The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-05-08

~ 80 w pooO ohu plOOO per bOu.
The walls are clean cut, and well
defined, and the mineral readily
separates from the gangue.
The principal minerals con-
tanned in these pay veins are
brown and white carbonate of
iron, mixed with chloride of sill
yer and gray copper, with very
little quartz. In the upper work
ings of the mine, the rich sandy
brown chloride predominates, but
in the lower levels, the copper
sulphides are in excess. The
writer sampled one shoot of clean
gray copper ore, over "a inches
thick, that yielded an average
value of 1900 ounces of silver,
and % per cent. copper, and was
informed that these shoots of
clean high grade ore, sometimes
swelled to four feet wide, and
that the average of all the ore
mined had been in excess of 100
ounces of silver.
Nature did good deal for the
development of the Ramshorn
vein. The narrow canyon of
Bayhorse creek, is equivalent to
a vertical shaft, already dug.
The vein courses square into the
north side of the canyon, and is
covered by five contiguous claims,
following its apex for nearly
1000 feet, and giving a vertical
lift of something like 1000 feet
between the point where the
vein crosses the creek level and
the extreme north end of the
property.
The method of development
consists of a system of adit tun
mel lifts driven in on the vein, a
intervals, as it courses down the
face of the mountain, and con
nected underground, with reg
ular system Of raises, chutes anC
manways, for the ventilation ant
economical handling of the orr
bodies.
At the mouth of the principa
tunnel openings, there are sub
stantial ore bins, arranged to fee
a Halliday wire rope tramway
by which they are all connecte,
to the principal storage bin a
the foot of the mountain, nov
filled with 1000 tons of loose ore
, having an average value of 10
ounces of silver, and about 5 pc
cent. copper.
There is sufficient stopin
, ground now opened on the mum
: erous ore shoots, to accomodat
25O miners breaking ore, withor
being in each others way. Thi
ore carries an excess of FIRE
smelling iron. and with its othe
advantages, and railroad trans
portation, added, this propert
will prove one of the most profit;
BILE in the State.
: The longest tunnel on tf
4 Ramshorn, which is driven in Q
5 the vein all the way, was starte
S several hundred feet above IL
: creek level. 1t has penetrate
S the mountain 5000 feet, an
e shows a handsome body of o.
in the present face, nearly thrt
# feet wide. The steep pitch
r the mountain, into which th
e vein and tunnel course, give
k vertical face depth of 5000 fee
n The tunnel together with /
= miles of connections probab
k constitutes the deepest develo
5. ment of any ore vein in the Sta
10 of Idaho, and amply refutes t
d argument that Idaho mines
., not go down.
re Nearly parallel to, and adjoi
,r ing the Ramshorn mine, is t
lie old Skylark group, carrying t
I'd same character of ore in t
same formation, has been a ia
as Gus producer. This mine b
TX been worked continuously
ye the past 20 years. 1t is also
a veloped by a succession of a
x tunnel lifts with systema
re underground connections, agg
eating something like 18, 900 f
n in length. 1t has produced go
he silver and copper bullion to
es value of 50, 500, 900. and shipI
at s25. 900 worth of ore last ye
th The Skylark vein was more
an regular and disturbed in its
per workings, than the Raj
h. horn, but in its lower levels,
te shows a more regular tenden
rt. and sleeper pitch, ard the indl
nd tions are that its greatest reso
%. ces or mineral wealth still av
m systematic development in deI
,se which can be continued by
ed cessive adit tunnel lifts for fl
,er 1000 feet further down the S
X of the mountain, before the a
ill of the vein would strike
th creek bed, on its present coul
Tho 1onUeSt tunnel on the :