The silver lance., 1898-07-15
AMONG THE MINES.
Float Picked Up Around the Crystal District and
Echoes From the nsny Mines

|
Royal & Reed are now doing the annual
assessment work on the Alice group near
Scofield, and report work going along
nicely.
The Tyrol-Venice tunnel is being push
ed into Mineral Point as rapidly as posi-
BILE with the present force, which will
soon be increased by the addition of sew
eral more men.
We hear that VIM. Boucher, whose an
nual visits have seemed fixed necessity
to the welfare of the camp, will not be
in the district this year, having leased
all his properties in the ScoAeld and
Crystal Basin section.
On the Burt lode the tunnel is now
well begun, cutting into the solid forma-
tion along one of the veins TO its contact
with the big fssure. Manager Ward has
been having supplies taken up, and the
workmen are now living right at the
mine, whore new cabin has been built
| In the Lead King considerable dead
work is being done, an upralse being
cut to the ore from the tunnel In the
drift from upraise No. l, some splendid
ore is being taken out, both of copper
| and lead, and of the latter ore some of
the best that has ever come from any
mine in the district. The management
is certainly getting things in shape to
make this year a record breaker.
The Crystal Mountain Mine is pushing
development work both in the main tun-
mel and on the drift to open up the great
mineralized formation that has been cut
through during the past month. In the
drift the formation seems more solid and
the ore of a somewhat different character.
There is little doubt the entire wall is a
, concentrating proposition, and it, after
thorough investigation, it proves to lie
such, the Crystal Mountain Mining 4
Drainage Company will quickly fad the
means to put in a plant.
The Hoffman Smelling & Refining Co.,
at Marble are installing a crusher and
sampler at their plant, and are now pre-
pared to handle all ore which may be
brought in, and with thair new faoilitios
can sample the ores and pay the propec-
tor or mine owner on delivery, and this
also enables them to handle the ores to
much greater advantage in smelling. An
addition has been built TO the plant COW
ering the same area of floor space as the
original plant, for the new machinery
and additional ore bins. In few days
there viii be sufficient ore on hand for a
steady run, when the furnace fires Will
be blown in for the seasons work.
The recent strikes msde by leasers is
going to do much to cause Others to take
hold of properties under lease. There
are hundreds of prospects lying idle in
this district, upon which leases OF some
sort may be obtained. OF course there
are too many properties upon which the
owners are not doing anything and do
not seem disposed to permit others to
| share the labors with shance of profit
through developing the same. But OF
late more attention has been paid to the
operation of developing prospects under
lease. and the close of the year viii doubt
less show number of shipping mines
through the energy of leasers where now
are only mere prospects.
Y. B. Ford is working the old Tabor,
on Whitehonse, under lease, and is tax
ing out almost solid lead carbonates, in
chunks weighing as high as a quarter
ton. The ore is being hauled down to
the Hoffman smelter by jack train. The
Whitehouse properties, it is cIaimed, can
produce ore at less cost than any other
mines in the district, but the altitude
makef it impossible to work more than
few months each year. Wednesday a
boulder of solid lead weighing several
tons, was uncovered and a chunk weigh
ing fifteen hundred pounds was taken
out. 1t runs about 100 ouuces silver, and
seventy per cent lead, and carries some
steel galena and crystalized lead among
the heavy lead and carbonates.
The Laura, on Meadow Mountain is
about to enter the list of shipper with
unexpected suddenness. The Laura was
the first lode mining claim in this dis
trict for which United States patent
, was issued, and lies between the Lead
King and Lucky Day. 1t was formerly
the property of the Colorado Mining q
Milling Company, but for ten years II
has been unnoticed by its owners and
even the taxes were not paid. Thia
, spring Hoffman Brothers secured title &c
/, it from the county, and Judge Bardine
, G. II. Rummel and Charley Reed were
given two years lease on the property
Last week they commenced work on the
property, driving in an open cut to pros