Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1904-11-24


all there is to be seen on tile surface,
enjoys treat, but he misses a great
J big part Of it il he does not climb
aboard the hoist cage and drop down
the shaft into the mine. 1t is a city
underground, with its broad, nigh
and well-lighted stations; the clatter
Of machine drills in the drifts and
slopes, and the thunder of ore cars Oh
the underground railways Every
thing down there. as on the surface, is
made big, and made to stay, made to
Withstand the wear and tear Of time.
This policy has cost the American Gold
Fields Company more than one hun
dred thousand dollars, but when you
examine the ore body and size up the
unlimited quantity Of gold bearing
rock the mine has in sight. you can
readily understand why the American
Gold Fields Company has gone to the
enormous expense Of developing and
equipping the Granite Hill on such an
enormous scale.
The ledge in the west drift has op-
ened out to width Of from 10 to 20
feet. And both drifts, Oh the 200
foot level, east and west from the
shaft, has opened up the ledge 700
feet Machine drills are driving each
way ON the ledge, and on the several
levels, and others are at work in the
slopes. The big ledge is all mineral.
ized from wall to wall, much of it
high grade and exceedingly rich ore
sparkling with free gold, frequently
comes up the shaft in the ore cars
There is quite an inhcw of water be.
tween the $50 and the 270.fo levels,
but this is easily put out of the way
by No. 8 Smithvaile pump. This
monster pump is set in commodious
station cut in the rock from the shaft
ON thh 270-foct level Near the pump
is 10, 900 gallon sump into which all
OF the water from the levels above il
drained. and il in turn taken up by
the pump and thrown through a 6.
inch pipe to the surface. A smaller
pump is hung in the shaft and picks
up all OF the water Of the lower levels.
After emerging from the Granite
Hill. brisk walk of few minutes
took us past the saw mill and across
the placer digginRs Of the company to
the Red Jacket mine. 1t might be
stated In passing. that the lumbering
and milling business Of the Granite
Hill mines is itself big enterprise,
but is confined solely to the supply.
ing OF lumber for building and gen.
eral mining purposes. In this regard
the American Gold Fields Company is
fortunate. Their vast
holdings are densely covered with the
celebrated Douglas fir, and also much
yellow and sugar pine, with some
cedar and hard wood.
The placer diggings we crossed 60 ,
ing to the Red Jacket, occupy an old
blue gravel channel, several hundred
feet in width and from 30 to 60 feet
deep. This ground lies In stratas of
blue and gray, with a red clay cap.
ping top, and the 300 and more
acres covered by the channel repre-.
ients a eood part of the placer dig
yings Of the company. The blue and
gray stratas carry heavy values in
coarse gold. Lighter and finer values
're carried in the red gravel Gaping.
At the Red Jacket we found not
,laim, but a we'll developed mine,
equipped, rs before stated, with an
'ngine, boiler, hoist and skip for the
iead-frame and inclined shaft. There
ire already several hundred feet of
underground workings. and much of
he ore has been hauled to the Granite
Hill mill. The Red Jacket contains
hree we'll defined veins. not in gran.
to rs is the Granite Hill ledge, but
n diorite. These veins are from three
o five feet wide, and while rich all
he way across, have pay streak of
ome Is inches of remarkable richness.
inc such pay streak, ON the hanging
vail, was overlooked by the original
coyote miners" who operated the
Red Jacket for its oxidized or surface
res This streak carries from 800 to
100 ton. Much OF the Red Jacket
70 encountered in the drifts runs
100 a ton.
In the Red Jacket alone. the Ameri.
IN Gold Fields Company has big
line, and rich niue Though it Is
'orked in conjunction with the
iranite Hill, it is naturally an in.
ependent property, and will no doubt
val its big sister when given ado.
nate development,
Time did not allow us to see the
olden Terry and Ida claims, re-.
'ntly added to the American Gold
ields holdings, each Of which
% we'll developed. But we had
en- enough to feel safe in draw.
< the conclusion that out there
the two forks Of Louise Creek, EN-.
died by the Granite Hill properties.
the big, big thing in quartz way in
uthern Oregon. The Greenbaok has
ssed the interesting stage of quartz
velopment, and has b-oome too well
'ablished to excite any special inter.
); but 1t may be said that even the
vat Groenbaok, during the days Of
youth, was not as promising by
e.half as is the Granite Hin today.
II is embodied every necessary re.
isite for becoming great property,
} kind that makes millionaires
v. ]. Morphy, the general manager
the company, recently visited the
mes and expressed himself as being
ch pleased with the fine showing
It the mines are making