, 1900-02-15
of Copper Ore now Exposed in the
Rudefeha Mine-Estimated
To be Over 81 100000 now
in Sight
WILL GO DOWN ON SHAFT
Until They Strike the Vein, Which
They Expect to do at a depth OF 10
Feet-Cannot get Enough
Teams TO Move the Ore.

There is greater activity now
in the work of operating the Ru-
defeha mine and moving the ore
to the railroad than in the his
tory of that enterprising mine.
The company is finding it diff
cult to procure men aud teams
enough to keep the ore from the
ore house. From Hon. George
Ferris, president of the company,
who is in town, The Sun was en-
abled to gathering the following
facts concerning the situation at
the nine. Mr.. Ferris said:
"We are hampered just now
for teams to move the ore. We
have nine skies between the
Transfer and the railroad. Each
team hauls five tons and it takes
them five days to make the round
trip, so you e we move only ten
tons per day. In the timber, on
the snow, we have sixteen tours,
and they move three tons each, ev-
every other day, for it takes them
two days to make the round trip.
Still, with all this power, the ore
is piling up in the ore house I'M
til it is touching the upper floor.
There must be at least 100 tons
in the ore house now.
I'VE have just started to sink
the shaft from the 100 foot level
on down to the vein, which we ex-
pect to strike at a depth of 70 feet
more, or 200 feet from the surface.
AT the present time weare stopping
out a body of ore that is 100 feet
in depth, 225 feet in length and
20 feet in thickness. Now you
al make your own calculation as
to the quantity of ore we have
in sight. If we allow nine cubic
feet to the ton, it will be seen that
we have 10000 tons in the block.
The ore will net us, after every
cent of expenses for mining, haul
ing and smelling ispaid, over $3.50
per ton, which would make S1,-
100000 in sight now.
"When we struck the vein we
worked to the right, to get over
under the old shaft so we could
work up to the surface and thus
secure an air shaft. To the left
of where we struck the vein the
ore body is at least a fourth wider
than where we are now at work.
I measured it in one place and it
was 26 feet in thickness, so you
see we have a tremendous quantity
of ore in sight, When we go
down on the shaft, we expect to
find the ore equally as good as at
the present time.
"We have been compelled to en-
large our stable accommodations
here, until we can house 36 more
horses. W hen VT had but Fl We OF
six skies we could make ont, but
our forces meet here and our ac-
commodations are by far too small
for the present number Of horses.
"We have a postoffice at the mine
now which is called Osceola, and
j. X. Jefiries has been appointed
postmaster. VIZ are hoping that
we shall soon have a mail service
from this place, and we have ar.
ranged to carry the mail ourselves
If no one can be induced to to take
the contract of carrying 1t. Battle
Is our nearest postoffice and per.
haps the government may want to
have the mail carried from there
But that is simply an impossiblity
during the winter months-yel
for eight months out of every
twelve. A man would have to bt
well seasoned to the mountain
and possessed of a very level head
to be able to travel that eigh
miles right along the ridge of tn,
Continental divide. The way tn,
storms rage over that mountain j
something terrible, and a MAJ
might just as well be in the sea i,