The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-06

| in Washington, Almost for Nothing and
Proceeds to Have it Worked for all
There is in it, Which is a Good Deal
dred Thousand Dollars-Lives at Pres
emit at Oswego.
Robert o. Deming, an old time Wich-
! ita boy has leaped into sudden riches.
! He has a gold mine and a big one.
! He has just refused $1,000 for IL
/ The mine is away out in Washington
| but as gold is rare enough TO over
| come freight-rates il is as good in
| Washington as if it were in Colorado.
/ Mr.. Deming is a brother-in-law Of c.
| W. Biting and is now living in Oswe-
| go, Kansas. The last issue of the Col
| fax washington Gazette describes
! the mine as follows:
| "A Gazette reporter. while in Baker
| City Oregon, a few days since, visited
| the Baisley- ElkhOrn mine on Elkhorn
noun tain, sixteen miles northwest of
| Baker City. The mine, one OF the
great properties of the world, is now
under the management of +. S. Gates
of Colfax, resident manager of The
The mine is owned by r. o. Deming of
| OsWego, Kansas, and was bought by
Nr. Gates at foreclosure sale last June.
A judgment for $4,000 held by one of
the Baker City banks was foreclOsed.
Shortly prior to this Mr.. Demng, who
had loaned one of the heavy stock
holders some money on his interest,
| asked Mr.. Gates 10 investigate the mat
ter, and that gentleman after several
visits concluded that a great gold prop
erty existed there, and recommended
its purchase. This recommendation
Mr.. DeTning concluded 10 follow, and
the purchase of the mine resulted, Mr..
Gates being put in charge.
The Badsley- Elkhorn was discovered
by Sam Baisley, Baker City mining
operator in 1885. Mr.. Baisley discov-
cred ledge Of rich gold sulphurets and
during the next few years took out
good deal of money, a small mill being
erected to work the ore, a part Of the
rich concentrates being saved and
shipped to reduction works. Bafsley
did not work the mine very successful
ly and in 1888 or 1889 sold out 10 L. w.
Nelson, who organized a company in
Portland. The new company erected
Bryant mill at a cost of $4,000, de-
Velopment work was undertaken, and
the mill T-aS run for about two years.
A chlorinating plant was also used,
and the rich concentrates shipped for
reduction. For some reason the con-
duct Of mining operations was not sue
cessful, and 1T is estimated that fully
$3.50. 900 in gold was run down the
small mountain stream, while a much
smaller amount was saved. Under the
Portland management $4,000 in dvi-
dendS We're paid stock holders, but
gradually the company ran in debt and
the foreclosure followed. The mine
and mill were finally shut down in 1894
When Mr.. Gates bought the mine in
1895, development was begun in a con-
sentative spirit The old mill was par
TALLY torn down and rebuilt with an
idea of permanence. Careful investi-
cation Of the concentrates and tailings
was undertaken, and the latter was
found TO assay an average about SIS a
ton. Mr.. Gates made a few shipments
of the concentrates and tailings TO the
Tacoma smefter, which yielded a profit
and then shipments Of the mine ore
were undertaken, with success. But
every step taken was conservative
Finally last fall the mill having been
put in good shape, an experimental run
was undertaken. The mill was run six
days on ore from the mine, some re-
manning concentrates and lot of tail
ings. The clean up in the mill amount
ed TO about $1,000. while the concen-
trates shipped to Tacoma brought ST.
200 more. The total expense of mining
and milling the ore, added tn the ex-
penSe of shipping and working the con-
centrates, was less than $500. giving an
idea of the profit to be derived with the
mine and mill in full blast. Since last
June, when Mr.. Gates took charge of
the mine, his expenditures for all pur-
poses have aggregated 5000. while the
returns have been over 81, 800. When il
is remembered that the mill has only
been worked six days that time, and
that the shipments of ore were purely
experimental, the fiattering prospect
will be better understood. Under Mr.
Gates superintendent the levels on
the ore body have been extended con-
siderably, and from one of the cross
cuts wing or shaft has been sunk
90 feet and a short cross level run from
the bottom, partially opening a body
of yet richer sulphurets, assaying
about $50 ton in gold. The ore in
the upper levels average in the vincin-
ity of $50 ton in gold. Part OF the
metal is in a free state, and Il is esti-
mated the mill will save in evcess of
s. ton, at the same time crushing
the ore and concentrating the sulphur
cts. This is done at an expense of /
about so cents a ton. II is estimated
that the mining Of the ore and deliy-
ering at the mill will average S1.2O
Stacking the concentrates. freight and |
reduction charges are slightly less than !
$50 ton, while after the free gold is |
extracted, the smelter returns show a |
saving Of $50 a ton from the concen- !
trates- The mill was started up with /
the Idea Of being run steadily on Jan /
uary 3, 1895, but the result Of the first
few days has not been determined.
The mine opening has an elevation /
of about 300 feet above sea level. and |
at the time Of the trip the noun tain /
side had something like six feet Of I
snow covering. with a temperature I
frigii enough TO disconcert a believer I
in hell-fiTe, or TO encourage 4 desire on I.
his part for some Of the heat going 10 /.
waste in Sdtan's dominion. on the d7v I.
of the visit the wind hOwled down the /.
mountain side. drifting the cold sharp 4
snow srystals in dense clouds. that fire. I
Quenuy were lifted from the surface I
and blew Il eating over the valley /
below or the mountain tops above. /
From the mine looking 10 the south /
east the valley Of the Powder river was !
spread out as map. while far away 1
on the other side OF the valley Couldbe |
seen other mountain ranges as abrupt
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