Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-08
MINING IN The BLACK HILLS
Much Development Work Being Done in
the Vicinity Of Custer City.
GOOD PROGRESS IN LILLIAN SHELTER
Deep snow I'm the Mountains Has
Driven practically All the
P-rOspectOrs Into the
Towns.

on the Copper Queen. a short distance from
Custer City, last week put a force OF men
Mt work on the ground. The work Will be
in the nature OF assessment, but should the
ore body on which he has sunk a SHAFT for
about fifty feet continue to improve he may
keep the men at work all Of the winter
The ore at the present time carries q fair
per cent Of copper.
They have recently been striking some
very rich ore in the Leroy mine, which Is
located four miles west OF this city, a sam
pie taken from the bottom OF the SHAFT
going almost 81 900 a ton; but this is, OF
course, an exception. They have some very
good ore in the Leroy. which will run about
325 to the ton free milling, and 1t is said
thai the vein where they are now working
is about twelve feet in width. II is the In
tentlon to continue the shaft for another
100 feet and then establish a station and
begin drifting on the vein. The mine is
looking good and there seems to be no rea-
son why 1t should not soon be a producer.
A number Of the officials Of the North
Star Mining company have recently visited
the mine and appeared to be very well
pleased with the outlook of the property
Tor the future. The North Star is prob
ably one Of the best developed properties in
this district and has upon It a new ten
stamp mill, which has been running at In
tervals on ore taken from the workings, a
lack Of water, preventing It's constant opera
ton. This difficulty will soon be over
come, and with a sufficient water supply
the mill will run regularly. The ore treated
in the mill has proven to carry good values
and will pay handsomely TO work. the
company is now considering the advisa-
bility Of erecting a cyanide addition to the
mill, as the tailings carry high values, anu
hope to have it in operation early In The
coming year. Recent explorations from the
bottom Of the 3O0-foot shaft with the dia'
mond drill have disclosed a twelve-foot
vein Of ore, which will be drifted for from
the shaft, and this, in addition to the sup
ply already blocked out, should sutiice &c
keep a much larger plant than the one no"
on the minesin constant operation. Assays
from the drill cores show the ore to be OF a
good grade and Of a free milling character.
The tailings cyanide plant, which it is pro-
posed to put in operation with the stamp
mill should save about all the values in the
ore, and II this is done there can be no
doubt concerning the future profits Of the
mine.
Good Progress on smelter.
HILL CITY, S. D.. Dec. 7.-(spec'al)-
Work on the smelter which is beine built
on the Lillian (the Baxter grcund) group
at Sheridan, is progressing rap dly, the
masonry work having been completed ana
the carpenters beginning on the super
structure last week, The smelter will be
Of 100 tons daily capacity to start with.
and should II prove successful az er a trial
run, 1t may be enlarged, provisions hav-
ing been made for such a coming ncy.
The ground is looking fine. and some very
rood copper ore, carrying from to 20
per cent copper, Is being taken I ON the
gurface workings on the Rita Fraction
one of the mines OF the group. Last week
q big working shaft. 7x14 feet in the clear,
was started on the Calumet No. 6. another
,ulne Of the group. and 1t will be sunk
.or a depth OF 500 feet and then drifts
tsarted on the vein. The company has
%sgun the work of installing a pumping
Giant and part of the machi cry is On the
.round to furnish the smeiter with water.
This plant will be run by electricity and 20
there is a big volume Of water to draw
from, the company will be well provided
in this particular. A great deal OF the
machinery for the smelter plant T. IN the
ground, and an effort will he made to
have II installed and in running order
by the last OF next January.
The Maloney Blue Lead, whi-h adjoins
the Lillian group, is now working two
shifts of men daily, drifting at Il point
1000 feet distant from the mouth OF tho
big working tunnel, both ways en- the
vein. A good quality of coppCr ore is
being taken out and should the ore CON
tinue to improve three shifts a day WIN be
worked all Of the winter. The grou~d OF
the Blue Lead has been thoroughly opened
- IA A.. Nko- -..A,AI- 49, a.
the spring a reduction plant will be built
upon II.
Rich strike by Trent People.
DEADWooD, s. D., Dec. 7.-(Special)-
While driving a tunnel last spring on the
ground OF the Trent company IN Carbon
dale district, a shoot OF exceedingly ricf
chloride ore was struck, which gave ASA
returns Of as high as 300 ounces OF silver
to the ton, some OF IL being very mucl
richer. This shoot was struck in the hooi
OF the tunnel, which was being driven in OF
an incline to strike the porphry contact
As water was coming in very fast, the
work at the time was abandoned. with the
intention of resuming as soon as arrange
ments could be made to put in a pump
The date of resuming had been postponed
until last week, when a force Of men wa;
pWb " NOIh on the mluS, out not IN the
tunnel where the rich ore was struck. Pres.
ident Haskell Of the company, who Is n
charge Of operations, concluded hat thC
shoot OF ore struck in tina tunnel wal
but a stringer from the main ore body
10 he has started the miners working II
another tunnel. rom which, In his opinion
IL will not be so far to go to reach tn,
main shoot. The ore. which occurs II
. small stringer. is identical to the or,
which was taken from the Iron Hill min,
when that famous property was paying
such large dividends on silver ores, AM
the indications are that there will b,
struck a large body OF It in the Trent. Mr.
Haskell will keep the present force o
men engaged all Of the winter.
Wasp 2 sent down two bricks for tn
semi-monthly cleanup OF its cyanide plan
on Yellow creek the first Of the month
and both together weighed something bet
ter than $40 900.
Transfer of Shamrock.
Negotiations are pending for the transfe
Of the Shamrock mine, situated on Bi
Strawberry. about Ave miles south OF Dead
wood. This mine has been one of the hes
producers OF silver-lead ore on a smaI
scale OF any in the Black Hills. It is owne
by Christensen q Cunningham, who for
year past have been making shipments {
three cars every two weeks to the smelter
at Omaha and nanvar thu Lad In the nr