The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-12

! plSces MS III unllnlllcu amount OF MA
terial TO work on.
it is estimated with Whitewood creek
and Deadwood creek, the natural how
of water into the mine 5000 gallons a
minute), and the water from Speartish
creek, that II will take fortYseven
days TO food the mine TO a point above
the 300-foot level, two levels above the
present location of the fire. 1t is said
that the minc can be pumped out with
in sixty days and that the workings
can be put in shape again within three
months from the time the mine has
been drained During The time when
the mine is being filed the FIRE will be
fought until the men can no longer re-
done in the hope that it can be cor
rallied and that il will rot be neces-
sary 10 flood the mine above the 600
foot level AT the present time moth
ing is being done around the property
except fighting the fire and watching
the water raise III the workings. On
Saturday night the water had reach
almost to the 900-foot level, but after
it has passed that level the raise will
be slow. as the S00-foot levels above
are the largest in the mines.
Story of the Homestake.
In the summer of 1876 the Manuel
brothers, prospcctors. discovered the
original Homeslake mine. on the divide
between Gold Run and Bobtail creeks
On the surface the ore was very rich
and, for time, the Manuels worked
the orc which they took from the
openings made on the property in an
arastra. primitive mill, such as was
used centuries ago in Mexico. and by
the Spaniards in their American pos
Tbn>r uf 81
OF the ore in small stamp mill which
had been erected on the present site of
Lead. By both of these methods the
ore paid, although close saving of
the gold could not be made. The rich
ness of the ore attracted considerable
attention from miners, especially from
those who came from the quartz dis
tricts of California, number of cap
ltallsts from that State having repre-
sentatives in the Black Hills looking
up good propositions, j. B, Haggin be-
ing among that number, Reports of
the richness of the Homestakc claims
coming to his attention, he sent the
late Senator George III. Hearst to the
Black Hills TO look into the PROPOSE
ton and ma ke report on it. The
report made by Mr.. Hearst was salts.
factory and he was instructed to Sc
cure the mine If possible for Haggin
and his associates. This Mr.. Hearst
did, securing the property for about
100000.
First Forty Stamp Mill.
In November, 1877, the Homcstake
Mining company was incorporated, with
capital of $10,000,000. divided into
100000 shares, At this time 800, 600
WINS paid IN to pay for the property,
and afterward two assessments of ST
share le,r,n1 h.
tai stock, realizing S200,O0O This
money was utilized to build the first
mill upon the ground, an s0stamp
plant, which cost. including Transports
tion, $4,000. 1t was completed lin
July, 1873, being supplied with ore
from an open cut on the Homestakc
claims. AT this time no attempt was
made. to treat the taihngs from the mill
nor from the mills erected later. and
it was not done until the property had
been working for several years, after
which it was commenced, and then it
was confined to running the tailings
over Brussels carpets and saving the
concentrates, which later were smelted.
but at so high cost that little profit
was obtained from them Although,
when compared with present methods
tempts at milling and gold saving were
crude, the property paid from the first
time ITS milling plant was cleaned up.
and from October, 1878, has continued
paying dividends, ranging from 10
cents to 5U cents per share, not missing
month. In round numbers, since Oc,
tober, 1873, the mine has produced in
the nelghborhood OF SS6,000,000 in gold.
more than threc-fourths of which has
been paid out for labor, the making Of
improvements and the purchase of wa
ter rights and additional ground, in
Guiding adjoining interpretations. pay
ing during that time something in ex-
cess of $l5,000,000 in dividends
From time to time the original eight
acres (the original Homestake claim)
has been added to, until at the present
time the company's holdings in the inn
mediate vicinity of Lead amount to
1000 acres, mostly all of it valuable
mining property, upon which workipns
have been established.
Immense Plants in Operation.
Year by year the company has been
improving its property and its milling
and treatment plants, and from the first
og-stamp there has grown up system
of mills and cyanide plants and slime
treatment plants that cannot be
equaled by any other in the world, and
the mills having daily capacity for
treating 1000 tons of ore, the cyanide
tailings from all of the 1000 STAMPS,
dropping, and the slime plant a capa.
city of 1900 tons a day. All of the
company's six mills have been until the
fire in daily operation, three of these
being located in Lead, two in Terra
vile and one in Central City, and all
of them connected with a network of
railroad lines. underground and sur
face, operated by steam and compressed
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