The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-09-24
MINING FOR MICA.
Force at Brown milne, Near Custer, Is
ca+tino EVERYTHING in Ship Shape.

Force at Brown milne, near Suster' -
Getting Everything in Ship Shape.
The Brown mica mine at Custer is
heing worked with small force I'M
der the direction of Mr.. Knoble. This
work is not designed to take out mica
To any extent, but to outline the ore
shoots, trim up the drifts and to get
everything in good shape for regular
ord vigorous work, which will soon be
brought to bear upon It.
vanadium is common in the mines
of Custer county. 1t is quoted as
worth 5000 a pound and it has been
found that a small portion of it COM
bined as an alloy of copper adds so
much to the elastic quality OF that
metal that it may be drawn out in wire
of the finest fiber. 1t is also used for
many other purposes. 1t is found in
many of the gold veins near Custer.
DR.. Rate says the Iyenhoe is show
Ing excellently as the work progresses.
A rich strike was recently found on
the Detroit which discloses ore of an
excellent grade, the latest assays run
ming $11.20, SIC, $l5.20 and $20.S0 a
ton in gold.
The National smelter at Rapid City
is running steadily and has a good
supply of ore on hand. The property
now belongs to the Horseshoe COM
pany and will be run on ore from the
company's mines in Bald Mountain.
DR.. Theodore Knutzen. a well-known
smelter man of the Hills, is in charge.
At the Cuyahoga property in the
Iron Mountain district, about four
miles south of Keystone, the tunnel
was driven in the side of the mountain
at a sufficient elevation to make the
delivery of ore into the mill an easy
matter, the mill site being at the foot
of the hill. The main tunnel is in
about 500 feet. Two lodges were en-
countered the first about eighteen
feet wide, 100 feet from the entrance,
and the other an enormous ledge
which it is said shows assays from
just trace 10 $14 in gold. Copper
and graphite are also found in paying
quantities.
In driving through the ledge cave
was broken into which is about thirty
by fifty feet high. A shaft was sunk
Il the ledge at one side of the cave
to a depth of thirty-fve feet, and the
cave serves as an underground hoist
ing room. a branch tunnel was driV-
en-, following a vein of graphite.
The company owns $50 acres of
ground on Tollgate creek, in one of
the most beautiful and picturesque
spots in the Black Hills. There is an
abundance of water and timber close
at hand for all purposes. The COM
pany is composed of Cleveland (Ohio)
business men.
Z The Gladiator company has had it's
plant in Deadwood gulch running for
ten days. Drifting has been under
way on ore that is improving with
further work. The company expects
to install one of e. T. Kidds placer
machines in Custer county early in
the spring.
The Orc Hondo shaft in Whitewood
gulch below Kirk has reached a depth
OF 600 feet, and at that point a station
is being put preparatory to drifting
both east and west. 1t is a triple COM
partment shaft and has a hoist capa.
bic of going 1900 feet in depth. The
company intends ultimately to reach
that depth in the course of its explora.
tons.
The Hidden Fortune Gold Mining
company expects to have it's new eva
hide plants below Deadwood in run
ming shape before the first of October.
The work of remodeling the plant is
well under way. A new building has
been erected for the plates over which
the tailings from the solution watts will
run to catch the free gold 1t was
proven that cyanide would not work
successfully on this ore because so
much OF the values were in a metallic
state. The ore could not be consid-
cred properly free milling PROPOSE
ton, and, acting on the advice of the
most competent mill men, amalgaria-
ton was added as a secondary treat
ment
In the meantime work is being
pushed at the Hidden Treasure mine.
Surface ore is being blocked out and
broken down for starting the mill.
The Bingham shaft is 800 feet deep,
and the company is beginning a cross
cut toward the Bingham vein.