the mines is con-
siderable, for water has TO be overcome
by means OF expensive pumps, coal must
be carted to the mines, shafts sunk. ma
chinery purchased and renewed as greater
depth Is attained, and the ore transported
from the shaft 70 the mills situated down
In the valley. The California mine, now
at a depth Of nearly ZOO feet is operated
through a single shaft just large enough
70 permit a cylindrical bucket to be low
cred. ard through this small opening the
miners must go and the water be taken
out before the precious mineral can be
brought TO the surface.
IL is under this territory that the
NewhOuse tunnel is TO be driven with the
purpose of crossing these veins. The
total length of the tunnel, as projected,
is 00o0 feet and Il will cross the Calf
fornia mine vein at depth OF 1000 feet
from the surface. BY this tunnel a COM
plete drainage scheme Is assured TO all
the mines. the cost of transportation or
ores will be reduced TO a minimum, and
instead OF expensive machinery TO hoist
the waste and the mineral. gravity min
ing can be carried on. The mouth OF the
tunnel is AT Idaho Springs The breast
Of the tunnel IS l2xl2 feet, rising at
regular grade Of six inches TO 100 feet.
Its course IL q true tangent. The tun-
mel will have double track, laid with
thiIty-pound rails, with drainage canals
alongside. and the transportation or ma
terials In and Of ores out will be done
by electricity. The tunnel will be light
ed by electricity.
Aspen, a distinctly silver camp has
two big tunnel enterprises. one OF
which. the CowenhOven, is now being
operated. This tunnel was completed last
spring and is now ready to handle the
ores OF several mines upon a trans
portation tariff bas-> cut no contracts
will be made by the proprietors pending
the long deferred restoration Of the silver
market. The other enterprise was stop
ped In its progress last summer II was
planned to reach the ores Of another
mountain in the Aspen district.
In Leadville several underground tun-
nels have been constructed in the past
to save expense In operating some OF the
deep mines but no public highway under
ground was attempted until this spring.
Now the Silver Cord tunnel is 10 be
driven under Breeze Hill to tap the ne~-
ly-deveioped gold deposits. Another en-
teTprise which is almost visionary, Is
a gigantic drainage tunnel to be run
from the Arkansas river under the hills
Leadvile district at a low depth and
thoroughly drain the entire territory. The
deep mines OF Leadvilla are greatly troub-
led with water. and the most expensive
pumps that can be constructed seem
inadequate TO protect the lower work.
ings. BY the proposed drainage tunnel
not only will the expense OF fighting
water be done away with but the eco
nomcal operation of all the mines Will
be accomplished.
Transportation tunnels In mining dis
tricts are proposed upon sRaller scales