Gilpin observer., 1906-02-08
NEWS FROM THE MINES and MILLS
Mineral Farm Developments.

mineral farm OeVeIopmente.
Right at the city limits of Ouray is
located the Mineral Farm group of 240
acres. which is attracting the attention
Of mining men because of the strikes
Of silver-lead ore encountered in the
Midnight claim few weeks since.
This group, says the Ouray cores
pondent of the Denver Republican, is
one of the Oldest in the camp and has
been worked at intervals for years,
with varying success. But it remained
for B. H. Dupraw, who was last fall
employed by the owner of the prop
erty, w. ]. Lucas of st. Louis, to carry
out plan Of development which has
been productive of such gratifying re-
suits that 1t is now safe to place the
Mineral Farm in the list of permanent
producing mines.
Heretofore no attempt was made to
explore at depth the sheet of lime in
which the workings are located. 1t
was the opinion of Mr.. Dupraw that
the principal bodies of ore would be
found at greater depth. To that end
shaft was sunk, which, when a raise Is
made, will make its present depth 100
feet. Twenty feet of the shaft is in
ore. The ore is in the bottom of the
shaft and on all sides of n chamber
which is about thirty feet square.
The indications are that an east and
west fissure vein has been struck, and
that it follows porphyry dixie which
cuts through the lime. The opinion of
mining men who have examined the
showing of ore now exposed, is that 1t
is the commencement of an ore shoot
that will probably extend hundreds of
feet and preserve its integrity the en-
tire thickness of the lime sheet. In
fact, there is every reason to believe
that the ore will be found in paying
quantities wherever the vein inter-
sects the lime formation. The cham
ber at the bottom of the shaft has pro-
duced this month eighty tons of high
grade ore. together with over $50 tons
of good mill ore, which is in the dump,
where 1t will remain until the mill can
be started next summer.
The first car of ore contained little,
if any, gray copper. Since then, as
depth has been gained the gray copper
has constantly increased, until the bot
tom of the shaft is now literally
sprinkled with 1t, and specimens of
the ore can be had that will run thou
sands of ounces of silver to the ton,
as well as being heavy in lead. Al
though the first car of ore will net only
$50 a ton, two cars shipped lately are
expected to run much higher because
o. the increasing values in gray cop
per.
Considering the enormous body of
ore, perhaps twenty feet in width and
whose depth is as yet unknown, $50
net ton is a proposition in mining
that is not often encountered.
The work of development thus far
has been of prospective character,
with the end in view, however of per-
manence. Machinery will be installed
soon.
From the shaft, which is at the
breast of 240-foot tunnel, a rise OF
10 feet is to be made to the surface.
where an electric hoist will be in
stalled. Power can be had from the
Telluride company's lines, which pass
within a few hundred feet of the work
ings, and later the Mineral FARMS own
water power will be utilized to operate
mine and mill.
In sight of the city. tunnel has
been started which will cut the pres
ent workings 300 feet deep and will be
1000 feet long when it reaches the
shaft, its objective at this time. Until
more definite knowledge of the extent
of the ore bodies is had, this tunnel
will not be completed, but the mine
will be operated through the shaft,
whence connection by tram will be
made with the mill, and thence by
tram to the cars at Ouray, only few
hundred feet distant. Crude ore and
concentrates will be moved from mine
and mill to the cars at small expense.
Before the tram is built, wagon road
will take the place of the trail over
which the ore is now being packed to
Ouray.