Gilpin observer., 1900-08-02
WYOMING'S GREAT
IRON MINES

lnJlN vi LIN lLtO
A correspondent of the Chicago Rec
ord gives the following account of iron
mining at Hartville Wyoming:
The ore lies in mounds on the surface
of the earth and is mined with n steam
shovel and Scrapers such as are used
in building railway grades and digging
canals. Shafts have been sunk in sew
eral places to n depth of 100 feet and
have shown solid masses of ore from
the grass roots down-both carbonates
and rich red oxides which stain every
thing they touch and We're used by the
Indians for paint. The amount of ore
in sight has been variously estimated
from 25.000.Oo0 to 50.O00,O0O tons, and
so far as the shipments have gone they
averaged from siXty-three to seventy
per cent. of free metallic iron.
Three years ago the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company. which has extern
sive furnaces and mills mt Pueblo, with
n capital of SO 100000, constructed Il
railway from the Colorado Southern at
Badger, Wyoming, to the mines, and
obtained Il lease of what is known as
the Sunrise Park group for twenty
years from Mr.. G. a. Guernsey, who
controls thirty square miles of iron
lands. Under the terms of this lease
the company is required to take out
not less than 500 tons per working day
or 100000 tons for the first year. This
minimum must be increased 25.OOO
tons n year until the output reaches
1000 tons per day. AT present the
company is taking out between 600 and
700 tons from the side of hill with a
steam shovel which carries two tons
to the dip and can load an ordinary
Onn1nln in ui,rht ptinutas - RntInI.
the superintendent. told mo the other
day that he loaded three cars in ten
minutes. and said that when the ter
minal facilities which are now under
way are completed. nj II cost of $3.50
900. he will he able to handle 1000 tons
Il day. That is the amount required
to keep the furnaces at Pueblo running
their full capacity.
Mr.. Guernsey receives n royalty of 10
cents n ton for all the ore that is tax
en- out of the mines.
The mine as we saw it to-day looked
like Il gravel pit except that its con
tents We're brilliant vermlion. the
reddest ore l have ever seen. a great
pit has been dug OUT of the side of the
mountain and II double railway track
had been laid beside it. A gang of
men with crowbars We're ranged along
the upper rim breaking off great
chunks of ore. which fell like ava
lanchcs into the bottom of the pit.
where it was scooped up by II steam
shovel and hoisted over into the freight
ears on the outer track. The air was
haZy with an almost invisible red dust
that settled upon ones hat and cloth
ing and If allowed to remain left an
indelible stain. Superintendent Butler
explained that the ore then being talk
en- out was II high grade of carbonate
running from siXty-two 10 sixty-siX per
cent. pure iron, and asserted that the
mountains all around us on both sides
| of the canon for two miles We're com
posed of similar material which could
be mined in the same manner at Il cost
of not-less than b cents ton.
A remarkable phenomenon which has
received no satisfactory explanation is
the discovery of Indian relies. arrows.
lance heads, mallets, and other ornn-
ments and implements several feet be-
meath the surface. In what Is known
as the Chicago mine, several stones
for grinding corn. stone hammers.
boxes, bone and shell ornaments have
been unearthcd at n depth of fifteen
feet. and near by are evidences of eX-
tensive excavations. tunnels, shafts and
galleries in an area nearly mile
square which date from II prehistoric
period. II Is easy to believe that the
Indians We're in the habit of burrowing
into these mines for red oxides to adorn
their trappings and paint their bodies
for the warpath. and that may account
for some of the relies that have been
discovered. but the evidences of pre-
historic mining operations are not so
easily explained.