The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-01-02
MERCER MINES To
SINK NEW SHAFT 7
Preliminary Work Is Well in
Hand at Deep Mine OF
Goldtield.
GOOD PROGRESS MADE
Nothing Known Yet of the
Florence Mill or Mine
Situation.
PROGRESS MADE
Special TO The Tribune

Special TO The Tribune
GOLrFIELD. New. Jan I.--By the
middle of the first week in January the
work ot enIarging the 81. Ives shaft OF
the tioldficld Merger Mines company Will
have been completed. aud all will be In
readiness 10 begin sinking from the pres
cnt bottom OF the shaft. q depth Of 40
fert This work OF enlarGins the shaft
has heen done in sections in order 10 ex-
pedite its completion. Tho third COM
partment was started on the 35o-toot
level. and the compartment was broken
ont by raising TO the next station. The
surface was reached n short time ago.
and connection viii be made from the
bottom 10 the S5o-foot level within few
days.
Manager Meixeer in charge of the
Merger conpaDr's operations. Is giving
employment Ia every man Tho can he
used to advantage. and progress has been
far more rapid than was al first eH-
pected. While the present plant With
its i0~horsepower electric hoist. is OF
ample capacity for sinking tn consid
cradle distance, Il Is probable that the
new hoisiing engine and compressor. the
most powerful and modern In type IN this
part Of the country, and the new s0-foot
steel head franc. viii nc installed az an
early date in order TO make all possible
speed In sinking and 10 avoid the neces-
the work In the big shaft is we'll under
wny and z larger force OF men H. en-
nloyed underground.
Work Is Mapper Out.
The work OF the Merger company is now
mapped out for a long time to come. and
from the operations unless the shaft
should penetrate an orc body of good
character in the course of its downward
nrozress The companv which Is con
II y. tl,..
psny. OF which !. Ross Clark. brother OF
ex-senator w a. Clark of Montana, Is
president is amply financed for Its work
and large SUM Of money is IN the bank
1T the disposal OF the management Con-
crete foundations. upon which the hoist,
head frame and entire surface plant will
pleted and settled sufficiently before the
coming OF cold weather To Insure their
stability and safety from damage by
freezing and cracking. The manager is
the buildings about the shat, arc com
pletc In every detail, and are situated at
points along the line OF. thc spur rail-
road, which has been extended 10 the
workings from The main line of the Las
Vegas & Tonopah railroad. the southern
Nevada branch Of the Clark railroad sys-
TEN.
Regarding the future policy Of the
Florence Cioldheld Mining company, the
public Mil hc forced 10 remain in the
dsrk until such time as the final report
reached the directors OF the company and
they are enabled 10 determine in lust
what degree they are To be reimburseJ
for the loss of their io-starnp mtll be fire
on December =. An sdjustcr and a valu-
or, representing tho Underwriters assocl-
alton ~ san Francisco. have been hero
examining the wreck OF the plant. but ss
Not their report has not been made pub
lie, nor have the directors OF the Flor
ence company any nkling OF its con-
tents. 1t is believed. however. by all
who are interested, that the report viii
pronounce the mill to he total loss
No Definite Figures.
Neither A. .. Parker. president OF the
Florence company. nor T. G. Lockhart.
lis vice president. would give out any
definite figures Of the amount OF insur-
ance carried by tho company. further
OF MIR. Parker. that the plant was amply
covered by insurance epd the intlmatlon
that the loss 10 the company would be
was all placed by Mr.. Parker in san
Francisco and up To the time OF MI
Parkcrs arrival here Mr.. Lockhart and
others interested in the company denied
The amount of Insurance carried by the
company. Mr.. Lockhart. however. ad-
Initted that the plant was probably n to-
tai loss and stated that the company's
books showed that the min strlctire
proper and lis contents cost the com
rany about st32,00o. The mill and store
loube were Inc only buildings dcStroye ed.
Work Is Proceeding.
Development work is again in progress
OF the Florence. The hcadrrame from
the old Hall Florencs lease shaft has
been Installed over the main shaft and
Tho electric hoist and compressor with
tho automatic skips, are again IN opera
lion. Five sets of timbers were burned
IN the top OF the main shaft and these
nave been replaced with now tinbcr.
Sixty feet Of water had collected In the
main shaft which is over $50 feet deep.
and this has been removed hy bailiuS ic
The eighth or o3o-foot level, with the aid
"t supplementary electric hoist In
stalled on that level. and thence pump
Ing Il TO the surface
The superintendent oc the mine. D r.
Dewey. states that the plans earlier
mapped out for the development OF the
property will 10 carried out without in
terrup'ton. st least for the present, Lat
nral work continues on the $50, 650 and
500 levels and the shaft will be contin-
ued 20 1860 feet, in order TO open stump
Of large proportions before driving on
The looo-foot level, where the principal
development Will ho confined. No sta
lion VIII be cat al present on the 300
loot level but the imbcrs are so framed
that this station can be easily cut al
later date il found desirable,