The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1908-11-21
An English Boost

<Ah En- Z AlSn boost
Thomas Tonge. well known mining
engineer contributes an interesting
article to the London Mining Journal.
from which the following exracts are
taken.
The Newhouse tunnel owned by the
Argo Transportation and Tunnel com
pany Limited with headquarters in
London, enters the mountain IN the
canyon of Clear Creek, adjacent to the
Colorado & Southern railway system
short distance below the town Of
Idaho Springs at an altitude of about
1850 feet Its objective point IS he
rich mining district around Russell
Gulch. Quartz Hill and Nevadavlle,
general altitude being about 5000
feet, all in Gilpin county. Quartz
Hill was once truthfully described as
1.-The richest mining square mile
in the world. -
The tunnel has already been driven
7.640 feet or over three miles, travers-
ng Russell Gulch cutting a number of
veins en- route, the owners of which are
exploiting same and shipping ore
Driving operations at the present
breast OF the tunnel ceased on February
II, 1906 The extension of the tun-
mel several hundred feet further would
have topped the water-bearing system
of the mining district around Quartz
Hill and Nevadaville without anv as
surance of revenue for the tunnel
from the owners Of the mining proper
ties which would have been thereby
unwatered and CORRESPONDENCE benefit
ted.
The Quartz Hill and Nevadaville dis
trict which would be drained by the
contemplated extension of the tunnel.
is approximately $500 feet long by
4 800 feet wide, and comprises about
two thirds of the productive mines of
CLIP n county.
The mines in this district have
past record production of SIS, 900 900
mostly gold The deepest shaft is that
of the California mine (ownel in
England) which is fully 1000 feet in
vertical depth, reaching below the
level of the proposed extension of the
| Newhouse tunnel. The shafts of
number of the local mines range from
1000 feet to !, 400 feet vertical depth.
with manv more of less depth. Prac-
tcally all had pay ore in the lowest
workings
Owing to the quantity of water in all
of these properties and the great ex-
pensH directly and indirectly of pump
ing or hosting it from such consider
able depths, mining operations have
been dwindling for ten years past,
but especially during the last four
years and practically ceased 70 months
ago.
The Newhouse tunnel being the key
to the situation, the suspension in Feb
rnarv. 1905, of its further driving con
vinced the owners of the affected mining
properties of the necessity of making it
worth while for the owners Of the tun
mel to extend same so as to dram the
district and admit of the mines being
operated
The total number Of such owners is
quite large IS many OF the properties
consist only Of fractional claims. and
and Tiers are owned by number of
persons. Many of the owners are non
residents. The principal mine owners,
howe yer, together with the Gilpin
County mber of Commerc assured
the Colorado management of the New
house tunnel that the mine owners
affected will with practical unanmity
sign contracts or the payment Of
drainage royalties as follows: The
Tunnel company to extend the tunnel
another 5 600 fee; the mine owners to
pay drainage roy lties of 25 cents per
ton on milling ore and 81 per ton on
smelling ore on all ore mined.
The opening upof the district in ques
tior by the extension of the tunnel
another 5 000 feet at an aver ,ge DEP tn
, Of ! TOO it, below the surface. will drain
the district, afford means of extracting
, the ore practically by gravity stead
of hoisting, delivering same from work
ings direct TO the railroad tracks
elimir ating surface tramway or wa
, ggn haul. virtually opening upa virgin
mineralized zone of at least 500 feet
in thickness equivalent to a new mining
district traversed b, a network of pay
veins as indicated by the upper work
ings and past production of the loca
, mines all of which date from the early
"sixtiee.'