The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1911-09-04

vi sent III from ShOoStN hlltn bN steve
O'Neil who has lease the Center
Star lode owned by Herschberger & Buell. The
cleanup Indicated that the ore had run nearly
>1oo to the ton The ore was taken from four
foot ledge in which the ore shoot varies from s 10
- inches the balance of the filling showing values
indicating that the whole content would mill about
$50
The Center Star claim parallels the smaller
branch of Skoogey gulch which flows in easterly
direction South of it is a porphyritic dyke. be
yand which lies a dyke OF gray fine grain granite,
with another porphyritic dyke beyond. All these in
trusions are believed to have east and west
strike. as the opposite ridge of Twin shows an
extension of the gray granite. Members of the
United States Geological Survey several years ago
paid particular attention to this part of the district
and youchsafed the opinion that these gneous in
trusions might be sufficiently mineralized to make
the working of the claims highly profitable
The Center Star was staked August 10th,
1908. by Herschberger 4 Buell., who. in the course
of their prospecting. found very rich strlnger,
about Two inches wide, above the wagon road on
the right limit of Skoogey Gulch. They sank TO a
depth of II feet. and found the stringer had Wild
eued to inches. the being shot with Tree
gold. The property was then bonded to Whitman,
Murray < Madden who started a tunnel into the
hillside 125 feet up the valley from the first
prospect holes. the object being gain depth on
the vein. After having driven the tunnel for dis
OF $50 feet he rich vein sh 1Wn on the sur
face was encountered They here found four foot
ledge Of porphyritic quartz Al this point a
cover" of 100 feet had been attained. Assays tax
en- along the entire face OF the tunnel showed an
average of $l65 the ton The ledge stands al
most vertical dipping if anything to the north,
while the strike is but a degree or two to the
northeast That the lode continues in its easterly
and tarlV n length
the claim was demonstrated by later work done by
Dan Mcclure on the claim above, and by Leonard
Dodge on the claim adjoining the Twin creek
side this work indicating that the vein is at least
1900 feet long.
wnze was dropped the end of the main
tunnel and at a depth of Go feet crosscut OF 40
feet was put in, the ledge being found to be of
the same size and character as indicated in the
tunnel The values all in free gold and
showed 1920 to the ton.
Encounterng some trouble from water, and a
large placer proposition offering, the bonders OF
the property decided to suspend work there for
time A lease was then taken by Steve O'Nei in
September 1910 and since that time, alone and
unaided he has driven 275 feet of tunnel and
sunk 90 feet of shaft Mr.. O'Neill started his tun-
mel down hill from the Whitman & Murray work
ngs. After driving in distance of so feet he tap
ped the old Whitman & Murray shaft. He then
started and struck the ledge 100 feet
in. He then swung and the ledge. which,
indicated in the Whitman & Murray workings,
he has found average feet between walls, the
shoot being about 10 inches. This shoot will
go about 500 the and it is estimated that
the whole content of the vein will mill $50
Mr.. ONeill is old hard rock miner who has
tackled nearly every camp from the isthmus up.
He mining in Nevada as early as 70. Coming
to Fairbanks in 1904 he has spent of his time
in prospecting in the hills, feeling certain that
quartz III paying quantities would time be
uncovered He ii who took the first quartz
gold of the Tanana, three of which,
A. Y. p. exposition Seattle Most of the work
that he has far done on the Center Star prop
erty has necessarily been dead work, but he now
proposes commence stopping and will probably
be in position make considerable shipment
in a short time.