Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1897-09-29
MINING DEPARTMENT
FABULOUS RICHES IN A VOLCANO.
Belief of Colorado Prospector Eas Been
Backed by Millions The Old Romance of
the Geyser at Silver Cliff Is Told
in New Form.

no ploNes tldl am flgnt. Now
we can go ahead and hunt for the
mine"
The books of the company were nro.
duced Johnson had spent more than
Sloo.000 in finding an ounce of silver
worth at that time about 100 He
produced plat of the mountain and
showed where he would start the
smart II his friends would put up the
cash, and estimated that he would
| ma Indications of ore at 800 to .7OO
feet and the lode at $500 to 0Oo
ieet. 1t might be necesSary-he could
not tell until he was 1000 feet into
the mountan-to drive the shaft two
miles deep. They talked it over and
the capitalists proposed that q dis
| coVery shaft "a very small shaft) be
sunk. johnson objected. He must
nave a large shaft one through which
he could hoist ore the moment he
round 1t, without waiting to enlarge
~ later day His argument carried
tne uay, and few more entered the
company and agreed to stand by John
son Tor o,OoO feet, anyway.
Johnson returned to Silver Cliff
slaked OIL the ground and started To
work. lie employed seventy five min
~ pullt permanent shaft house. or
uvIeu ar drills, put up an engine
pant ventilating apparatus, pump.
eaple' NINE machinery, rails, ties. ore
1urs va anu TWO magnificent steel cages.
iheh ne marked out a double-com-
partnent working shaft, and turning
% ms three foremen, said:
L want the shaft driven straight
lllto the ground. Twenty-Five men
ceed."
them asked
lntil we strike ore"
Wen go through to China and not
find any"
then" ''''" so'
steam was raised and the Geyser
smart was started.
ms was in the fall of 1883. The
erect was electrical. Men came from
an an over Colorado to see the property.
ne dfllls were grinding away through
lne rock, with absolutely not a trace
ol ore III sight. The first 100 feet in
| depth was gained, and permanent
tlilbeflng was placed IN the shaft.
hen 200 feet had been passed
| lhrouSh johnson was approached one
udA ~ a Wor man who wanted TO
KNOW if he would be Justified In
puHdlng a house for his family to live
m lie did not care to build and then
nave the mine close down and lose
ms Investment Johnson replied:
Build your house, my man. And
as long as we ARE 1000 feet of this
SIDE OF the bottom of the mountains
you need have no fear, if you attend
10 your business."s
-
80 1t was that the little settlement
grew up about the mine. Stores an.
peafed, the community prospered.
stages made daily trips and each
! month the workmen were paid with
u regularity that was astonishing.
Mail was delivered daily the force of
men was gradually increased and the
rock coming from the mine was so
| distributed as to form the approach
iils grade FOR a railroad. Johnson's
nerve simply took the breath AWAY
from the slow-eoing inhabitants of
the ClH. Down, down the big shaft
went, two steel cages passing each
other night and day, month after
month, one year, two years. three
Tour, five years. And then on the
closing of the Indian mints to the
coinage of silver I'm 1893. Johnson was
summoned to Boston. Would II nav
howF Yes, 1t would; for If his theory
was correct, they would quarry out
the silver when they struck 1t. The
HllNer Clllfers We're nervous. But
Johnson returned smiling and assured
the men that they We're going right
INTO the mountain and must hurry.
Johnson thinks he is right over the
mouth Of the volcano AT 100 feet he
ran two levels. exploring for ore. He
was disappointed. Every 100 feet
he ran two levels. In the five wears
the mine has worked to date, over
nve miles of underground levels and
uflfts have been gouged out.
All known geological conditions were
passed through. Great slabs of gran
ite 500 feet long were cut lengthwise.
In other places the ground was So soft
that great twenty-four inch timbers
were placed in the shaft TO keep the
ground from creeping In The de-
velopmenf work was perfect. For the
first 800 feet the cages fall, the sleeves
do not strike the guides
Three years ago an ore body was
opened. 1t was a great feeder of silver
bearing mineral. The Silver Cliffers
were paralyzed with astonishment.
Men We're set to work to follow the
4
/ ing steadily. More than 900 feet the
workmen followed the dip of the vein.
around curious corners and through
strange formations, downward. down
ward Sometimes the ore was poor.
sometimes rich Inquiry at the mine
was useless. The man who talked was
discharged. 1t was private enter
prise. The business of the mine con-
cefned nobody except those immedi-
ately interested in its development.
Two hundred thounsand dollars worth
of ore was taken out and sold In the
public market and the money put back
in the mine. year ago there was
tremendous excitement when one of
the miners thought he had penetrated
the hanging wall Later what looked
| like the foot wall was encountered.
johnson was happy and everybody was
excited, but they were not In the liv-
ing rock yet A few feet farther and
the shaft sank into more conglomerate
and now such discoveries scarcely at
tract notice.
The mine to-day has reached depth
of 1900 feet, and men are still follow
ing the feeder.
The company has expended S2,f00,-
900, including the amount spent In pros
pecting work. and 10000 taken out
of the mine has been put back into IL
In the form OF development work,
which makes total cost to date OF
$2300,000.