The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-24
TALKS OF MINING
 AT CRIPPLE CREEK Chas. Sumner Discusses His
 Observations In West HOW THE ORE IS HANDLED Estimated That New Roosevelt Draln- age Tunnel Which Drains Many Mines Will Uncover Ore Bodies
 Valued at ssoo,ooo, ,ooo.
HOW THE ORE IS HANDLED

Charles Sumner who has returned from trip through the western mining fields, talks Interestingly on his trip and his observations.
 "The gold mining industry in the Grip pie Creek, Colorado. district, has reached a substantial basis" said MT. Sumner T have spent some months in practical mining and am surprised that more peo- pie do not turn their attention to this work. It is true that most gold mining undertakings have the lottery feature, more or less. However, in the district I speak of this business has become as steady and stable as coal mining, as far as practical results are concerned, for those who devote themselves to acquiring practical knowledge. By this I do not mean that man must be geologist or that he must have spent years in mining as practical workman. Many men among them I may mention Swedes have gone Into this district and in a few months have dug out fortunes by hard licks and using common sense.
 ''In 1892 the Cripple Creek district was first opened up and produced about a half million dollars. The work has pro- gressed until now the monthly produc- tion for 12 months In the year averages about s1, 100000 upon an output of COCO tons of ore that goes to the mills. Of course this does not represent all of the rock shot down in the mines. Immense quantities of low grade ore are on tho dumps and will be ultimately worked with the new improved cyanide mills and with a profit. It Is conservatively esti- mated that there are $50,000, 900 of values in these dumps now.
 While the original Cripple Creek mines were the ones which gave the name and the fame to the district. yet the big producers now are at Victor, four miles away, reached by street cars. It Is here that the rich finds have been made. Dur ing the last few years some very rich strikes were made. One car out of the Isabella mine netted $219,000. Two cars out of another mine netted $20,000 One care out of still another mine netted s75.- GOO. But 1t is to the steady producers, working ore paying from BIO to $50 per ton that the profits come to the operators and the mine owners. One of the most profitable features of the mining in this district is the leasing system Eighty per cent of the mining Is done by leases. Un- der this plan men of energy and limited capital have been enabled to make large fortunes. There are instances in which men have cleared over s100.ooo eac.. work ing leases in a few months
 The Lease System.
 ''Under tho lease system, where the property has already been acquired by companies or by individuals who have ceased to operate the same. or perhaps are operating a portion, individual lessors are enabled to secure leases on the royal ty basis. In most cases the mines have already been opened and developed down to depth of 800 to 1500 feet, with levels about every 100 feet. Frequently & mine has number of lessors working upon different levels.
 '"The royalty paid varies from 10 per cent on low grade ores on a rising scale. to as high in some cases as 50 per cent on very rich ores. On ores showing at the sampler $50 assay the royalty Is 30 per cent
 sampling and Milling.
 After the ore is hoisted to the mouth of the shaft 1t is run into an ore house, where 1t is screened and sorted. It Is then loaded into a railroad car and car ried to the sampler This sampler is a structure very much like mill. The ore Is first weighed and Is then run through a crusher and set of rolls; then run through a cutter, which takes 20 per cent out of the bulk. This 20 per cent-400 pounds out Of ton-is put through a process of crushing and elim- ination, step by step, dntif ft represents about one pound to the ton. This one pound IS ulVlueQ lntO paftb OI OHc-bf4tu and placed in pans these pans are placed In ovens, subjected to heat and dried. After these several processes the car of ore Is reduced SO that it ys represented by a small package of pulp as fine as flour, of about three pounds in weight This pulp (called controD is divided into five parts these several parts are placed in five envelopes. One of these envelopes goes to the shippers assayer; one is taken by the samplers assayer. After these two parties have made assays, if they agree within three points they settle by splitting the difference. A point repre- sents 20 cents of value per ton or about 8 a car. If they do not come this close to agreeing one of the three reserved envelopes Is taken to an umpire assayer' and both parties abide by his finding. If the sampler is correct, the shipper has to pay the umpire $3; If not, then the sampler pays the umpire s, and they settle on the umpire's assay. The sam pier pays to the shipper his part of the value of the car of ore. reserving the royalty. freight and treatment charges. sampling expenses, etc. This Is done by a check on the bank The sampling charges are 60 cents per ton. The freight and treatment charges vary from "A to $l0 per ton. If the shipper is not satisfied with the assay and does not agree With the umpire, then his ore Is shipped 10 the mills. at Colorado Springs. as orfgi- nally stipulated in the contract with the lessees At the mill the same process of assaying Is carried on. including the um- pire.
 Actual Mining.
 Tn the mines already developed, with levels running out like galleries or tunnels. the work of mining goes on. In some cases great rooms are worked out until the ceiling is 300 or 400 feet from the floor This Is accomplished by wood tim bers erected 12 feet high, resting upon each other. After shoot down the ore is cleared away and hoisted. Another sys- tenn much cheaper Is carrying a filled stope. Each day after shooting down, one-third of the ore, called muck, Is re- moved. This process continues until you get out of paying ore, or too high for practical purposes Then you proceed to withdraw all this accumulated muck. leaving in some cases great vaulted cham bers.
 ''The actual mining is done by drills operated by compressed air. This air is supplied by company at cost of & per day for each machine. This gives best equipped mines in the world; he can do as much work in one day with drill as he can by hand in six. He will drill from 12 to 15 holes. five feet deep. working in stope, which will break from 15 to 20 tons of muck. This is shot down by dynamite. and 1t will prove interesting to some persons to know that this dynamite, during the extreme cold weather. has to be thawed out in steam boxes Even down in the mines In the recent cold spell in case of mtss-shot,