The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-10-14
Bright Future for
Black Hills Tin

E. c. Johnson of Hill City. secre-
tary and general manager of the
Gertie Mining and Milling company,
one of the pioneers in exploiting
Black Hills tin, can see a brilliant
future of the industry here. The
United States is the largest con-
sumner OF tin in the world, and at
this time the only producing tin
mines on the continent are at Tin
ton, South Dakota, in tbs western
portion of Lawrence county, and in
the two Carolinas, although Mr..
johnson is confident that the tin
mine of the Gertie company will
soon become a producer, as he is at
work now upon plans that are calcu
lated TO so finance the company as
to enable it to fully develop its
property and provide mill. The
Gertie property lies just outside the
town OF Hill City; and the principal
development is a shaft nearly 500
feet deep, inclined. fitted with 8
complete plant for hosting and skip.
Mr.. Johnson entertained number
OF eastern capitalists who have been
attracted to the property, during
the past week, and after completing
thier inspection OF the Gertie as far
as they could, they came to Dead
wood and spent day looking over
the northern Hills gold fields.
Part OF the Gertie pro oerty, in
Guiding the mine and mill site, is
patented property, consisting of the
Gertie and Spauiard lode, and the
Carr gulch placer. total Of thirty
FIVE acres. Machinery has been on
the property long time for atwo-
stamp mill, and as soon as a fund
can be created for that purpose MIR.
johnson int.nds to assemble the.
plant, and concentrating table,
unwater the mine and begin demon
STATIONS with the ore on q CONNER
cial scale, confident that in this
manner he can succeed in building
his company's business to proper
tions that will admit OF profit.
There has for long time been
some controversy over the discovery
Of tin in the Black Hills, as the dis
tinction is claimed for several per-
sons. There seems, however, to be
little ground for this. and it is not
in any way maserial to the. subject.
The dispute, if there is to be one,
relates to the recognition OF the
metal, for the earliest miners in the
Black Ellis found stream tin in sew
eral places and did not know or.
bother themselves seriously as to
what it was although some of them
suspected, even then, that it Wa:
tin.
The Gertie, however, was one Of
the first properties in the Black
Hills TO receive attention for the tin
it con tanned, and the showing was
80 favorable that the vein was fol-
lowed to . depth Of 400 feet. Then
followed q period Of misfortune, In
Guiding lawsuits growing out Of the
Harvey Peak tin swindle, and term
mating in q fire BY which valuable
plant at the Gertie shaft was COM
pletely DESTROYED. The litigation is
over as far as this property is con
cerned and the Gertie company now
holds secure title to its property,
and is in . fair way to do business.
The vein that has received prin
cipal attention at the Gertie Is eight
feet wide, and according to reports
Of tin experts who made exami ma
tions, it contains an average Of
three and . hall per cent Of metallic
tin. II has been demonstrated that
tin ore containing one.half Of one
per cent tin, may, under fair con-
diti0ns, be worked az 8 profit.
The mine is thoroughly developed
with drifts on each 100-foot level
from 200 to $50 feet long, each level
laid with iron track for cars, and
with chutes provided tor loading the
cars, According to the figures of.
Oliver and N. Oliver, who we're day
and night foremen ii the mine when
ii was undergoing development,
there is il the mine, some of it
broken down and the rest blocked
cut in the slopes, 1900 tons Of tin
ore, which, on the basis Of three and
half per cent Of tin to the ton,
means $40. 600 pound Of tin. At 25
cents pound, this would bring
$40 900. Tin is quoted on the New
York market from n 90 20 cents 9
pound