The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-11-18
Operation of the Churn
Type in This District
and Its Successes.
COST OF EXPLORATION
And How It Is Best Conducted by
This Method. Expert WithMuch
Experience In Local Field Gives
His Views.

Under the heading, Prospecting
by Deep Well Drilling, l.. C. Cor
nell writes in the Engineering and
Mining Journal of his operations.
The fact that Mr.. Cornell has op-
Grated successfully in this district
lends additional interest to his article
and at the same time gives idea of
the clear results that churn drill
work have obtained on Cumberland
Ely and Nevada Consolidated prop
critics. He says:
One of the most economical meth
DDS of prospecting and by far the
most rapid is that employing the deep
well drill. Assume, for example,
that the ground to be prospected
comprises a group of claims covering
a blanket deposit of ore. A series of
holes, say four or five, drilled across
the supposed mineral bearing area
may determine the extent of the ore
and show the dip of the deposit; and
by more extensive drilling the value
of the ore body may perhaps be de-
termined with considerable accuracy.
The drill records would also give
data for an estimate of the cost of
sinking shaft by showing the for
nations and the amount of water
that probably would be encountered.
Should no ore be found, the expense
1t is possible to put down hole to
a depth of about 400 feet, securing
samples of the formations pierced
This may be done in any formation
on land and, | might almost say at
e., 1r, 1ni 1pt1l nd
several hundred yards from shore on
the Pacific coast. There are many
different kinds of equipment for drill
ing and each is adapted to certain
formations. The crude oil producers
have more nearly attained perfection
in deep drilling than any other class
of operators, but their work needs
no comment and | shall confine my
remarks to drilling with cable tools,
commonly known as "churn' drilling
To those who expect to prospect by
drilling, the services of a competent
and reliable deep well driller are
most important. He should examine
the ground to be drilled, before de-
Gliding upon the equipment to be
used. With proper rigs the cost of
drilling to a depth of 1000 feet
should not average more than $1.5O
per foot. If it is desired to prospect
to depth of. say 400 feet only. or
to drill shallow holes for blasting,
preparatory to steam shovel work,
there are many machines of the port
able and traction type that will do
the work economically. Such ma
chimes will not, however, drill to
depth greater than 900 feet in noun
famous territory as cheaply as the
standard drilling rig. The standard
equipment with ''calfwheel' attach
ment for handling the pipe or casing,
is the best for drilling deep holes in
difficult ground. A strong derrick
"a feet square at the top, GA to S4
feet high, with cable shaft, sand
reel, etc, propOrtionately strong,
permits the use of the long heavy
string of tools necessary in the diffi-
cult, broken formation found in most
mining districts. The "calf-wheel
attachement in addition to being
valuable as a means of roaming the
hole in a formation that caves, or
will not stand up, Is of great value
in getting accurate samples. Since
the casing can he hoisted the length
of the stroke of the tools, the hole
can be reamed out to the size re-
quired to let the casing down on the
bottom and then, by sand pumping
the hole can be thoroughly cleaned
After drilling the next screw tabout
5 feeD the hole is sand pumped
again; the material thus raised is an
accurate sample of the 5 feet drilled.
(Continuod I'm mage four