White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-15
TAMARACK HAS DEEPEST
SHAFT IN THE WORLD

In the course OF some professional
work I have just had an opportunity
OF going into what is probably the
deepest underground workings in the
world. if We except n central sec
tion of the Simplon tunnel. which, |
believe. is some 5000 or 5000 feet
below the summit of the Alps. To
the Tamarack mine. now practically
a subsidiary of the Calmet x Hecla
Mining company, belongs the credit
of having the deepest underground
workings from which mineral is be-
ing extracted. NO. > shaft crosses
the Calumet conglomerate at a depth
of $500 feet. measured from the col
lar of the shaft. and is now down to
a depth of 5273.5 feet, ii having at
that depth cut the Oseeoia amiga
loid and passed through il. II is in
~teresting TO note that at the upper
portion of this looe considerable
native copper was found. In a short
time this shaft will be extended at
least ten feet farther. in the cutting
out of a stump, thus making 1t over a
mile in depth.
No. 3 shaft of tAe Tamarack has
been sunk 10 a depth of 5222 feet.
The collar of this shaft. however. is
thirty-one feet higher than hat of No
.. This No. 3 shaft crosses the Cal
umet conglomerate at about 1850
feet. At the so-called eighteenth
level. a erosscut driven 500 feet 10
the west. reached the lode at a verti-
cal depth of 51S1 feet. from which
point a slope has been sunk 800 feet
TO the t~wenty-frst level, below which
there is a stump of seven feet. The
bottom of this incline Is 1868 feet be-
low the collar of No. 3 Tamaraek
shaft. measured vertically. The Cal
umet conglomerate dips at an angle
of approximately 3o agrees 10 the
west, so that, measured on the In
cline. this point IS very nearly 5000
feet from the outcrop. At this point
the lode looks fairly good. and is
ton and treatment.
The longest incline shaft in the
Lake Superior copper country is No.
4 Calumet shaft of the Calumet &
Hecla Mining company. which is
down to the e~ighty-irst level. this be-
ing approximately a distance OF s100
feet along the slope, at an incline of
about IS degrees. As showing the
strong belief as TO the persistence of
the various lodes in Lake Superior in
depth. and the possibilities of eXtrae-
ting copper at a profit. the Quincy
Mining company has lately purehas-
ed. for $500. 600. from the Canal
company. a tract of land lying 10 the
west of its own property. and which
viii not be reached by its present
workings until they are at least =
coo feet in depth, measured on the
slope.
When ii comes to hosting ropes 1t
is impossible 10 keep the same high
factor OF safety as in shallower mines
this factor being often reduced TO
80. This. however. has led 10 no
serious consequences other than that
of some increased expense because of
the necessity of more frequent chang
ing Of the ropes. so as not TO keep
them too long in service.
There is, of course. a gradual de-
erease in copper contents OF the rock
as depth is attained, which has been
made up for by increased efficiency
and improved methods. Ii is a fact
in biology that no organism develops
beyond the needs of its immediate
environment. and il Is plain 10 see
that this same rule exists in mining.
j. Parke Claiming in the Mining
and Scientific Press.