The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-27

I'm the Gold Peak Mining company in
Kern county. California. The COM
pany also has an interest In the New
Pass mines in Lander county. Nevada
and various mining interests scattered
throughout the west. But as this story
Is more particularly concerned with
Utah, we VIII now pass to the Homer
Inc and give the story Of how ar OH
camp is being revived and brought TO
the front.
Story Of Stockton.
Stockton is one OF the oldest camps
Ia the state. 1t is located on the sam
PEDRO, Los Angeles & Salt Lake rail-
ROAD, about forty miles southwest OF
salt Lake City in TOOeIe county. Il
was founded by General p. f. Connor.
then stationed at Fort Douglas. whose
mining operations were confined to
part of the present Honerine holdings
ITS merits nave never been questioned
and those who have known it longest
and best are the strongest advocates
OF its ultimate success. Tt has been un-
fortunate rather than neglected.
1t is here that is being carried into
execution one of the most important
engineering undertakings and mining
operations in Utah. past or present.
The purpose for which the tunnel is be-
ing run include the extraction OF ore
from the Honerine mine. and from
neighbOring properties. the drainage 1T
the entire camp and the use of water
thereby obtained for concentration pur-
poses and for irrigating q vast area in
Tooele county toward Great Salt lake.
Its construction. though difficult is rot
an experiment. It's completed length
ig now $500 feet. and another 1000 feet
viii place its inner end within the Hon
crime grounds and ore bodies. This
work is not being done to determine
is known to exist. 1t means the revival
Of an old camp, a much more difficult
feat than the booming Of a new camp.
The magnitude of this undertaking can
best be appreciated by considering
some of the attendant conditions. The
mineralized district is a large one, IN
which well directed and persistent ef-
forts have never failed to bring about
a meEted reward. The veins are well
work Of porphyry dykes running north
erly and sOutherly, and these are
crossed at regular intervals by lime
assures at which intersections ore
bodies are usually found. The deCa-
dence of the camp was due chiefly TO
the low grade Of the ore above water
level and the superb buudance Of water
below that point. With the decline OF
the price of silver from S1-29 to about
so cents per ounce, much Of the ship
ping ore Of former times has become
milling ore. And while there is an
abundance of shipping material blocked
out. this is surrounded by so much low
grade stun that the cost OF sorting
and extraction makes shipments in
large quantities prohibitive. The at
tempta to drain these mines for the
purpose Of obtaining larger bodies OF
higher-grade material found below wa
ter level have been many, expensive
and fruitless and to this object is due
the financial wrec<ing of several COM
binatlons Of capital prior to the acqut-
sitiOn Of this ground by the HOnerine
company. In the early days the camp
was a heavy producer according TO the
standards Of production Of that time.
Two smelters were built at different 70
caiities and afterward a cOncentrator
was erected. but owing to the crude
methods then employed, values that
are now commercial were left in the
Stag from the smelters and in the tall
ings from the cenceutUator.
At the south end of the camp. -whiCh
slopes TO the west, is Stockton, and ~
tho north erd is Bull station manned
after Mr.. Buhl OF the Honerine COM
pauy) and at which points is the mouth
Of this tunnel Between these two sta
tiOns is the unusual formation Of q
watershed. a huge sand and gravel bar
ESQ feet high, that separates Rush VAL
lev from ToCcle valley to the north,
which is the lower of the two, and
about 600 feet below water level in the
HoEerine mine. The topography Of the
country is one Of Natures peculiar ar
engagements. While an abundance OF
water is found far up into the noun
Ia ins, 1t it's base is a veritable desert,
with neither stream, springs or seep-
age. However when the supply IS
90 IL
complete throughout the camp. as the
strong flow of water slowly makes but
.percepuble change in the level.
Riches Of Honerine.
From the old workings Of the Homer
ine property values estimated at $780,
00U were taken BY former owners
These ores were extracted from a series
of five chutes, beginning near the sur
face and resembling somewhat the
shape and position the fingers and
thumb Of the human hand, as they cor
verged with depth. This above water
level and the explorations 100 feet deep
er showed that the cOnvergence con-
tinued and that the naturalization be-
tween them increa sed indicating that
eventually they VIII form one vast ore
chute making the figure complete TO
the palm of the hand. on the lower
also found on the same vein. This last
work was done through the old tunnel
made by former owners and which -
g 800 feet long. and taps the chutes no
feet above water level. In this tunnel
steam is conveyed under the direction
of J. NJ. CalOw, constructive engineer,
for the purpose of furnishing power ID
pump 900 gallons per minute and to
operate the machinery to sink 100 feet
and TO drift 200 feet along the vein.
These bodies varied in size from fifty
20 100 feet i'm length, ard showed q
solid face Of galena that carried so per
cent lead and thirty ounces silver TO
the ton, and were rs uniform and Un-
broken as the bricks in a wall. ON
either side OF the chutes and extending
almost 60 the middle betWeeD them
were immense bodies Of milling ore. But
this method OF procedure was uncer-
tain and expensive, cessation Of
PUMPING from a breakdown or a shut
down for q few hours would require
DAYS to regain former conditions, while
the extraction of ore through Winze
and detective tunnel was a relentless
tax on profits. il was next decided 60
sink "a vertical shaft at @ point farther
up the canyon and much nearer the
known ore bodies and to carry this de-
operated by $50 HORSEPOWER engines
and with a pumping capacity of 3,f00
ClUOns a minute was installed Tho
work progressed until q depth OF $50
feet was attained. the pumps working
fun capacity and q Veritable river
rushing down the mOurtain side. when
the entire plant was destroyed by fire
It was then that plans were laid IN
Keeping with the en0rmity of the SUI