The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-02-26
The GREATEST OF
The GOLD Mines
6omething About the Greatest
Bullion Producers in
fine World.
LEADS THEM
south Dakota Mine Uses the Lowest
Grade Ore, but Turns Out More
Pure Gold Than Any Other
Mine in the World.

London Economist: The biggest gold
producing mine in the world is the
Homestake, in South Dakota. 1t is one
Of the poorest, relatively, as the ore
only yields about los. a ton; but as
against this the costs are only los. a
ton. At present the quantity of ore
treated a year is over /, 400, 900 tons; that
Is, with 900 stamps, but 200 more are
going to be added. The output from
Homestake now is over 10000 ounces
fine gold a month, but in a year or two
1t should be a good deal more. About
three miles from Homestake is a mine
called Golden Reward, which also is
entirely owned by Americans. This
mine Is now producing not much more
than SEQ, 900 a month, but in a year or
two I expect this will be greatly in
creased. If the figures shown me at
this mine We're correct, it has the po-
t%entialities of another Homestake.
There are a number Of mines which
earn better profits than Homestake, but
none which approach it in size. The
next largest Is Alaska Treadwell, on
Douglas Island. This mine has $40
stamps, but all Of these can only be run
for part Of the year, owing to scarcity
Of water. We nay place the average
yearly output at GOO, 900 tons. This ore
yields barely SIS. a ton, which shows
Alaska Treadwell to be the lowest
grade of the worlds gold mines; but
owing to exceptional facilities the total
working costs are only 5s. a ton. AS
an actual producer Of gold the Tread
we'll stands far down the list, but the
mine is today in probably a sounder
condition than ever before. 1t has paid
a million pounds in dividends.
STATIONS independence.
Before leaving the states we may
note the other big gold producers there.
At Cripple Creek there is the Portland
mine, turning aut about G50,0 600 a
month; but I imagine the lower work.
lngs are not looking we'll, and this
yield will not be continued Indefinitely.
Adjoining this is STATIONS Independ-
ence, also a big producer; out as this
mine is practically worked out / need
not take note of it. The other big Col
orado gold mine is Camp Bird, turning
out about 234,000 a month; this mine
Is no mine producing regularly SO much
as this, but next year the FL ORC, with
200 stamps running, should reach an
output Of nearly 100000 monthly.
The two big India mines, Champion
Reef and Mysore, are now in the front
rank Of gold producers. tn smaller
mines adjoining them, OoreSum and
Nundydroog, are not likely to rival
them; but two such great mines are a
good average for II country. / should
Imagine that each mine has now
reached its maximum production or
th~ereabout; neither has got that
nmoun Of ore reserve. proportionate
mine ought to have, but as against
this the developments in depth con
inue to be good.
In the TransvaaI.
In the Transvaal you have the Gu
rious feature of dozens of great gold
mines working at half their capacity
for want of labor. That is q temporary
affair, Which does not affect the real
capacity of these mines, so l have as
sumed that they are producing on the
basis Of the year 1S99-when they had
4 sufficient labor supply. On this estl-
mate there are seventeen TransVaal
mines among the thirty biggest gold
producers of the world, and the bal
nnce is made up by six mines in West
Australia, three in the United States
two in India, one in Queensland and
one in New Zealand; all these, let it
be noted, are in the territories of and
are controlled by English speaking
people. OF the Transvaal
mines ten are outcroDs, six are first
row deeps and one is a second ROY
deep.
In the world of gold mining exact
knowledge is Just as important, and is
just as difficult to acquire, as in my
thing else. 1t is astonishing, ven
how few mining people know that the
Homestake is the biggest gold producer
in the world, for l suppose 1 have seer
the newspapers Of at least a dozer
countries or mining camps assign thai
place to their own local big mine. Tho
greatest gold mine, too, is claimed
Tor probably twenty localities, al
hough, l think, taking it's past, present
md future into consideration, that
1t. Morgan still holds that title. But
hen some one, who ought to know
That he is talking about, claims that
ome new mine. which is little known
I'D probably lies by itcelf in a strange
ad inaccessible country, is really the
nest gold mine in the world, 1t Is ther
lat my interest is aroused. 1 am al.
tays hearing about this-shall I call q
! fabulous" sort OF mine, which a