Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-27
MINING IN The BLACK HILLS
Columbus Mining Company Finds Immense
Vein Of Solid Ore.
DRILLS ALREADY IN FIFTY YARDS
Northern Continuation of Ledge on
which HOmestake L. working
BIs Tract Sells for s2SO
an Acre.

0EFhb NfCCDt - Dg ARAAA -AbRNNlaAN /
Probably the most important strike which
has been made in the northern Hills since
the opening up of the Homestake mine
was made a few weeks ago in the ground
of the Columbus Mining company on Sawpit
gulch, three miles southwest Of Deadwood.
For a couple Of years the Columbus COM
pany has been working on ground in that
gulch purchased by II when the company
was formed. This ground in the early
days was known as the Roderick Dhu. and
when worked then was worked as a free
milling proposition, some OF the richest
ore ever taken from the ground having
come from It. This rich streak in the vein
soon pinched out, and the original owners,
after working along on the low grade ore
for a time. abandoned the property. 1t
was afterwards relocated by a number OF
people and christened the Columbus. These
people worked the mine for a long time to
a profit, treating the ore taken from a
thirty-hve-foot vein in a small stamp mill.
The operations OF the different owners had
exposed this vein for a long distance In
workings underground. the deepest being a
shaft 200 feet. When the Columbus people.
the present owners Of the ground, a strong
company, purchased 1t, the management
found a mine very poorly opened up, and at
once proceeded to put it in shape for better
work. A drift was started running from
the 200-foot shaft to the east, and after
going through about $50 feet of rock 1t en-
countered another vein of free-milling ore
sixty feet In width, which has been ex-
plored for a considerable distance along its
course. At the same time this drift was
started, another, running to the west from
the original vein, was begun, and after
passing through 24O feet Of barren material
another ledge was struck.
Continuation of HOmestHke's Ledge.
Since the middle Of last month miners
have been driving through this ledge in an
endeavor to crosscut, using power drills,
and last Friday hal driven the tunnel las
feet through solid ore and had not then
reached the west wall of the vein. This
immense ledge is the northern continuation
OF the ledge which the Homestake company
Is now working on ncross the divide in
Lead, and which was thought to have ended
in the DeSmet mine, adjoining the Column
bus on the south. The uncovering of this
ledge in the Columbus ground carries out
the theory OF Major A. J. Simmons. that the
immense deposit Of free milling ore which
has produced so much gold for the Home
stake company, was not confined to the
limits of that company's grounds, but that
1t would be found both to the north and
the south OF that company's holdings, and
that 1t did not end where it pinched out
in the DeSmet. Like the Homestake orc
body, that in the Columbus is strictly free
milling, and carries values ranging from
$3.50 to 81 q ton, a low grade proposition,
which must be worked on a large scale to
insure a profit. This vein, which was
found on the 20O-foot level Of the COM
pany's ground, can be traced, extending to
the north through the Columbus property,
for q distance of at leaCt 1000 by a river Of
float on the surface. which is at least 200
feet wide. and II was this float which
caused the work OF driving the drift from
the 200-foot level of the shaft to be done,
1t having been undertaken at the advice of
Superintendent Thompson of the company,
an old time miner OF skill and experience.
This new find will mean the erection OF
another large milling plant on the COM
pany's ground on Deadwook creek below
Deadwood, and the beginning OF a mining
enterprise which will in a few years rival
the famous Homestake in the magnitude
Of It's mills. The ground at the present
time is sufficiently developed to supply SOC
tons Of ore a day, and with a little more
work could furnish 5000 tons. 1t is the big
gest thing for the northern Hills that has
been discovered since the early days OF
the Homestake.
WaucOnda Makes a Purchase.
Albert Steele, James Quinlan and Others
have completed a deal with the Wauconda
: Mining company. whereby the company has
purchased from them $50 acres of land stu.
ated on Elk creek, i've miles south OF
Lead, lying between the ground of the
Wauconda company and that Of the Ana.
conda company. The price to be paid IL
$3.50 an acre. the first payment, under the
= agreement Of sale, to be made within the
4 next sixty days, 10 per cent OF the whole
, amount, and the balance to be paid within
a year. The ground transferred has beer
: pretty we'll prospected, and there exists
upon II numerous ore bodies, some of which
with proper development should prove t.
be good mines. Besides these ore bodies
! there is included in the transfer a splendid
. water right and an excellent system o
\ bitches and fumes. The Wauconda com
pany has a large force OF miners engaget
In development work on It's original prop
erty and is meeting with splendid success
' The Anaconda company, in the sam
neighborhood. has now installed at its shat
the hosting plant and air compressor re
rently purchased and the work OF sinkin,
the large working shaft which the compan.
is putting down is going on at a rapid rate
The company Is said to have some of tn
best ground on Elk creek, and has alread
enough ore, which will go better than S1C
in sight to keep a 1o0-ton plant runnin
for a long time.
The Jupiter company on Blacktail guile
has been operating its mill at part Of It
capacity for a couple OF weeks, and every
thing seems to be running along smooth,
The company is now engaged in straighten
ing out the old tunnels and drifts in tn
l. mine in order to give a freer access to tn
ore, and consequently has not been takin
s out as large a quantity as the capacity
the mill demands. The superintendent
hopes to have this work completed With
d a week or SO. and then the mill will /
l. run at It's full capacity, 100 tons daily.
Water has interfered materially with II
working of many properties in the norther
le Hills this spring. so much having bee
soaked into the ground that it is almoi
h impossible to get into some OF the mines.
Iowa People In It.
CUSTER CITY. s. D., April 26.-(Special
The Mile High Mining company is Il
name Of a new corporation which has r
~ Gently been organized for the purpose
developing Custer county mining groun
The company, which is composed OF low