The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1907-05-18
DELv|NC FORWARD
Contract Let For COntinu.
ing Big SeemAnn Tunnel
on Fall River q Distance
Nearly Half Mile.
w. E. Carr and Partners to
Push the Heading of the
Great Tunnel Project To.
wards Yankee Hill

A contract has been AWARDED for driv-
ing Seemann tunnel 2,5oo feet, 10 W. f.
Carr and partners, and as soon as the
arrangements can be completed by the
Contractors work will be started in the
breast. The latter is now 100 feet into
mountain and it will gain depth more
rapidly as the heading is extended
BY the time the tunnel is one mile III
length the breast will be Zoo feet be-
II, ath the surface of the mountain. The
tunnel courses thr ugh the we'll defined
aud rich mineral section of the Yankee
hill territory aud will have all average
depth on the pitch of the veins of more
tran one half mile below the apex of
each lode according to the known pitch
of the veins as determined from the pres
ent limited amount Of workings.
The Seemann tunnel is without doubt
the greatest mining tunnel enterprise on
the North American continent 1t is en-.
titled to this distinction for many reas-
ons which might be mentioned briefly:
The tunnel is most advantageously loca-
ted at the very edge of the wide and we'll
known mineral belt which contains the
extensions of the com bined vein systems
which make the Central City, Russell
Gulch, Georgetown and Empire districts
Gulch, Seaton and Bellevue mountain
properties which in the past have yielded
millions upon millions of dollars worth
OF the precious metals from compare
lively shallow depth and by compare
lively crude and primative methods Of
ore reduction and value extraction. The
Seemaun tunnel cuts these veins at
depth of twice the average depth from
which these mines have produced in ex-
cess Of $2oo, 900 900, and III territory
prac,lcsIly all of which is owned by the
company.
The tunnel II owned by the Continent
al Mines, Power and Reduction company
which hes over $50 individual mining
claims form ng a great estate. The COM
pany owns the Lomb bard mill, the Lotn-
bard and the Faust mines; a townsite.
and one of the best water rights in the
county which will be utilized for the gem
Grafton of electric power. 1t owns mill
sites and placer claims, and in fact has
nearly monopoly on the choicest
section Of ground covering over 1850
acres of the best mineral land in the
state of Colorado. 1t is free from debt
and has funds in the treasury to
carry out an unlimited amount of devel-
opment work, and to erect one Of the
largest reduction plants in the state at
the. portal of the tunnel.
The large dyke recently cut by the
tunnel is to be developed in the near
future, as assays of samples taken from
the vein show nearly the entire width to
be milling ore of a good grade. Tho
water IN the vein contains strong solu-
ton of copper, as tools left in this part
of the tunnel over nit hi show evidences
of copper deposition.
The Lombard mine and mill, which
were closed over year ago on account
OF the difficulty in obtaining fuel are to
be started up within the next week or
ten days. The mine can easily produce
between 90 and 10 tons of ore to keep
the mil supplied. Heretofore this pro-
) duct has been extracted from two adts,
but 1t is The intention to work from the
lower levels of the double compartment
shaft. The shaft is equipped with a
plant and building which represents
an outlay of $4,000. The main ore
shoot in the Lombard will be reached by
continuing the level few hundred feet,
but this will open an extremely rich
body of ore, containing in addition to
the milling grade, a considerable quan-
uty of smelling ore. The Lombard
vein is from three 10 six feet wide and
at several places has attained a width of
twelve feet. The main shoot has been
opened up for over I 900 feet in length
and after the level from the bottom of
the shaft has been driven the company
will have fine block of ground over II,
feet high ready for stoping. The Lom-
bard mill will be started up by the first
OF June, and work will also be started on
the hydro-electric plant on Fail river
which will later furnish the power for
the mill.
The Social Ethics club met Thursday