The Ketchikan miner., 1907-04-27
THE MINES
What the Mines and Miners of This District Are Doing.-Cheer.
 ing Prospects Ahead.

The Hydah will be ready to make her first shipment to the Hadley shelter is not more than ten days from now-in fact, would have been ready before this but for delay in the receipt of some minor parts Of necessary to the operation of the incline tramway. The cars are on the wharf here waiting for to the mine, and the other missing parts are expected on one of the first steamers next to arrive. The tramway and upper and lower bins are ready for use, and amount of high grade ore is ready to be sent down. The tramway, which will be operated by the gravity system. is 1000 feet in length, and will deliver the ore from the upper to the lower bins, whence it can be transferred to scows, or on board steamers, at minimum of cost. The present workings of the mine consists of an open cut about 40 feet square, the outlet to which is a short tunnel to the upper blns. This cut lies at an elevation Of 500 feet above tidewater, and as the
 length of the tram indicates, not more than 1000 feet from the beach. The ore body, as shwon by the cut, is fully 10 feet wide, and that it carries depth is evidenced by the fact that the out crop is found continuous and unbroken all the way down the slope of the to the beach. The ore is nigh grade, and the mine most favor ably located for the economical min
 ing and handling of product. It is that shipment for the first or two will not exceed forty to fifty tons per day, but the daily out put will gradually be increased as the workings are extended. There is every reason for the belief that the aydah is destined to become one of he greatest mines in the district, if
 indeed. not in the whole of Alaska.
 Victor Vigelius, who has a bond
 rom Sanford and Powers, on what is lnown as the Giant group of mining ocations, on the southwest side ol 1ravina island, not far from Dall lead, has a force of men or the ,round doing development work, with ,ood prospects of showing up some-
 hing of more than ordinary value. The show of ore carrying good values n copper and gold is most promising, md the work now being done is with view to determining somewhat definitely the extent of the ore, body which is believed to be quite large. n fact that question being affirm ltively settled, the development oi
 he property into paying mine will hen be matter of comparatively short time only, there being no doubt whatever as to values.
 The fires of the Hadley smelter were relighted and the furnaces blown
 in yesterday (Thursday) forenoon, and they are again turning out copper matte galore. Mr. Riddle seems, in the scarcity of coal for steaming pur- poses, to have solved the problem by using wood under his boilers, combined with gas supplied by a process of his own, which answers every purpose, thus bidding defiance to the threatened prolongation of the coal famine. If, indeed, it proves that he has overcome the difficulty in that regard, there will be nothing, barring unforeseen accident, to pre- vent long and continuous run of the shelter.
 The Eureka group of claims, not far from the Niblack, formerly known as the Copper Cliffs, now the property of Victor Vigelius, is again being explored, MT. Vigelius having force of men at work driving a cross-cut tunnel in the hope of tapping an ore body the existence of which is indi- cated by the old workings, which were seemingy made more with a view to avoiding discovery than to the finding anything of substantial value. If the ore body is there-and it probably is, MT. Vigelius may be de epended upon to find it.
 At the Moonshine, Cholmondeley sound, a small force of men are at work on the trail from the beach to the mine, which is being extended as rapidly as the snow, which is disappearing, will permit. The force will shortly be increased, and it is probable that mine work can
 be resumed not later than the middle of May. It is claimed that there is ore enough in sight to cover all costs thus far incurred, together with all
 expenditures on account of develop ment, leaving a goodly margin oi profit besides.
 Sinking in the main shaft of the Red Wing mine at Copper City is still in progress, and will be centina- ed to a further depth of 80 feet before is begun on what will then be