Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-23
To Penetrate Mountain in
British Columbia.
Preliminary Construction Work
Well Under Way.
viii b Large Enough 10 Garry TO-.
600 Tons Of Ore Daily.

now under way, will provide practical
means of extracting ores at great depth
from numerous properties. and they
predict also that it will open possibili-
ties to merit the attention OF the min
ing world.
The bore is projected by the Green
wood Phoenix Tramway company of
Chicago, to which the taxpayers Of
Greenwood have just voted bonus Of
$4,000, to be paid in three instalments,
as follows: Fifteen thousand dollars
at 5000 feet, $4,000 at 5000 feet and
$4,000 when the city limits of Phoenix
are reached. The first section is to be
completed November 1. 1911. New
York and Chicago parties have under
written bonds to the extent of s3,0OO,-
900, which is the amount required 10
construct and equip the tunnel.
Compressors and electric drills arc
being installed at the Greenwood end of
the tunnel and 1t is given out that con-
struction work will begin in a short
time. AS the undertaking does not
involve any unusual engineering diff
ficultes. it is believed that rapid pro-
gress will be made from the start.
The tunnel will be large enough to
carry 10000 tons OF ore daily, and be-
yond the first section it will carry ore
on tonnage and freight basis. 1t will
also be tramway for the carrying of
ores from the various mines contiguous
to the route of the bore.
Considerable work has already been
done on the mineraliZed zone which will
be crosscut by the tunnel, and while
this has been expensive the value of
the ore is estimated at more than 5000,
900. This gives an indication of what
may be expected when the belt is
bored in a systematic manner. The
exploring at the Greenwood and
Phoenix camps to the depth of more
than 1000 feet will start deep mining
in the Boundary district, and the result
will be the operation of properties with
showings OF gold and silver. now over
Swallowed by low grade copper ore TAX
ing.
The company considers itself fortu-
nate in the selection of site to start
the tunnel. The Strathmore mine,
where the portal of the tunnel will be.
has the record of producing the richest
and finest ore in British Columbia. 1t
won the trophy cup at the annual
cStiiDll DIT ANclSoli, d. ~, dlSO Tic
championship cup at the Interstate fair
in Spokane. in competition with the
high-gra gold and silver mines ii
Idaho. Oregon, Washington and British
Columbia.
The tunnel will reach No. / vein of
the Strathmore mine. from which rich
ore has been shipped, in 500 feet. and
will crOsscut II other veins in the first
section OF the bore. which is 5000 feet.
These veins have been proven at depths
ranging from 100 to 500 feet. Eight
thousand tons of ore. averaging better
than 800 a ton. has been shipped from
this belt. but the operation was ex-
pcnsive the mining costing $40 a ton,
while the smelter and freight charges
averaged SIS ton.
Announcement is made that the
tunnel company can easily reduce the
cost of mining to $40 q ton by the
consolidation of the properties and the
deep tunnel. while the freight and
smelter charges will be not more than
81 or IS ton. 1t is believed also
there will be sufficient ore to warrant
the installation of a lead smelter at
Greenwood which would receive a
great deal of custom ore and stimulate
the development OF gold and silver
mining all over the Boundary country.
The only deep mining in the province
of British Columbia is at Rossland.
The lie Roi Two. originally known as
the Josie, after being developed 300 feet
was pronounced a failure the lead haN-
ing pinched out, yet after being taken
over by practical men backed by
capital it has proved Il bonanza. earn
ing enormous dividends. At the Wa
Eagle in the same camp. which was de-
clared to have been worked out, an ore
shoot 40 feet wide and 500 feet in
length. averaging s35 the ton. was
opened up on the 1.600-foot level a few
days ago. This would indicate that
deep mining in British Columbia pays.
The ore runs down similarly to that in
the Occur d'AleneS. 1t increases in
size or in value or both with depth.
Graham B. Dennis. capitalist OF
Spokane, and owner of the Old
Dominion mine in eastern Washington.
now being worked under lease. was the
first to discover that the ore bodies in
the Boundary district. the Occur
d AleneS and eastern Washington
camps were deep mining propositions.
He made the announcement years ago.
when the ore apparently pinchCd out
in the levels on the Dominion propertr.
His prediction has been verified in Re-
public camp in Washington. as we'll as
in several camps in the Occur
d Aienes and the opening of the mineral
zone in southeastern British Columbia
with tunnel at the depth of 1900 feet
will. it is generally believed. fully con-
firm his theory so far as that part of
the ore belt is concerned
When the first announcement of the
proposed tunnel between Greenwood
and Phoenix was made. about Is
months ago. many of the doubling
Thomases shook their heads. and when
no efforts We're made to start work at
the time they began to feel that their
predictions had been confirmed. They
did not know then that the company
had encountered numerous obstacles in
inducing the various owners to go in 20
a consolidation on anything like rea-
Sonable terms. Aside from this it also
required time to make investigations.
which included the examining of mos.
of the big mining tunnels including the
bores at the Newhouse. the Sutro. the