The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-21
John Dern and Party Return From
Nevada.
BIG PLANT FOR DEXTER
MANY IMPROVEMENTS ARE
BEING MADE.
New Double Compartment Shaft Has
Been Started, Which Cut the Big
Ore Ledge at a Depth of 300 Feet
Water Is Troublesome at Pres
ent, But Can Be Handled.

President John Dern of the Dexter
property at Tuscarora,- New, accom-
panied by his guests, Messrs. Meserve
and Southworth of Boston, returned
yesterday morning from a weeks in
spection of the great Nevada gold camp,
highly pleased with their visit 1t was
Mr. Dern's first trip to the mine since
he bought into the property a year or
so ago.
Talking of operations at the mine, MI
bern said that in very short time now
the Dexter would be equipped with one
of the finest hosting and pumping
plants in the state, and the first one to
be run by electric power.
Owing to the impossible roads, the
property had to be closed down for a
part of the winter for lack of fuel and
supplies, but everything was in good
running order again. The property OIL
the Dexter company is traversed by
large east and west vein that averages
twenty to thirty feet in width, which
carries good values in gold, and cut
ting through the ground in north and
south direction is series OF small
lodges which contain very rich StreakS
of free gold quartz.
The old workings of the Dexter had
attained depth Of $50 feet when water
became troublesome, and new double
compartment shaft was started to cut
the vein at greater depth and enable
the company to better work the mine
Last Tuesday night, soon after Mr.
Dern's arrival, the big ledge was cut
in the new shaft at depth of about
500 feet, but water came in so rapidly
that the sinking pump was lost in the
shuttle, and when Mr.. Dern left the
water was being pumped out with
pump borrowed from a neighborinS
chat 1af
the north and south veins was also cut
at a depth of some 200 feet, and sam
pies taken from it carried very high
values.
AS soon as the shaft is drained a sta
ton Will be cut on the 300-fOot level and
a stump excaYated. With this work
completed the company viii begin drift
ing and stopping, and Mr.. Dern expects
that big returns Will result, as 200 feet
OF practically dry ground will then be
open to exploration.
The Dexter mill is steadily pounding
away on a good class OF ore from the
dump of the old workings, and with
its recently added settling tank equip
ment is making a gratifying showing.
In order to supplant the steam with
electric power and discard the former
at both mine and mill, a great power
station has been erected on Chicken
creek, some fifty miles from the mine.
The water to run the plant is brought
from Jack creek, distance of one mile,
in wooden flume, and from there to
the blind 1000 feet in a two-foot steel
pipe, with a drop of 420 feet in that
distance.
Mr.. Dern estimates that this plant
will supply sufficient energy to operate
the hoist, pumps and compressor at the
Dexter mine, all the machinery at the
mill and, in addition, supplying as
many other companies in the district as
wish to use it as we'll. The installa-
ton of this magnificent power plant,
the additions to the mill, and the splen-
did equipment for the mine, has cost
the Dexter a small mint of money, but
Mr. Dern is confident that every dollar
has been well spent, and is enthusiastic
over the outlook for the future, both of
the Dexter company and the whole dis
trict.