Mohave County miner., 1912-09-28
Utah Metal Mining.

Work on the Big Tunnel of the Utah Metal company in Bingham is pushing along for the purpose of fin ishing it by the latter part of this year. The distance from the Tooele portal to the east face is over TOO feet. From the Bingham portal to the west face it is over 1900 feet. About 1900 feet remain to be bored. The work has made a record for de- spatch and low cost, says the Bingham Press. Bulletin. The average cost per foot for the current year is POS. This includes equipment of heavy rails, air pipes. wires for lighting, power and telephone. so that when the last foot is done the tunnel will be ready for use. So far as known, this is the low. est cost ever attained in driving tun. mel of the size of this one through rock, Since January. 1910, there has been constructed nearly 5000 feet, all of which is 10 feet wide and eight feet in height, One single tract of heavy rails has been laid throughout this length, with switches and sidings every 800 feet. There is ample space for double. tracking should it ever be- come desirable. Since September last work has been carried on at both ends, which has 'naterlally increased pro- gress. When the tunnel is completed it will have ample capacity for trans. porting all the Utah Metal company's ore as well as very large tonnage from neighboring mines. The tunnel will furnish. too. the shortest and most di- rect route to the International smelter in the Tooele valley, one of the largest custom smelters in Utah.
 Outside of long and circuitous route of about p to 30 miles, the only means at present available for carry ing ore from the Bingham district to the International shelter is by way of the wire U am owned and operated by the Utah Consolidated company, over the mountains at height of over 10000 feet above sea level. This means of transportation is necessarily limited and at times uncertain.
 The big tunnel, being only two miles in length with it's Tooele portal less than five miles from the International shelter and with ample capacity, will furnish the readiest and lowest cost transportation facilities to all its neighboring producing mines like the Utah Copper. Utah, Apex, Bingham New Haven, Tampa and many others Besides this, it will solve the problem of disposing of waste by the Bingham properties, which is now one of the most pressing ones in that region, be- cause on the Tooele side of the moun- tain the company has plenty of room for all waste besides having a uoe for it in building reservoirs, roadways and filling.
 The company already has several contracts offered for supplying water to local mining companies, as well as the city of Bingham, and it has made contracts for transportation of ore and waste as soon as the tunnel is com pleted. It's supply of water has been more than abundant for operations this season on account of the develop ment of the sources of water on the company's land in Middle canyon on the Tooele side. This supply is inde. pendent of the water from the tunnel, which latter is available for supplying demands on the Bingham side, while the water on the Tooele side is avail able for power and concentrating uses.
 Beginning in May last large de- post of pulverized quartzi,e was en- countered, out of which the tunnel is just now emerging. This body of quartzite is considered by the geolo- gists to indicate large fault or slip cutting off the stringers of ore, which had previously been found, from large body on the other side of the fault. As soon as the tunnel reaches the contact from the Tooele end, drift. ing will be prosecuted both east and west.