The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-27
THE NEwHoUsE TUNNEL.
Greatest Undertaking of This Charac-
ter In the World.


A special from Idaho Springs, Colo,
to the Denver Republican, relative to
the big tunnel enterprise in which Mr..
Newhouse of this city is engaged, says:
San Newhouse has returned from the
east and confirms all that has been
said in these dispatches for the last
two weeks. He says that arrangements
will be made at once for the resu7np
tion of work in the Newhouse tunnel
and that when prosecuting is resumed
there will be no stop until the objective
point under Central City is reached.
Mr.. Newhouse does not need to wait
for the English capitalists to come for
ward with money to carry on the work.
He is now in shape to prosecute work,
for fortune has favored him, and the
recent sale of a small interest in the
Utah mines for $4 600, 900 to the Stand
ard Oil people puts him in shape to sue
cessfully carry through his long cher
ished plan.
In the counties of Gilpin and Clear
Greek there is mineral belt that will
measure almost five miles in width.
Over 1000 known lodes lie within these
lines, and every one of this number
has been worked at one time. The belt
is covered by the oldest discoveries of
lodes in the state. which came but
short time after the discoveries of placer
gold in the two counties. Since then
some of the lodes have been worked off
and on at various times. In many cases
the shafts have been sunk to a depth of
1000 feet with no sign of pinch in the
streak of mineral.
The California shaft was sunk to a
depth of $500 feet, and in the lower
level it is found that the streak is wider
and of a higher value than when
1n hQ
an additional advantage at this time,
for in the treatment Of these sulphide
ores the system of concentration has
been brought TO point where it is al
most perfect.
From the actual tests that have been
made by this system Of treatment for
this class Of lows grade mineral, it is
found that the saving on sulphide ores
is from 80 to 95 per cent The tunnel
will open these lodes at a depth of from
LOGO to 2.400 feet below the surface, and
when drifts are extended on the veins,
as it is intended to do, a large force Of
miners will find work. To work only
a few men on each of the veins would
require a big army.
That the Newhouse tunnel is. the big
ge5t undertaking of its kind in the
world cannot be doubted. While it may
not be the longest gold mining tunnel.
working mines. The cost of mining the
ores will be about half the present cost,
aside from the handling of the waters,
which is a heavy expense in both coun-
ties The tunnel has double track, with
drainage beneath, and this is ample to
handle large volumes of the water,
which will gradually be found and at
almost every vein as cut.
The lodes Of Seaton mountain pitch
( aWaV from the Tunnel ItH hpadinc ir
now under the south side lines of the
Gem, yet the vein will not be cut for
almost 1000 feet and at an equal depth
Some other lodes will be cut within a
few hundred feet. and from that time
on there will be no great distance
driven without finding wide streaks of
ere. The frs mile of the tunnel was
driven through a section which was not
expected to be productive of mineral
yet 1t was necessary to begin the tun-
ned on Clear Creek so that depth could
be gained when the tunnel had reached
the known mineral belt
As mining men on the line of the tun-
ned begin to realize the benefits from
the tunnel they are more anxious to
make satisfactory arrangements with
Mr.. Newhouse for the drainage, and
also mining and transportation. He
now purposes giving this work his per-
sOnal attention, and viii devote some
time to the completion of this undertake
ing. His interests in Utah are to be
looked after by his representatives.
It is stated as a conservative estimate
that the tunnel will have 10000 miners
working on lodes through it after the
completion of the bore from Idaho
Springs to Central City. The tunnel
viii have but one surface end. that at
Idaho Springs. Its terminal in Gilpin
will be I'D the sUlch from Central Civ
on the Eureka property. The shaft on
this will be continued to a depth of
more than 1000 feet, where it is intend
ed to connect with the bore.
Thomas r. Henahen will continue as
superintendent, and meets with Mr..
Newhouse this week to complete the
plans for resumption of work