The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-01-14
Gold Bug Mine About Ready for
Shipment.
TRANSPORTATION OPENS RICH. COUNTRY
GOLD HILL AND HooDoo DIS
TRIcTs NEAR PALoUsE RE-
PORTED PROMISING.


gold will be the one to open shipping
/ from the great mineral territory en-
braced in the Gold Hill and Hoodoo
districts east of Palouse, according
to the Palouse Republic. This i'm
portant announcement, marking an era
| in the development of this great miner
al belt. was made yesterday by the
| officers of the Gold Bug property. 1t
will create a stimulus in the mining
circles of the upriver country such as
all the years of development, with the
known high values, have never
known.
Shipment of ore will begin as soon
as the spur of the Washington, Idaho
q Montana railway up Jerome creek
is completed. The grading for this
work is all completed and all material
is on the ground for tracklaying, so
it will not be long until the work is
done and the ore cars from Palouse's
tributary mining districts be rolling
through the city. The Jerome creek
spur VIII leave the main line of the
Washington, Idaho & Montana at or
near Harvard, and from that point to
the Gold Bug is only about three miles.
The road will pass within about half
a mile of the Gold Bug shaft. The ore
will probably be shipped to the Taco
ma smeiler, as the Northport concern
has about all it can handle.
Install Modern Machinery.
The Gold Bug people are fully pre-
pared for the advent of transportation
facilities. The company has already
purchased and has ready for imme-
diate installation $4,000 worth of
the most modern machinery, compris-
ing powerful hoist, machine drills,
etc.
The Gold Bug is probably the best
developed mine in the district. Several
years ago, when it was well known
that there were highly profitable
values in the ledge of the Gold Bug,
considerable machinery was put in
and money expended to bring the prop
erty out as a producer; but the lack
Of adequate transportation facilities at
that time defeated the effort. How
ever, it resulted in placing the works
we'll along in the line of development.
7 he shaft is now down to the 3O0-fOOt
leval, showing values in gold and cop
per of about $50 per ton. Profitable
ere was found all the way down the
shaft, being tested at the so, 100 and
200 foot levels. A large amount OF
this ore is now blocked out, ready to
T., list for shipment. Lillis F. Smith,
the wheat king of Endicott, is presi-
dent of the Gold Bug company. Bryan
Westacott of Garfield is among the
heavy stockholders. The company is
well financed and has an exceptionally
bright future before it. The mine was
discovered and located by Egbert
Nacumber in 1898. He still retains a
large block of the stock.
Many Promising Properties.
There are a number of other prop
critics in the Jerome creek and HOodOO
countries which are as good or prob
ably even better than the Gold Bug,
which will enter the list of shippers
as soon as transportation facilities
are provided; and from present indica-
tons that time is not far remote. With
the opening Of these mines, Palouse
vii, enjoy the advantages of another
great resource, which has for years
been known to exist and whose activ-
tiles have been patiently awaited.
The Mizpah Copper Mining company
held a meeting yesterday and ap-
pointed J. c. Northrup & Co., financial
agents, authorizing them to sell $4,000
shares of stock at five cents per share,
subject to a raise at any time.
The intention of the company is to
start a 500-foot tunnel which will tap
the ledge at depth of 4SG feet, at
which level large body of ore will be
cut. This tunnel will be driven to cut
length. On the surface at a depth of
200 feet the company has exposed
this ore shute to be fully 200 feet in
length. At depth of 400 feet the
length will be below the oxidation
stage and values leached out in the
carbonate zone are surface workings
and will be deposited on the 400
foot level A shaft is now being sunk
on the carbonate blowout, where ore
of high value is being exposed.
The company is now prosecuting in
the shaft at a depth of so feet, through
good ore, some of which assays as
high as so per cent copper High grade
ore will probably be encountered on
the hanging wall.