Amador ledger., 1904-01-15
MINING NEWS HERE
AND ELSEWHERE
The Ledger Reporter Visits Some of
the Leading Mines of this Section.
Oneida, South Eureka, Central Eu-
reka and Keystone are Flourishing.

| KEYSTONE.-At the present time no
village in Amador county presents
more prosperous looking aspect than
Amador City. To this condition the
big Keystone mine is constantly con-
tributing its pro rata. Under the able
management of Edward Lynch, this
property is making a great, il not
greater, progress than ever before. In
addition to the constant explorations
below ground for new bodies of ore, the
company is making many improve
ments above ground. The principal
object with low grade mining PROPOSE
tions, where the product is of char
acter to admit of its treatment with
stamps and amalgamatiOn, is to get it
in as large bodies as possible. This,
Mr.. Lynch tells us, he has accomplish
ed; that he has sufficient ore blocked
out now to continue the output in.
definitely. In consequence of this he
has set about to remodel his plant, in
order to facilitate handling and treat
ment. Just recently the skips have
been replaced with those of much
greater capacity. Alongside of his
boiler plant another building is being
erected for the reception of two new
receivers for compressed air. used for
the drills and pumps. Iu the shaft at
the 800-foot level new Dow pump,
capable of lifting 20, 600 gallons of water
per hours, is being installed. This
pump is to take the water from the
sinking pump and lift it to the surface,
/ h.. A,r,<N h.
At present the plant for treating the
product consists of two mills equipped
with 20 and 40 stamps respectively.
| Those used in the latter, however, are
not considered heavy enough for the
work required, and the foundation is
being made to move this mill back on
line with the smaller Que, aud install a
like number of batteries of materially
heavier character. All this work is be-
ing pushed as rapidly as possible, and
the Keystone will soon be one of the
model mines of the mother lode.
ONEIDA,-At no place on the mother
lode is the mining industry of Amador
county more emphatically exemplified
than at the Oneida, where the busy
scene of operations, along with steady
output, demonstrates what good bust
|
the working of a low grade gold propo-
siton. Here, in addition to the new
development work which is rule with
all mines, Manager Hampton is con-
stantly on the alert for improvements
TO better the capacity of his plant.
One OF these improvements that has
recently been decided upon is the in
stallation of new Aldrch pump,
capable of lifting 200 gallons of water
per minute 2400 feet. For the present,
| however, this machine will only be- re-
quired to hoist water from the 21OO-foot
level to the pump at the 1900 level,
which lifts it to the surface. In addi-
tiOn to this, about 400 feet north of the
shaft at the N00-foOt level, winze is
being sunk to the 2200 level, and when
| that depth has been reached the winZe
may be continued further down for the
purpose of prospecting For some
time, owing to the heavy character of
the work done in the blacksmith shop,
a strong demand has been felt for a
hammer of capacity greater than
could be developed by hand, so Mr..
Hampton and other mechanical hands
about the shop got together to devise
something in the way of an automatic
machine. AS result they designed,
and now have in operation a steam
hammer driven by 4-inch cylinder
and with an 1S-inch stroke. 1t is doing
satisfactorily effective work, and salts
fies every demand perfectly.
| SOUTH EUREKA. the Oneida
in our tramp over the hills in search of
something to say to the outside world
about our mining industry, a visit was
made to the South Eureka, lust across
the hill, and another of the mother
lode's active properties Here the glad
hand was extended to the weary news
paper man by Manager Moore and
| Bookkeeper Haven. This property,
while just recovering from the effects
of little labor trouble, something like
a month since, is now doing good work.
At present there seems to be marked
improvement in the character of the
ore, and if this continues there is little
doubt but that in the near future the
company will decide to replace the old
plant OF machinery, now in use, with
something more modern throughout.
Present operations in the mine are con-
fined mostly to the 1000 and 2300-foot
levels but drift will soon be started
at some point between these two, pre-
paratory to stopping the ground there
in. This company has lots of territory,
their ground running as far south from
the collar OF the shaft as 100 feet.
CENTRAL EUREKA.-At no mine in
the county has our reception been
more cordial and friendly than that
accorded us at the Central Eureka by
Manager Thomas. Mr.. Thomas ex-
perience as a mining man covers a
period from his bOyhood DAYS to the
present time, and he is perfectly at
home in Colorado mining camps familiar
to the writer, he having pounded steel
in that state about the time the first
mineral discoveries were made there.
He has presided over the destinies of
the Central Eureka since its infancy.
and its present success as a mining
venture speaks well for the methods he
has employed in its operation. The
property is employing large number
of men in the mine and mill, and the
output is as steady and constant as
perpetual motion. Besides the usual
work in the old established levels it is
the calculation to soon commence sink
ing from the 2100 to the 2200-foot levels.
thus giving 100 feet more of ground for
Slopes.
WILDMAN AND MAHONEY.-A ru-
NOR is current, which seems to be au-
thentic, that John Ross ir., manager
of the Wildman and Mahoney proper
ties, Sutter Creek, has interested some
new capital, and is arranging to soon
have these mines in operation. Owing
to the contiguity of the Lincoln shaft,
which has been sunk to little over
1000 in depth, it has been decided that