Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-07-18
HISTORY OF MACKAY.
Interesting Pncts Conserving Its DIseov-
cry and Development

Interesting Pacts Conserving Its DIscov-
cry and Development.
II is nearly 20 years ago, since the
White Knob copper district was dis
covered, away up in the Lost river
valley s. miles from Blackfoot, says a
correspondent OF the Mining Review.
IL was good way from transporta-
ton and copper was not then worth
what it is now, and the locations were
abandoned. Later on some Wood river
people did some work there, and In
the summer Of 1894 Senator w. A. clark
took hold and did some development
work, visiting the district IN person and
remaining several weeks I'm Febru-
AIRY, 1895, he discontinued operations
because he could not make a satisfac-
tory deal with his associates.
In 1899 Mr. Wayne Darlinl ton, at
present state engineer of Idaho WELL
known and experienced mining en-
glneer secured a bond on the leading
prospects In the district and % lcceeded
IN enisting the attention Of the late
John w, Mackay and some OF his as
sociates In the enterprise. Mr. Mac
kay also visited the district and was
much pleased with II, The result was
that the White Knob Copper company
~
claims, which have been systematically
developed since that time, with now
and then a brief interruption. A town
site was laid out and a branch OF the
Oregon Short Line built from Mackay
to the new town, with a spur and side
tracks to the smelter, which was built
by the company.
Up to the present writing a great deal
OF prospecting and development work
has been done, The main shaft has
been sunk 700 feet where 1t connects
with the Albert tunnel which intersects
Il at that depth. From the face of
the tunnel a Wine has been sunk TO
a depth of IS feet, showing by far the
best ore yet discovered In the mine.
Having demonstrated to their satisfac-
tion that the ore bodies were contin-
uous and that the values improved
with depth, the management concluded
to run another tunnel further down
the mountain side, which viii cross-cut
the ore bodies at depth Of 1000 feet
below the apex
This tunnel named the Van Mo-
strand tunnel in honor Of one of the
principal stockholders IN the company,
has been extended a distance of 200
feet 1t still has a distance of 1000
feet TO go TO the point where a vertical
depth Of the shaft above spoken OF
VIII intersect II, II IL expected, how
ever, that pay ore VIII be encountered
long before this distance has been run,
An electric railway, six miles long con-
meets the surface workings OF the mine
with the smelter
The smelter which is of the very
latest and up-to-date character.
mas two furnaces, each with
a capacity Of 800 tons. For sew.
eral months both furnaces have been
running night and day, up TO within
two weeks ago, when one OF them was
closed down for repairs and for the
purpose OF allowing ore reserves to ac-
cumulate. At present $50 mes are en-
ployed In the mine and smeiter. The
wages paid to underground miners Ia
$3.50 per day; smelter employees recelv-
ing 20. Eight hours constitute a days
work and but little, If any difficulty,
has been encountered In the way Of la
Dor troubles. The men In charge Of this
important proposition are a. w. jerks.
who Is manager, and p. l.. Fearn, who
Is consulting engineer Of the company.
Both OF these gentlemen are graduates
of the Columbia college school of mines
and have had wide and varied expert
enoe In their profession, and are well
and fayorably known in this and for
eign countries, AS for the White Knob
Copper company, It is composed OF
some Of the best known fnanciers of
New York and Philadelphia, whose re.
sources are almost unlimited and who
VIII, without doubt, In the course OF
time, open up here one Of the largest
and most productive copper properties
In the United States.
Mr., Fearn In a report made at the
ending OF the month OF May, has this
to say "The official statistics for 1902
showed yield for the entire state OF
Idaho TO be 22G500 pounds Of copper At
the close of the month OF May the
White Knob Copper company win have
produced 100000 pounds more copper in
May alone than the state produced In
the whole year, to say nothing of the
gold and silver output Of the mine. De-
velopment work I'm the mine goes on
steadily and the resulta are more than
catering Work on the Van Nostrand
tunnel Is progressing nicely and the en-
tire work from beginning to end Is a
scene Of Industrial activity unequaled in
any mining camp In the state. The best
showing OF ore In the mine Is I'm the
wlnze 20 feet below the Albert tunnel
and 775 feet below the surface. which
winze win be continued downward stea-
dily 10 connect with an upraise from
the Van Nostrand tunnel When this
systematic plan Of development Is COM
plcted, the ore bodies viii be connected
to n vertical depth Of over 500 feet
which viii place II among the great
mines of the west"