Gilpin observer., 1900-08-02
CAMP BIRD MINE
MAY BE SOLD

There is no longer any doubt that
deal is being negotiated between
Thomas +. Walsh and the Venture cor
poration of London for the Camp Bird
mine of Ouray. and that If it is made
the price will be the highest ever paid
for IL mine in the United States. The
first intimation of possible deal for
the property was little more than
month ago. when r. a. Rickard. con-
sulting engineer of the Venture cor-
poration. received IL cable message
from Mr.. Walsh requesting him to
make an examination of the mine and
forward a report to him at Paris.
Last Friday Il cable to Mr.. Richard
conveyed the first information to Mr.
Iiickard that deal was on foot, and
since that time several cable messages
have been exchanged regarding the
deal, which is now in full swing. The
price has not been stated and Will not
be definitely fixed until farther prog
ress is made in the negotiations.
Mr.. Rickard acknowledged yesterday
that the sale was on foot. that he had
been called to London to assist in the
negotiations and would sail in n short
time. 1t is broadly intimatcd that the
price asked by Mr.. Walsh is more than
100000. and that il will he iloated
on the English market in much the
same manner as was Stratton's lnde-
pendence.
John w. Benson, manager of the
property, WIS in the city last week,
making arrangements to buy machin-
cry to enlarge the milling plant, and
was notified of the pending deal last
Friday This has no effect Oh the pro
posed improvements. Before the end
of the present year the mill will have
eighty stamps crushing 200 tons of ore
Il day, II complete electric plant oper-
ating the mine and mill. electric loco
| motors for hauling the ore out of the
mine, and cyanide plant for treating
the tailings after the concentrating ia
bles
| Since the commencement of work on
| the mine in November 1897 the mine
has produced about S5,OOO,OOO, all of
which has been taken out in drifting
6.OOO feet on the second level, and from
n stope 1900 feet long and forty feet
high on the second and Il stope 40 feet
high by 100 feet long on the third level,
No other stopping has been done, and
Mr.. Benson says that the eighty stamp
mill can be kept in operation with the
ore taken out from the drifts alone,
all the headings being in ore. The av
eragc depth of the stopping ground,
uDoNt lllt SttohI leNtl. II wv
feet, and is steadily getting deeper as
the slope of the mountain Is very steep
and the second level west is gaining
depth rapidly. The third level Is 300
feet below the second, but rs 1t was
not opened until last March. only
few hundred feet of drifting has been
done at this point. When this level has
reached point below the breast of the
second level west there will practically
he 1000 feet of stopping ground 5000
feet long, and compared with the value
of the ore already taken out, the value
of the ore yet standing is estimated mt
not less than Sl5,00OOO.
The deal will not be finally closed for
several weeks. but II is not thought
that another examination will be nee
cssary, as the workings are very sim
pie. consisting of the two main drifts
only. the ore shoots are well defined
and an accurate record has been Kept
of thu production of every part of the
mine.