Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-07-16

Incredulous smiles are provoked
when the statement is made that the
values in an ore body can be figured
as closely as bank balance.
Derisive smiles were accorded
Morse when he first called the atten-
tion Of people to his electrical tele-
graph.
Scornful smiles will be given the
man who makes statement OF abso-
lutte fact, but with which the hearer
does not happen to be acquainted.
All OF which only goes to show that
in most people there is a tendency
to incredulity;; but facts are stubborn
things, and some men, just like facts,
are stubborn; some are even worse,
they are stupid, because they will de-.
ny or dispute the inco ntestable.
In one Of our advertisements, en-
titled Arithmetic. we undertook to-
demonstrate how closely the values IN
several of our large ore bodies could
be figured, and we repeat the demon
stration today, but combining ourselves
to sonly two Of the nine lode claims
owned by our company.
.5 These two are known as the Whip
perwill and Cornucopia. The former
is ], 800 feet in length, and the latter
500. One is an extension OF the other,
but for all practical purposes, it is
simply one continuous claim 1000 feet
long.
This 1000 feet takes in just that
much of an exceedingly strong vein,
which out crops on the surface, and
averages about six feet in width. This
vein can be traced many thousands
of feet both east and west of our To-
cation, showing conclusively that it is
a true assure, even if we consider
nothing but the surface indications.
This property is located on the
ridge Of the gulch in which our other
properties are situated. The grade of
this ridge is less than one foot in 20,
so that for our purposes it may be re
garded as substantially level.
Our crosscut tunnel was started at
I. a point down in the gu1ch, and after
being driven 100 feet it intersected
this vein at a depth of 4SO feet under
the surface. Subsequently a winze or
shaft was sunk an additional 80 feet,
and in the meantime an upraise was
made through the ore body to the
surface.
Levels, or tunnels, were driven on
the course Of the vein, both east and
west, from the main tunnel intersec--
ton, with the result that the ore body
was opened UP on three sides, and
found to be of the same relatively uni
form width and value, thus rendering
easy the computation of the number
of cubic feet In the vein.
This simple little question in Arith.
metic, which cannot be dignified by
the appellation Of Problem, is thus ex-
pressed: 2,0O0x53Oxs equals $3.50 900.
Dividing this by IL, which is the mum
Der OF cubic fet Of our ore required
to make a ton, we find that the total
weight OF this ore body is 4ss, 231 tons.
Now it becomes necessary to get at
the value Of that ore We have never
figured better than $40 per ton, al
though we have known from the be-
ginning that it was from S to s times
that much. but, accepting the $40
value, there is no escape from what
the figures tell you, viz: 1882, $40.
And this is in one property, opened to
q depth OF $50 feet only!
But, let us get a little closer to the
facts, because they are interesting
from more than one standpoint. This
ore body was opened at this depth in
the early ninties by the then holding
company, an English syndicate. 1t
was hoped the ore would be desirable
for free milling purposes, but much to
the disappointment OF the English
men, It was discovered that not over
20 per cent Of the values could be re,
( covered BY the stamp mill, or amalga-
nation process, which at that time
was the only one Of consequence.
Maps OF the underground workings
show that about $4,000 tons Of this
ore was mined, and therefore presum-
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