The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1897-10-05
'SMines and Mining.b
THE RAMSHORN.

as year after year rolled on, the
forces opening for development
as much as profit proved it to be
stronger, larger and better in its
ore-beds, until now it takes no
second place among high grade
mines. There is not, probably,
another equal to it in Idaho-nor,
perhaps, in the world. We real
ize that this is strong language;
but when you hear of its i'm
mense development and still
greater reasonable promise, few
will doubt the truth of our
assertion. After viewing the
Skylark, of which the MESsEN-
GER spoke last week, and with
which mine we were highly
pleased, we thought it but fair
and pleasure too-to visit the
Ramshorn. 1t had been spoken
of by some as being in fine con-
dition, and showing well, but we
were entirely unprepared to see
a mine of such magnitude and
and richness. -
Superintendent George Emery
very kindly had supper provided
for US and shared his good bed,
but, on account of the lateness
of the season and the vast amount
of work to be doue before winter,
said he could not go through the
mine but, in the morning would
send man-"Gus" Betz-to
show us. Well now, we do not
think we lost much, for it is our
opinion that Gus" knows just
about as much about that mine
as any man living, and a lot more
than the men do who own it,
themselves. That matters little,
however, for his kind and patient
explanations satisfied US and we
suppose the rest of the world
will have to be satisfed-if Mr..
Betz and we are.
So in the morning we started
in on tunnel No. 9, which is far
below the old workings we used
to visit where a great deal of
money was taken out.
This tunnel is run in about
2100 feet but still has good ore
of the general nature of the
Ramshorn lode, on the right,
which appears, from its present
incline, to go to the surface east
and below the old workings that
were, in former days, supposed
to be all of this mine.
Development produces Won
derful disclosures on this whole
and although the old
coyoting and tunnel No. 1 are
supposed to be worked there is
is no telling what may yet be
found, even there. No. 2 has
fine ore yet, and the strataies
that you will constantly see as
you traverse its workings, SINH
lar TO others which are now
traced in these ore beds are
liable to lead still on and on to
untold wealth in later days.
Our main examination was in
tunnels No. 3 and 4. No. 3 is in
1900 feet, directly in line with
the ore beds in tunnel No. 2. The
strike and dip is similar to all
these veins. Of course all min
ing men will understand that the
rule is a change where veins
crop at the surface; but, as a
general rule, we should say the
dip is not so very far from 45
degrees to the northwest, leav-
ing the strike from southwest to
northeast, although in some of
the deeper works the vein is
large-almost vast perpendic-
ular column of immensely rich
ore. These wonderful veins lie
mostly in slate, with a little por-
phyry-you may say that, in
this region, the mountain is slate;
this is reasonably accurate. AS
you go farther east it changes to
lime, but this is out of reach of
the Ramshorn lode, and where
the minerals are lead and silver.
Here there is little lead-mostly
silver with little copper and
gold. There is great similarity
in both No. 3 and No. 4 tunnels
in the quality and size of the
vein; and everything shows, with
unmistalken certainty, that the
ore body is one unbroken chain
of high grade ore from No. 2 to
the bottom of No. 4, where the
ore is going down as plainly
unbroken as it is higher in the
No. 4 tunnel is driven in 1900
and is greater distance below
No. 3 than is common for them
to be run by mining men. About
100 feet iS penerallv considered