The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-30
MINES OF THE WEST DIP
PROPERTIES WHICH ARE LO-
GATED ON OMAHA LEDGE.
The Small and Despised Beginning
of Mercur-Discovery of the Ore
Zones of the West Dip.

/ IL IS accounted as DelnS one OF the
! greatest producers of the yellow metal
| in this intermountain region, and its
fame has spread until it is now known
of and talked of in every commercial
center in the world.
A blowout of oxidized, gold-bearing
! cinnabar ore on the side of a hill in the
/ Oquirrh range of mountains, long
known to exist, but ignored by mining
men as practically valueless, can now
| be accounted as the source from which
the great mining camp has sprung,
and it is from this small beginning that
what is now one of the most wonderful
gold-producing districts in the west
owes its origin.
For several years after the discovery
and operation of the Mercur mine it
was the prevailing opinion that this
was the only property of value in that
region. Later on the GeySer, the Ma
rion and the Golden Gate, responsive
to the quickening influence of labor
and capital applied and expended in
their development, appeared in the
field as rivals to the parent mine, and
it was not long after before the stray
Cling and primitive camp, as if by
magic, became the theatre of wonder
full activity, and still later on posed
! as one of the most progressive and
prosperous mining centers in this coun-
try, so justly famed for its prolific and
wealth-producing mining districts.
And even then it was believed that
the leading mines of Mercur encom-
passed all the mineral deposits of
worth or merit in Camp Floyd district,
and reported discoveries in other por-
lions of the camp We're looked upon
as wildcat schemes by those who. as
yet, were scarce familiar with the for
nation and extensive mineral resources
f.F > 4 -t,-iaf le- 1,
is now generally known as the West
Dip were given but little attention at
the hands Of those who were most
heavily identified with the big produc-
ing mines of Mercur, VINO would have
scoffed at the suggestion that this sec
ton in time would come to the front
with more producing mines than even
Mercur could boast of, and would have
ridiculed the idea that in time this To-
cality might become the big end of
Camp Floyd district.
Owing to this incredulity, this skep-
ticiSm and prejudice, it has taken
years where it should have taken
months to convince mining men that
the West Dip was well worthy of rec
ignition; but the time has at last ar
rived when the most obstinate dis
believer in this section has been forced
to admit that the West Dip offers in
ducements to the mining operator and
investor which can no longer be ig
nored.
1t is now nearly four years sine the
discovery of the Omaha, on the West
Dip, was first announced, the SHOWS of
winter and the inclemency of the
weather prohibiting extended explora-
ton of the find at that time, although
it was definitely ascertained that the
ledge covered by the location was a
strong one, and that the vein carried
encouraging values in gold. Later on
the claims now embraced in the La
Cigale group, on the north of the Oma-
ha, were located and filed for record,
and at about the same time the discov-
cry monument of the Daisy was erected
and the boundary lines of the group
defined. Then followed the location of
the South Daisy. the SnOwstOrm, all
on the Omaha ledge, and still later the
large block of ground was Staked out
which now comprises the holdings of
the West Mercur Gold Mining COM
pany.
Meeting with diScouragements in sew
eral forms, the exploration of the Oma-
ha ledge was delayed and interfered
with for a year or more, and even
when operations were begun, but little
Roadway was recorded for a year or so
more; but now that the value of the
deposit has been ascertained and as
the showing continues to improve with
every foot of development work done,
the truth is beginning to dawn upon
the mining world that this section is
doubtless soon to become a formidable
rival, if not the peer, of the great gold
camp of Mercur, and the interest that
is now being taken in this locality is a
guarantee that in the future it will not
be neglected, and that its latent re
sources will from now on receive the
attention and investigation which they
seemingly so justly deserve.
The La Cigale, on this great gold zone,
was the first TO experience the beneh-
cial results of systematic and extens-
i've development. and as several shafts
were sunk to the deep and numerous
drifts and cross-cuts were run in the
exploration of this ground, it was
found that the vein was not only per-
manent and continuous in its charac-
ter, but that it was extensive and was
charged with pay gold values, the out
come of intelligent operations being
that the property is now embellished
with a splendid mill which is now fairly
in commission and from which great
things are anticipated in the future.
Active operations at the Omaha were
interefered with for a year or more
after the incorporation Of the company
on account Of litigation involving the
ownership of a large block of the
stock of the association, but this hav-
ing been settled by the courts. this
property is now the scene of active eX-
ploitation and three shafts are being
sunk on the dip of the vein in the
extensive development Of this ground,
which embraces a group of six claims.
Two of these shafts. which are 800 feet
apart, have attained a depth of 300
feet, and they are connected at this
level by a drift on the vein, the other
shaft now being down for 200 feet. all
three of the workings being in a splen-
did body of milling ore, ranging from
five to twenty feet in width, for the
treatment of which reduction works
viii doubtless be erected this coming
spring.
The Daisy, which covers a thousand
feet or more on the south extension Of
the Omaha vein, was the second COM
pany on the West Dip to put up a
mill and hosting works, while the ore
bodies within the environments of the
group have been extensively devel-
oped. disclosing mineral measures
which are seemingly inexhaustible.
while the gold values are constantly in
creasing as progress is made in the
operation of the mine, the ore being
very high-grade for milling as well as
oXidized in character. 50 that a high
Of values is being recorded.
In the working of the Daisy the main
incline shaft has been pushed to the
500-foot level, while at this depth the
vein is not only larger, but it is of
higher grade than at the surface. Drifts
have been driven north and south on
the vein for several hundred feet at
each 100foot level. one popularity of
the development of the property being
that the further south these workings
are extended the higher the gold values |
become. Another interesting feature Of |
the operation of the Daisy is the recent |
discovery of a second or back vein |
within less than 100 feet from the orig |
li.-..-..-.,.-.