The Elk Mountain pilot., 1912-05-05

mere Is DTodDlN iio iiiiiiii5 ''u''
trv in the world where deep mining
is carried with greater success and
benefits derived by the method of
tunnel driving than is now witness
ed in nearly every mining camp in
Colorado. The Cripple Creek Dis
trict is the most noted example
where the life of the old camp has
been rccussiated and prolonged three
times sucessivcly by three different
long distance tunnels that were dri-
ven into the mineral bearing noun
tains there from feasible points near
their base which would give the low
est depth possible to cut into the
mineral veins and drain the mines
to the lowest depth. Tn, Cripple
Creek Tunnel was the first driven
whose site was located on the north
side of the creek about half a mile
above town was projected several
thousand feet under Gold hill and
cutting all veins of this mountain
about five hundred feet below their
apex, ventilleating and draining all
the mines to this depth rs also doing
away with hoisting the orc which
WAS trained out and dumped in
bins at the tunnel portal. The sec
ond tunnel was driven from the foot
of Beacon hill about four hundred
feet below its summit and continued
onward under Bull hill cutting be-
/, low its apex about six hundred feet
. this drained all the mines * tho
district to the tunnel level and fur
nised ventilation but was never
used AS Il transportation tunnel.
! This second bore enabled the mines
to continue working for ten years
longer when it was seen that nearly
all had taken their ore out down to
the lowest tunnel level and another
drainage tunnel was necessary to en-
able continued sinking and opcrat-
ing ut profit. 1t was found that
the next tunnel would have to be
driven twice the distance of the Sec
ond, require Il million dollars to
project and several years for COM
pleting. The long bore was finished
last year and old mines are now all
drained to their bottom level at n
depth i'll some instances of fifteen
hundred feet below the vein apex
on the mountain submits. The
Cripple Creek district is thus reIuvc
mated and producing larger tonn-
age of ore than ever before and
good for another twenty years OF
heavy output owing to the fact that
it has been possible to drain the cn-
tire district by this one long dista-
nee bore called the Roosevelt tun-
mel which was projected by owners
in the district. The Ncwhousc tunnel
at Idaho Springs is one of the Oldest
and longest tunnels in the state and
is really the one proposition that
has kept that mining district on its
feet and going for many years past.
The long bore las cut dozens of rich !
veins in its five miles OF extent and
many.thousands of tons OF ore took
from its portals to-day that could
not be mined through shafts sunk |
from one to thousand feet to reach I
this ore which would need other |
wise to be hoisted to the surface and .
the mines kept dry by pumping.
Nearly all the old mining camps .
in the state have where possible, !
driven tunnels into the foot OF their ,
mineralizcd mountains and are min
ing orc from the bottom of their
veins instead OF going up on the
mountain tops and sinking shafts
down and hoisting the ore up and
then having to pack or tram 1t
down the mountain.
There is no mining section in the
state that furnishes better crpcrtu-