The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-23
SOUTH DAKOTA ~.
ON H0MESlAKE BELT
Black Hills Development Company
Secures an Extension Of Its
f.. Mining Options.
Work Contemplated by It the Most
Important. Planned in. the ! e.. "
@Ss.: Region for Years.
Special to Tho Journal,

. .
Lead, S. D., April o23.-The Black Hills
Belt Development company has obtained
extensions on the mining options held
evor, the territory Immediately south of
Lead, adjoining the Homestake, and ,ex-
poets to start it's operations again some
time during May The extensions are for
the period Of eighteen months, and the
terms of the options remain the same as
on the original bonds. The company
agrees to perform $150,0O0 worth Of de-
Velopment on the ground, to prepare for
which it will have to make an outlay of
from $4,000, to $4,000 for improved ma
chinery.. .'..- ~, So. = -. s-a-:--.
The company has been. one Of the; ,sys-
tematic developers on the Black" Hills
mother lode.'' 1t has placed a shaft on
the ground 700 feet deep, equipped with
drills and pump; from the bottom Of the
shaft crosscuts have been driven, in the
direction of the .Homestake southern
boundaries, exploring the formation, and
finding quantities aof ore. which has op-
Grated to prove the, continuation Of the
Homestake ore bodies to the south be-
yond the Homestake end lines 1t is the
companys purpose to go down 500 feet
more probably in a. Winze from the face
Of one of the crosscut drifts, some 1,50O
or 1000 feet north Of the sl1aft,,aa work
that will require either air or electric ma
chinery, power for which is to be sup
piled from the main shaft. - -
The work contemplated is among the
most important planned on the well
known Homestakel belt. 4=n,s ~. :.
- -RocHFoRp5,,l 5, s..t,ssp.-E;xploratory s.,sp work
is being continued by 1.-THE, Golden West
Mining. COMPANY on the iehoW hito sieup ta.,,
of claims in sHornblende Camp, re"
miles southwest Of Rockford. aThe main
shaft is $50 feet deep and the company IS
preparing to crosscut to- the ye1n lWhlch
has dipped out ofsthe shaft! The vein is
opened at the 1OO-foot level, showing it
to be eight feet wide and forty feet long,
having an average value of $40: ton'
free milling and concentrating. Inc VEN
matter itself is much WIDER but outside
of the eight foot of width referred to, 1t
Is, only worth a. few dollars a ton, altho
it all shows some free gold. The cross
cut on the 150-foot level is designed to
prove the continuity Of the vein.
On the Benedict group of claims, also
belonging to the Golden West company
there are 100000 tons OF ore actually
blocked out, ready for commercial oper-
ations. = @..-.
This company is backed by several of
the principal stockholders and officers in
the Mccormick Harvester company OF
Chicago. -. -: ... -, d. ~
The newly acquired machinery of the
Columbia Gold Mining and Milling COM
pany at Rockford is working satisfac-
torily, and sinking is again under way in
the shaft. @ p ...
HOT SPRINGS S. D.-F. G. Crocker
has suspended work in the J. r. mine
while he is preparing to put in. an air
compressor and air drills. During the last
years work the shaft had been sunk to
the 200-foot level, nat which point the
ledge was encountered, and later ex-
plored.
r. M. Maloney of the Copper Blue lead
is following a vertical vein which carries
the best values yet discovered on the
property, and is leading upward to the
apex Of, Copper mountain, under which
the principal ore body s,supposed to ex-
list. .#" 2
The White Cloud Mining company has
recently put a force of men at work on it's
claims.in Custer county. A shaft has been
started, following vein Of free milling
ore quartz that is the full width of the
shaft at the present bottom and shows an
average of $2S a ton gold.
The Sunbeam Mining company on Fri
day gulch is getting the new machinery in
place and will soon be ready to start up
for continuous run on rich ore.
The Gold Fish mine has at a: depth of
thirty-five feet a face of ore literally
sparkling with free gold, and yet the
company is not making any effort to pro-
duce.
James Demeran, who is engaged In per-
forming the annual assessment work on
the Granite Reef mine, two miles south
east of Custer. has discovered a new vein
which is opening up grandly. The vein
is true fissure.
is is reported that Steve Ainslie has
struck rich ore in a new shaft he is sink
ing in the Blue Bird No. 2. This is on
the ground belonging to the Interstate
Mining company. The Golden, Review
mine is a new strike recently discovered
by Frank and will Todd The property Is
about ~ miles northwest from Custer.
They are taking out some good ore.