The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1913-05-01
PLACER AND QUARTZ MINING, BOISE COUNTY
ONE Of |OAHOS GREATEST GOLD PRODUCERS
SUCCESSFUL DREDGING DEEP PLACER oRouNo-mUcH GOLD
METHOD
SOME SILVER PRODUCT ALSO


Boise county has probably been NOR
than that Of any other county in Ida
no except Sh0shone. Boise Basin,
as the early mining section wa
known, was in some respects mos
remarkable camp. II was called "th'
best poor mans camp in the west,
for the reasons that natural condi
tions for mining were so near ideal. Il
was extensive in area and long lived
and while the big fortunes were not
so numerous, II Is said that greater
number Of men made comfortable
stakes than In any other placer camp
Aside from It's production of gold, both
placer and quartz, the county has a
considerable record for silver output
especially from the old Banner mine.
lGditor).
The most conspicuous mining feat
ure in Boise county during the past
year has continued to be that Of the
Boston Idaho Gold Dredging company
on Moores creek, near Idaho city.
whose two splendid electrically driven
dredges, with a combined capacity Of
over 10000 cubic yards per day have
continued In steady operation through
out the year, including the winter sea
son, They completely eat up and turn
over the deep gravel beds of Moores
creek from rim to rim, and are maxi
Ing record for economy Of opera
ton and yardage handled that will
compare favorably with the best re-
suits obtained anywhere In the placer
mining world.
These great machines are working
in ground from 90 to 40 feet deep, @
good deal of which is the tailngs
washed down from the adjacent high
bar hydraulic operations. While the
ground is comparatively low grade
the enormous amount of material
handled pays a good profit and aptly
illustrates the necessity of large cap
ital risk in mining ventures Of this
kind This enterprise has involved
the outlay Of hundreds of thousands
Of dollars and will ultimately not on
~ repay the investment but will evil
IDENTIFY net very handsome returns be- /
fore the extensive area of ground |
owned by the company has been ex
hausted
Grimes Creek Placers.
There still remains hundreds of
acres of main creek bottom gravel de-
oosits on Grimes creek and it's tribu
aries in Boise basin, in the vicinity of
1enterville and Placerville. which car
,e handled with equal facility as the
ground now being turned over at Ida
10 City If equipped in the same mod
m manner and this territory has re-
emily been looked over with a view
o purchase by the agents of prom
nent California dredging company
'ho are favorably impressed with the
ituation for big dredging enterprise
t this point in the basin. If deal
esuts for the transfer of the prop
rty it is very likely to duplicate the
quipment of the Boston Idaho com
any.
The extensive high bar gravel de- {
osits and hydraulic operation ad {
,ining the dredge company's terri I
,ry at Idaho City and now owned b.
ne Boise Basin Improvement com. 6
any, were successfully operated dur ,
liz the piping season of 1912. uude, t
~ In la
it'll additional development and i'm {
rovement added to the plant after Il
le mining operations ceased, this en-
rprise is now in shape to make a, :
creased output of gold next year anG !
: extensive virgin resources warrant u
e anticipation that this propert,
III continue to make an important
lnual output Of precious bullion In, ,
Il
Deep Channel Deposits. u
Another great placer resource in the t,
entity of Placervile that presents at =
active engineering possibilities wor
y Of serious consideration IS thu W
I channel deposits represented h, u
g general claim titles of the Halley II
nch. the Leary and Reed diggings 9,
These are ancient river channel de. q
sits that cross the present drainage Il
stem of the basin and presents + b,
Rod of erosion when the Payett' &C
'er ran across these present tribu' Il
~ stream courses. n
These great deposits of gravel arr y
Their compact in their upper hort II
rs and represent banks of materia u
I'M 80 to 125 feet deep containins h
atlNely high values per cubic yard
thentically reported from test
afts and hydraulic operations from @,
cents to so cents per cubic yard 70
It it would seem might stand addi- sh
nal handling cost and vet leave = te-
ndsome margin of profit for their lite
atment. Their upper horizons are
atively low grade and rather COM IS
T, with layers of shaIe. which might pr
removed by big traction steam sh
wells of the Panama type leavins m:
lower horizons in which tho built en-,
the vaulcs Of the deposit are CON Inc
ned more susceptible of digging
h heavy dredging machinery of the sa
iting type that could then reach an
rock. where the best pay lies. ea
'hese old channel deposits, owing
their immense yardage and their co..
ltively high values per cubic yard le,