Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-18
MINING IN THE Bl ACK HILLS
Latest Nc,AS of Interest from the
Rich eernI Regions of
Path Dakota.

KEYSTONE, s. D., Dec. 17.-(Specal.) y
Everything in the keystone district" is on
| the moves While "Deadwood and the Home
! stake are talking through the outside press
about large mining sales and rich returns
from mines the mine owners and mining pro-
moters of this district in the central part
of the Black Hills, have been making prep
arations for one of the greatest mining
booms that the country has ever seen.
Keystone is a young mining town. 1t
has not been known outside of a few miles
more than half dozen years, but ever
since the discovery of the Holy Terror mine
which occurred on the 2Sth day of June, 1894
the town has been kept very prominently
in the minds of the people, owing to the
large dividends that the mine has paid
nearly from the commencement of mining
operations on the rich ore vein The Holy
Terror mine was discovered by an od-tmer
named William Franklin, now deceased. It's
queer name was given it by Mr. Franklins
wife, who in joking way said it would be
Holy Terror" and such in reality the
mine has proven to be. There are six quartz
claims in the group, embracing about fifty
acres of ground and covering two ore veins,
the Holy Terror and the Keystone The
ore in the two mines differs very widely.
The Holy Terror vein Is a blush quartz
Il
blue clay gouge, the vein averaging from
two to six feet in width. 1t is a true fis-
sure vein. The ore deposited in the Key
stone mine is what is known as a bedded
vein or deposit, which is from twenty to
forty feet in width. The values in the ores
are low grade, carrying gold about 10 per
per cent iron pyrites. This vein and that
of the Holy Terror mine will eventually
come together. The ore in the keystone
mine is not being taken out at present for
the reason that it cannot be treated sue
cessfully by the amalgamating process, but
instead it is genuine concentrating PROPOSE
tion.
All the ore is taken from the Holy Terror
mine through the two compartment shaft
and 1t is then run over a tramway to the
Keystone stamp mill, where it is treated.
At present the Holy Terror ten-stamp mill
is not running. There are seven levels in
the Holy Terror mine, each about 100 feet
apart, and within the last few weeks work
has been commenced in sinking the main
shaft another 100 feet.
The ore is mined by stoping by air drills.
the broken ore falling from above by gravity
into ore chutes along the tram level, from
which it is loaded into ore cars and taken
to the shaft without shovelng. The water
in the mine amounts to about 400 gallons
per minute, which is pumped out through
tweve-inch pipe and stored in tanks for
use in the process of amalgamating the ore.
On the iith level, crosscut is run to the
Keystone mine, distance of about $50 feet.
This 500-f foot level has been driven farther
north and south than any of the ether levels,
the distance north being 800 feet and south
800 ieet. New ore shoots have been en-
countered which are OF considerable size
and when they are fully opened up at the
other levels the mine will truly be a holy
terror"
The Keystone mill was built for forty
stamps, twenty OF which have been placed
and are now in constant operation. Each
stamp weighs 1000 pounds, with an eight
inch drop, making eighty-ive drops per
minute, and each stamp crushes approx
mately four and one half tons OF ore per
twenty-fOur hours This would make the
capacity of the plant about ninety tons per
day. The ore contains considerable pyrites
or sulphide ore, which passes over the cop
per plates but most Of it is saved by sys-
tenn OF concentra tors. The shines are sep
arated from the concentrates and It is the
intention to cyanide them in a twenty-ton
plant. The combination of the three pro-
cesses on the ere will save about so per cent
OF tho values
The Holy Terror mine has been a paying
Investment to the stockholders ever since
the lower ore bcdy was encountered In
cludng the November dividend the mine has
paid total Of Sl62 600. 1t has made num-