The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-06-08
Week, Review Of Colorado Mining.
By Can't. James T. Smith in DenVe'
News

The outlook for a large increase III
Boulder county's product of Lead ore Is
peculiarly promising. as the district III
point is not SO far from rail transpor
tation at Ward as to make mining eA-
tTayagant
Not in wears has Gilpinn county been
favored with as many transfers oil MN
iLg property as have been closed TINS
spring. all sections OF the county, from
the Boulder 10 the Clear Greek nne
sharing in the seasons good fortune
In the same county the cyanide pro
cess is doing fine work for the 10"
grade gold mines. while all OF the
tungsten producers. in and near Neder-
land. are being taken over by Piusburs
capitalists. who use the tungsten in the
manufacture of tool steel
At the northern end OF Boulder
county. under the shadow OF Long
peak. Chicago capital is preparing TO
exploit the wide and well-defned veins
o. lead ores located in 1905, when that
portion of the county was also pros
pected for copper, with Omaha money
is the main incentive
As the mining season advances 1t
becomes more and more evident that
1907 will record remarkable revival
of old mines where the application OF
modern conditions. together with the
record prices for lead and copper and
the freer quotations for silver, Will IN
sure a handsome return upon the capt
tai invested.
Modern concentration plants are
now being introduced. adding largely
TO the value of shipments per ton and
lessening in marked degree the cost
of transportation Eastern owners
who dropped out of these connties
when silver slumped in 1898 are again
investing, impelled thereto by the pros
pect for profits.
In 1906 Boulder produced but $3.50
worth of lead. mainly in gold ores.
while the tungsten product was con
servatively placed at 800 tons of con
centrates. worth $685.. 900 At the mines
I he lead figure will this year be raised
- Importance if the Chicago projects
get under way. while the tungsten
! product will gain in bulk and value 100
per cert,
The camps of upper Clear Creek
| county are in the midst of a general
awakening. with new concentration
| plants added to the number op-
Grated last year The demand for lead
| ore is peculiarly addressed TO the
| camps of upper Clear Creek, where
| that useful metal-indispensable in
| lead basis smelting-runs as high as
! sixty per cent. in several Of the mines.
Hinsdale county. which unites cen
| tral Colorado 70 the San Juan region.
| is showing more activity this spring
| than those camps have displayed since
| 1894, when the Golden Fleece and the
| Ute and Clay properties were in bo-
nanza form. Eastern and Colorado
owners are again taking hold OF their
| properties, installing modern machin-
cry and preparing to take advantage
| of the present high prices for lead,
| zinc, copper and silver.
| Australian metallurgy, the net re-
| suit of the American and European
| schools, has obtained foothold in the
/ Cripple Creek and Rico districts. In
| Cripple Creek it is applying its form
| OF the cyanide process to the low
grade ores and dump material of the
Vindicator group. The success of the
| experimental plant warrants the state
| ment that the company will at once
erect plant with capacity of $50 to
| 800 tons a day.
Word comes from the San Juan re
SlOl lHdl lLt SlltlllIlS q
| flning Company. in order to enlarge
! the supply of lead ores, proposes to es-
| tablish concentration plants in the sew
| eral camps as feeders to the smelters
| at Durango, Pueblo and Denver. This
| investment would doubtless have a
marked influence upon the output of
| lead ores, and would cause activity at
| mines which are now worked in more
| or less spasmodic manner. as the mar
| ket for the low grade product is far
| from regular.
The Australian method is that pat
ented by Stalmann. Germer and Nc
| Quisten. 1t comes highly recon-
| mended for both lowness in cost and
| efficiency in the saving of values Its
success at Rico means large addition
| to the zinc-lead product Of the San
| Juan region. which reached 81 ,291 ,S32
| in 1906. The regular operation of the
great Silver Lake mills at Silverton
and of the Camp Bird mills near Ouray
which were put out of commission the
greater part of 1906. will have an i'm
portant bearing upon the output for
this year.
Clear Creeks lead output last year
was valued at $l57,.776. with s104,o32
in zinc. s51 .459 in copper, $395,752 in
silver, and $457,7l1 in gold. The gold
copper ores are mainly from properties
near Idaho Springs, and not far from
the Gilpin county line. Upper Clear
Creek is now predicting gain of 100
per cent. over 1906 in lead and zinc
Eight modern concentrating plants are
located near the mines, creating a
product that is welcome at the smell
ters. Denver, eastern and English cap
italists have already commenced ex-
tensive development, and mines which
have been idle since 1898 have men on
thir payrolls.
Seemann Tunnel to BE Driven.
Idaho Springs, Colo.-Because the