The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-10-23
How Ore That Averages Only s. is
Made to Paw.
LARGEST NINE IN The WORLD.
Workings Of the Mine Are Like n praat
open Funnel - Blasting Done With
Compressed Air.

A correspondence to the PITTSBURGH
Dispatch contained the following in
formation concerning the Treadwell
mine in Alaska:
1t is located on Douglas Island and
about three miles down the bay from
Janeau. Douglas Island is only an
island at high tide. When the tide is
out the passage may be made across
the bar dry shod and it Is then a part
of the mainland
I'm approaching the Treadwell you
go up a slope few hundred wards
past an immense lot of generally low
buildings and across narrow gauge
railway tracks connected with the
property and then come to an i'm
mense funnel shaped crater. This is
the Treadwell gold mine.
"The larger axis of this funnel ex.
tends across at the surface somewhat
over 1000 feet; the shorter diameter is
perhaps 500 feet. The point of the
funnel is down about 300 feet. The
whole area is open to the sky. I'm
along the edges are men that look like
pigmies drilling holes for blasting with
compressed air fed through hose from
the works.. The holes are generally
drilled about eight feet deep into pro.
Jecting spurs, and ropes securely fast
ened above are dropped down past the
workmen to assist them in going up
and down.
Down at the bottom of this huge
funnel are men, mostly Indians, sledg-
ing the larger rocks into smaller pieces,
The Indians get SO per day out of
this work without board: white men
get the same and board. The work is
dangerous. Any amount of rocks are
hanging around the sides, ready to 90
tumbling aud bounding down at anv
time.
This crater is called the GLORY hole
1t Is open about all the time for men
wanting work, but white men are not
tumbling over each other to secure
jobs. A man killed or hurt is a com
mon occurrence, and there are no laws
TO recover damages. For that matter
there are no particular laws of any
kind.
AT signal we took cover farther
in, as the blasting, while across from
us 400 feet, was still 200 feet higher up
and fragments might reach us. There
came deafening and ringing report.
The air was filled with pieces and
cataract of rocks went down the
nearly perpendicular slope. Five more
reports followed in quick succession
and regular ayalanche--I should say
at least go or so tons of rocks-went
laundering down 295 feet. Some of
these pieces would weigh several tons.
The wOrkmen at the bottom had taken
refuge IN caves dug in the sides, and
came forth to their work when the
storm was over.
''All this material is dropped through
a shaft at one side, at tho extreme low
point of the pit, into still lower tun-
mel coming in from the works, and
taken thence to the crushers on iron
cars pulled by a dinkey locomotive.
The rock is of various kinds, and
is miserable looking stuff 1t is gener-
ally quartz, but not so lntractible to
crushing as quartz is generally. It
comes under the "freeniliing'' head.
The company uses the entire product.
Some of the slate is really worthless.
having only 80 cents of gold to the ton,
but it can't well be sorted out. The
best ore has $50 of gold per ton. the
average is about SO. It's reduction
costs about ST. so per ton. The mills
crush an average OF 22OOO tons of rock
per month. There are two mills. one
has 24O and the other 100 stamps.
within the next Is months a new
mill will be in operation on a colossal
scale, adding 1856 more stamps. when
the total will be 1850. This will then
lead several hundred stamps any other
gold mine on EARTH"