The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-14
THE PENASYL vAN|A MINE
Famous in Litigation and Great
in Ore Bodies.
HORSES IN THE DEPTHS
Lowered Through the Shaft in Sings
The Mines Output - Location.
Equipment and Improve
ments Being Made. .

Probably no mine in the Butte dig
trict has attracted more attention dur
ing the last few months than has the
Pennsylvania, this mine having been
the main point of interest in the famous
suit which for about nine weeks recent
ly held the center of the stage in Judge
Clancy's court.
In the great case of the Montana, Ore
Purchasing company against the Bos-
ton & Montana, the ore bodies in con-
troversy lie within the surface boun-
dairy lines of the Pennsylvania, extend
ed vertically downward. The Pennsyl-
vania lies almost directly south of the
Johnstown claim, owned by the Mon
tana Ore Purchasing company, and it
was claimed by the plaintiff that the
YOUNGSTOWN lode, dipping to the south,
entered the ground of the Pennsylvania
which belongs to the Boston & Montana
company, and that the last-named COM
pany were extracting ore from it. The
defendant denied that the ore bodies in
the Pennsylvania constituted any part
of the Johnstown lode.
Many difficult and delicate questions
of mining geology were involved and
the array Of distinguished mining ex-
perts marshaled upon the opposing
sides has probably never been equaled,
certainly never surpassed in any mining
suit tried in the United States. The
trial was concluded some weeks ago,
and the case is now held under advise
ment by Judge Clancy.
1t may be well to state in this con-
nection that the case referred to does
not involve all or anything like all Of
the ore bodies in the Pennsylvania, hut
only those which it is claimed by the
plaintiff apex in the Johnstown claim.
1t may also serve to make the sitlation
a little clearer to mention the fact that
the YOUNGSTOWN and Rarus locations COW
er much of the same ground, and that
the plaintiff is working the so-called
Johnstown lode through the Rarus
shaft
The Pennsylvania lies just at the
the eastern end of Broadway. about
quarter of mile southeast Of the An
aconda group. The works are disting-
| Unstable by single iron stack, rath-
| err unusual feature in that part Of the
| district. The impression conveyed when
viewing the hoist from a distance is
| that 1t is upon a rather small scale and
| that the works are equipped with but
! single set of boilers. The fact is.
| though. that there are four sets of Fras-
| err & Chalmers boilers, with an aggre-
| gate of nearly TOO horsepower, and they
stack, upon closer examination, is
found to be very much larger than the
| ordinary single set stack. being nearly
$50 feet high and about feet s inches
in diameter.
| The main hoisting engine is an E. p.
| Alls direct acting, double reel Pop
petit valve, with cylinders 19X4S, and OF
about 600 horsepower. The engine is
beautiful one and is kept in splendid
order. There is also an independent
sinking engine Of about 60 horsepower
This does it's work through a separate
shaft compartment, which IS closed IN
| to the roof This compartment also
contains the water column and Is used
| for general repair purposes:
The air for pumping and drilling IS
furnished by the Leonard, and the wat
err, of which the quantity is limited,
! goes to Meaderville, where the copper
| is preciptated in the Leonard tanks.
There are two pumps below ground.
one on the 1OCO-foot level and the other
| on the 900. The working depth of the
mine is 1000 feet, but the shaft is now
being sunk to the 1,100-foot level. The
hoisting is done with double-deck
! cages, and from $50 to 500 tons of ore IS
now being taken out each "a hours All
of this comes from portions of the mine
in no way affected by the litigation
mentioned, which gives some idea of
the value of the property.
Altogether tnefe are Saiu 10 De dpouI
23O men employed At this mine
they also work horses below
ground, four of them BEING
used in hauling the ore from the
slopes to the stations. They are not
raised and lowered each day as at the
| West Colusa-the size of the shaft not
permitting it without too much trouble.
The horses are let down in sings and
kept there, being provided with stables
and everything necessary for thelr
comfort.
AS is the case at all of this com
pany's mines, the buildings are both
commodious and comfortable. The car
penter shop is we'll equipped and is kept
busy preparing timbers. The black
smith and machine shops are small, be-
ing intended merely for the lighter
work-that which is heavier being done
at the Leonard.
Some very nice improvements are in
progress, the most important being q
the work A fine covered way leads t.
1t, dividing at point about 100 feet
from the shaft, one branch going te
the railroad dump and the other to tbs
waste. The total length of the cover
ed way leading ito the waste dump Is
about 300 feet The distance to the new
railroad dump is considerably less.
The sinking negine is completely in
closed In new building within The
main shaft house--which looks littl.
queer. 1t is partly for warmth, but
mainly to prevent misunderstanding Of
the bell signals to the different engines
which might result in accidents. The
ore from this mine goes partly to Grea
Falls and partly to the Butte & Boston
smelter at Meaderville.