The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-18
THE EZRA GOLD NINE
Another Producer Added to Tusca-
rora's Bonanzas.


Inasmuch as a large number of Salt
Takers are interested in the Dexter
and Young America, mines at TuSca-
rora. New. the following regarding the
Ezra. a new producer, joining the Dex-
ter on the west, will be interesting to
Herald readers. Concerning the Ezra
the Times-Review says:
For some time past there nave oeen
runors of very rich strikes and sur
p1-ising developments in the Ezra, which
has been bonded by eastern capitalists
from George ]. Smith, the owner and
locator It has been the policy or the
Times Review to be very conservative
in chronicling imaginary strikes, and
we have perSistently refra1ned from
publishing columns of boom literature
on every one-horse prospect in the
district: and. in line with this policy,
we concluded to inspect the property,
if permission could be obtained, and
see for ourselves just what was In the
mine. AS a mine the property is well
known to us, and is no new proposition,
but an old producer, which has already
made it's owner wealthy, and the great
er part of the property IS still virgin
ground. Mr.. Trefethen, the manager,
cheerfully accorded us the desired per
mission to inspect the mine, but first
exacted a promise that we would tell
what we saw, and nothing more. AS
we had no intention of doing anything
else. we gave the promise.
The Ezra was located by John Sutlin
and George J. Smith in the early SOS,
and was worked at intervals by its
owners or leaserS until about three
years ago, when work was suspended,
owing to the difficulty experienced IN
handling the water, and the lack OF
proper facilities for reducing low grace
ores at home. No extensive develop
ment work has ever been done in the
mine. and operations have been con-
fined exclusively to extracting the high
er grades of ore and following the rich
streaks in whichever way they might
lead In this manner large blocks of
ore. ranging from Sc to $500 per ton,
were left untouched, and now remain
to be broken down and sent TO the
mill.
When the present management took
charge of the property, the shaft. which
is 1877 feet in depth, was full Of water
TO within so feet Of its surface. The
property had been allowed to remain
idle for some years by the owner, owing
to the belief that a costly pumping
plant would be necessary to keep down
the flow of the water, which was be-
yond the capacity of a whim and
bucket. This fear has proved to be en-
tirely unfounded. A three-inch sink
ing pump is now running only three
hours per day and handles the water
easily. The shaft has been newly tim
bered and a light hosting engine sub
stituted for the horse whim. The old
workings have been cleaned out and
found in good condition, notwithstand-
ing having been submerged for nearly
three years.
The first level shows about 200 feet Of
stopping ground opened up and in con-
dition to produce a good grade of mill
ing ore The whole face of the slopes
will average about $50 per ton, being
free and q desirable class of ore to mill
Some streaks are much higher grade
and show free gold to the naked eye.
Considerable of this class of ore is be-
ing extracted and sacked for ship
ment, the second grade being intended
for reduction here.
The second level, $50 feet, is at pres