The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-09
Special Correspondence.

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Special Correspondence.
Portland, Ore, May 1.-The above
was an unusual argument for the man.
agement of mining company. / had
met many men developing mining prop
critics, had beens solicited to invest with
them, but never before in my expert
ence had mining man so earnestly
urged me to get my facts from personal
observation or thru my own engineer s
report.
I was impressed, and concluded to
pursue the inquiry further. [ did so,
and visited in person the Almeda mine,
in northern Josephine county, Oregon.
made the trip from the Portland office
pass, and thence down Rogue river dis
lance of twenty-five miles, and when
reached the property, found the manage
ment yet as willing for me to rely upon
my own Investigations for information.
elf you are not competent mining
man, capable of judging ore, there is no
material good to come, from your in
J. F. Wickham. 1--WE have perhaps
the largest body of ore you ever saw in
the same amount of development. After
you have gone thru the mine, you must
admit that the ore is there, and admit
the size Of the shoot. Then the only
is commercial, whether there is a suffi-
cient margin Of profit in mining and
smelling it. Unless you are a compe
tent mining man, you cannot judge this,
in fact cannot form any satisfactory
opinion until you have taken average
and had them tested for values and
amenability to the smelter.'
There was q persistence in caution
and conservatism that made me the
more eager to see what the Almeda
mine contained. had reached the
property, bringing considerable expert
f enee among w?stern Mines and ud be-
Of managers statements. [ told
Mr.. Wickham that I would look over
the mine, by his courtesy. and would
then form my own conclusions.
Mammoth Ore Shoot.
We began at the edge of Rogue river,
q turbulent stream carrying with swift
current at the season Of lowest water
10000 to $4,000 miners inches. Here
the great lode was exposed by the cut
the river had made down thru the for
nation. A novice could not be mis-
wall. clearly defined and distinct. Put
ting the tape on this, 125 feet was
measured before reaching the slate for.
nation on the footwall. I took the pros
pector s pick and went over this dis
lance of l25 feet carefully, breaking
yielded its sample Of heavy sulphide
ore. There was no break in this superb
shoot, no horse or fault. That nearer
the walls might be heavier in mineral
some Of it being quite solid, but al
was ore, all had the appearance Of com
mercial values, and as soon as the iron
Gaping was penetrated this ore i'm
proved in quality.
That was my first staggering sensa
ton. Could it be that there was -!
feet of ore in this mammoth lode at tn
very surface, where the river ha(
washed for ages?
ager. "sample every foot, five feet O
ten, as you like. I only ask you to ge
your samples from beneath the Gaping
which has its copper leached.'
But it occurred to me that this mi gh
be great swell in the lode, and tina
the walls would close in quickly, or tn
vein filing would soon be impovel
ished. I would press further inquiries
and compare notes. The wash of tn
slope covered the lode just beyond tn
edge of the rivers current. Thence tn
lode struck up hill, which had a fairl
uniform slope of 30 degrees from tn
horizontal. This hills crest was full
1000 feet higher, vertical measure
ment, than the river, and the strike @
the lode was directly up the slope.
The first work was at an elevation c
eighty feet above low-water mark {
the river. A tunnel has been driven d
where there is strong cropping {
copper sulphides Horizontal measur
ment, this tunnel is 400 feet from tt
cut made thru the lode by the river.
All Work in Ore.
Tunnel No. l has been driven IS
feet into the lode. The portal is ne;
the hanging wall, and the course of tt
tunnel was to reach the foot wall abo1
400 feet in. From this diagonal dri'
crosscuts have been made at warrior
points on both sides. These crosscu
body more than 100 feet wide, and t.
hanging wall is not had in any Of tt
work. I examined the ore CAREFUL
and could scarcely distinguish any d
ference from that secured under t
Gaping at the rivers edge: The
allegation in body near the hangi
wall being massive and at other poin
more disseminated, but everywhere
this distance Of more than 100 feet
width and for distance of nearly 4
feet in length was the heavy copr
sulphide, sulphur appearing to ran
from 10 to 25 per cent.
This was my second bewilderme1
The face of tunnel No. 1 was nearly
feet distant from the river cut, no
Zontal measurement, yet I could dete
no change in the character or wild
!. Of this mammoth ore body.
"Sample it all,' was the manage
laconic reply to questions. ''Our wol
ing samples show this level to ran
from 81 to $24 ton. Divide the Gro
cuts into sections Of twelve and twer
sampling.'
I went up the mountain 800 feet
ther, to where No 2 tunnel had be
/ started, at vertical elevation of MI
ty-eight feet above No. /. 1t had OF
been driven in 100 feet, as work
Gently commenced there, but it was
ore, the same character Of ore found
1 low. L went on to No. 3, which v
nearly 1000 feet beyond No. 2, a
which had been commenced on the D
phyry of the west wall and had bt
/; driven nearly 400 feet diagonal