The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-11-30
Central Tunnel Condition.

Central Tunnel Condition.
The Central tunnel is the second
longest tunnel in the lower Clear Greek
district and on the first of November,
the heading was in distance of 1898
feet. At this writing the breast of
and feet vertically beneath the wag-
on road in Virginia canon about $50
feet down the road from the mouth
of the Two Brothers tunnel
The portal of the Central tunnel is
located just outside of the city limits
at the west end of Idaho Springs. and
at an altitude of 1900 feet. The
next 5000 feet of driving will gain
depth rapidly and place the heading
under the apex of Pewabic mountain
which is the dividing line between
Clear Creek and Gilpin counties.
There the heading will have reached its
maximum vertical depth of 2.lo0 feet
which is 250 feet greater depth than
is attained by the Newhouse tunnel,
although the portal of the latter tunnel
is located at point fifty feet lower
in altitude than the portal of the Cen
trail tunnel.
The first few hundred feet of the
Central tunnel is constructed of arched
masonry made necessary by the charac-
ter of slide or wash through which
ordinary mIne timbering could have
been accomplished only with difficulty
and would have been less substantial
than stone.
The greater part of the Central tun-
mel has been driven under contract as
this has been found to be the most
satisfactory method of tunnel driving.
While the company has supernten-
dent to look after the business of the
tunnel, his time is fully engaged in
caring for the present traffic from the
mine is transportation through the
Central tunnel. There are laterals on
the properties Swedish-American COM
pany, the Christmas vein, Strong vein,
and on the Edgar vein, which is owned
by the tunnel company.
One of the greatest advantages po-
sessed by the Central tunnel is the
tramway connected with the Hudson
mill more than half mile down Clear
Creek This mill was built primarily
for the treatment of Shafter ores, but
it handles some custom ore, and is SO
situated that the capacity of the mill
can be enlarged at any time. With
the mill connection, the tunnel tram
cars can be loaded from the chutes in
the mines reached by the tunnel and
dumped directly into the mill hoppers
without ever coming into contact with
shovel, by which method the very
lowest grades of ore, when handled in
quantity, can be made to yield a profit
over the cost Of mining, transportation
and milling.
The Central tunnel has great possi-
bilities and is being conducted on ba-
sis which will ultimately prove profit
able. The policy of the management
is to develop every vein encountered in
the tunnel as it is reached by driving
laterals in either direction for a hum
dred feet at least. 1t is the later
al driving which is beneficial to
the various tunnel enterprises them
selves, as we'll as to the district. Had
this policy been pursued by the manage
ment of the Newhouse tunnel when
the big bore was driven there would
have been hundreds of tons of ore
daily coming from the underground
thoroughfare today, but as it is the
Newhouse tunnel is just beginning to
handle heavy output, and but recent
ly placed an order for thirty-five ad-
ditional tram cars, which should have
been needed years ago.
Chapped hands are quickly cured by
applying Chamberlain Salve. Price,
25 cents. For sale by J. J. Sherwin.
Trr for ronoh 70 hi las