Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1904-01-20
A NOVEL STEAM STAMP IS IN
OPERATION At THE IDEAL MINE
A Very Promising Property on Groom
Creek That Is Being Conducted on
Sound Business Principles.

Last April the Ideal company Sc
cured the Blake property, located
about five and one half miles south of
Prescott, ON Groom creek, and active
development began at once. Very lit
tie work had been done on the prop
erty, but some very good ore had oeen
taken out of an open cut on the ledge.
The Ideal company began at the grass
roots and sunk fine double compart-
ment shaft which is we'll timbered and
in first class condition. This shaft
has been sunk to depth of $50 feet
and drifts have been run at depths of
l35 and 235 feet, over 400 feet of drift
ing having been done at this time.
Practically no stopping has been done
as yet, it being the object of the com
pany to first develop the property to
as large an extent as possible before
the work of taking out ore is begun.
All work so far has been in ore. The
ledge is a large strong one between
granite and porphyry walls. There
are two ore veins, one on the hanging
wall and one on the foot wall. The
one on the foot wall is the richer, al
though not as large as the hanging
wall vein, which runs from two to
three feet in width. The foot wall
vein runs from twenty inches to two
feet. The formation between the
veins is very soft, tale like, which
makes the work of mining the ore
much easier and cheaper than it would
otherwise be. The ore, while quite
hard is good milling ore, and averages
about SIS to the ton in value. In the
235 foot level the character of the ore
is beginning to change into sulphides,
as we'll as the values to increase. The
ore vein at one place on this level is
several feet wide, all indications be-
ing very encouraging for deeper work,
and it is the purpose of the company
to sink to a depth of at least 500 feet
just as fast as the work can be DONE
The present hosting plant has a
capacity of 600 feet, and two shifts of
men are steadily at work in the mine
and mill.
About two and one half months ago
the new mill was started up and has
been running ever since. The mill,
although a small one is suicftient to
use up the ore that Is taken out in
development work, and this goes a
long ways toward paying for the work
of developing the property. This is a
great feature as it helps to make a
prospect pay its own development.
The mill which has been installed
at the Ideal is what is known as the
Ideal steam stamp, and is one of E.
L. Sharpneck IS patents. Mr.. Sharp
neck has given this careful study and
has had considerable experience in
this line.
A few days ago the property and
mill we're visited by a Journal Miner
reporter, who was shown through the
underground workings of the mine by
Mr. Sarrano and the mill was explain
ed in detail by NJ. G. Sharpneck. who
has charge of the mill in the absence
of his brother, Ell Sharpneck. The
stamp was dropping about 206 times
per minute and crushing between
twelve and thirteen tons of ore per
day and giving the greatest satisfsc-
ton. The ore is hoisted and dumped
into the ore cars and is taken directly
to the crusher, where it is crushed
and carried into the ore bin from
which it is fed automatically into the
stamp. The pulp is discharged from
three sides of the mortar through
forty mesh screens on the amalgamat
ing plates. After passing over the
plates it is carried to the concen-
trating table, New Standard table
being used. The concentrates are
divided as they pass off the table, the
purer concentrates passing directly |
into the bins while the mixed concen- |
trates are caught up and carried over
another smalgamating plate and over
the table a second time. Numerous
tests have been made of the tailings |
after this process, and the values lost |
in the tailings amount to only from
80 to 81 cents per ton. The tailings
are dumped into a separator which
was designed by NJ. c. Sharpneck and
which is proving to be very effective.
This separates the tsilings from the
water and the water is used over
again. The concentrates run from !