Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1905-09-07
Dixie Property Resumes Operations With
Gratifying Results.
OUTLOOK GENERALLY QUITE BRIGHT.
Printer Group Taking Out Ore
for Cyanide Test.

from Dixie last week to serve as q
juror at the present term Of court,
has the following to say regarding
his section Of the county:
"At no time since the boom Of
1901 has the prospects for making
. permanent camp Of Dixie been
brighter. The principal thing
which tends to create an optimistic
feeling among our people is the re-
cent resumption Of operations at
the old Comstock mine, under bond
to . Seattle company. This prop
erty has had the usual ups and
downs which attend most mines
before they enter the producing
class. Located some years ago, a
four-stamp mill was erected on the
property before sufficient work had
been done to demonstrate whether
or not the owners had a mine.
After the mill was in running order
all the ore in sight was put through,
and the profits divided among the
stockholders, without any thought
being given to further development
or the blocking out of an ore re-
serve. In other words, the mine
was 'gntted,' and when the ore
chute in sight was worked out the
property closed down. Since that
time numerous parties have taken
hold Of the property--but all with
the sole idea in view OF making
what quick money they could and
then dropping the scheme.
"The present company went at
the matter in a different way.
They first sent q competent man to
investigate-by actual development
and mill tests-the merits of the
property; and when his report
showed that, if worked along bust
ness lines, the mine could be made
to pay handsomely, set about secur-
ing control Of the property.
Heretofore the main workings
on the Comstock were a mile and
. half from the mill, and the ore
bad to be hauled this distance, by
wagon, to be treated. Recently
the new management has had men
at work prospecting the property,
with the result that the ledge has
been traced and opened up at a
point only q few hundred feet above
the mill. At this new strike the
ore body is larger than at any place
heretofore opened up, and the ore
carries much higher values.
"The secretary Of the company,
who has been assisting the mana
ger, Mr.. Tytlen, in an advisory
capacity, left for Seattle immedi-
stely the extent and richness of the
new strike was known. He ie
highly pleased with the develop
ments Of the past month, and says
he has no doubt his people will
Immediately enlarge the mill to a
10-stamp affair.
"At present the ore is being
crushed in a four-stamp mill which
saves about 80 per cent of the val.
ues OF the plates. The tailings
are then concentrated, the latter
being finally treated by cyanide,
which practically saves all the
values. About 10 men are EN-.
ployed at the present time.
Messrs. J. A. Whitaker and
Howard Powelson own q property
half . mile west of Dixie which
shows some of the best ore to be
found in the camp. Recently in
doing his assessment work Mr..
Powelson cut into the ore body in
. different place. He has cross cut
the ledge for . distance of eighty
feet, in m all the way, but with.
out striking either wall. The ore
is Of . brown hematite, very soft,
and pans freely. Assays show
values ranging from SO to $1O(
per ton.
perhaps the men who Is pros.
pectors are doing more than theil
share in developing Dixie ar,
Messrs. Perry Bros. and Brown,
These gentlemen are the owners o.
Q number of claims, but unlike
the usual rounder are not content
simply in doing assessment work
but are developing their lodges in
such q manner as to really find on,
what they contain. Their lates'
and best strike is on what is known
as the Black Diamond. A 6O-foor
shaft on this property disclosed
four feet OF ore that averaged 81
per ton. The gentlemen Their
started q cross cut tunnel, which
has tapped the ledge 400 feet from
the shaft, and at . depth of 12l
feet. In the breast Of the tunne
the ore body is fully as wide as il
the shaft, and apparently OF q goot
value. These gentlemen also owl
several claims on q dyke severa
hundred feet wide, the averag,
values Of which are in the neigh
borhood Of % per ton.
"Messrs. Burke and Kinds hav'
decided . third interest in thei
group Of claims known as tn,
Tiwaka to Chas. Booi, in consider
alton Of which the latter gentleman
10 to install and put in operation
thia fall N.,o kon Ksnooid mill