The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1914-04-16

gate contents Oh ABOUT S,ouo,oVo pounuS
of copper
The principal producers of this de-
slrable metal We're the SnoWstom
mine, above Mullan, IN Shoshone
county, the White Knob mine OF the
Empire Copper company at Mackay'
in Custer county and the Lost Packer
mine at Loon creek, also in Custer
county
Snowstorm Mine.
The SnoWstorm, situated at Larson,
three miles above Mullan, on the
south side of the Occur d'Alene river,
has been steadily operated during the
past 10 years with a total production
of something over ten million dollars,
of which million and a half have
been paid to the stockholders in the
form of dividends.
This deposit has been developed to
a depth of 100 feet through a series
of crosscut tunnels. 1t consists of a
big shoot Of finely disseminated cop
per carbonate ore in quartzite gangue
that has a maximum length of 700
feet has been mined from 10 to so
feet wide and contained average val
ues from to per cent copper with
about ounces Of silver to the unit
of copper and a little gold. In the
middle horizon of the development the
carbonate ore was replaced win
finely disseminated sulphides, con-
sisting Of chalcopyrite, bornite and
chalcocite.
At the No. tunnel level Of the
mine this ore body was cut Off by a
pronounced fault and has not yet been
recovered in spite of the expenditure
of large amount of development
funds through a long crosscut tunnel
500 feet deeper and extensive drifts
and crosscuts. However, a close
study Of the geological situation and
surroundings have induced the fur
ther search in the hope of recovering
this fine ore body below the fault
through shaft that has been sunk
from the No. tunnel to a depth OF
400 feet. where the vein has been
picked up and drifting is now in pro-
gress. Some little encouragement ana
ore showings have been found, but
what the result of this work may be
remains to be determined.
~ hppN
ed by the square set timber'ng ana
filling method and It's resources down
to the No. 5 fault are now pretty well
exhausted.
The ore occurs in a fine to coarsely
granular clean Revett quartzlte. II
shows quite decided footwall limit
with incpient assuring. but the min
eral impregnatcs the country rock of
the hanging wall and gradually fades
as it recedes from the footwall until
It becomes too low grade for profit
able treatment, at from 40 to 80 feet
in its maximum width. The operation
of this mine is in exceptionally efficient
hands and 1t Is safe to say that the
last pound of flesh in the way Of re-
source will be extracted before the
ore channel above No. 3 is abandoned
National and Other Copper Mines.
A line Of Interesting copper pros
poets have been undergoing develop
ment since the Snowstorm first came
into commercial prominence in the
tn
and among these properties Is the
Snowshoe, Immediately adjoining 1t to
the west, has developed a large and
interesting showing Of low grade ore
that promises results with further eX-
ploitation at greater depth.
The most flattering results or TINS
line Of deposits, however, Is that or the
National mine, one and one-quartcr
miles west of the Snowstorm, where
lot of preliminary development was
done through vertical shaft 400 feet
deep and several drifts on very pro-
nounced fault fssure which carried
some encouraging showings of ore,
The management Of this company
with a well founded faith in the ult'-
mate fertility of this strong vein UNI
dertook its development at greater
depth through crosscut tunnel driven
in from Dcadman'S gulch, which in
I,ercepted the vein at distance OF
4SOO feet in from the portal AFTER pc
ing driven through some OF the nSrd-
est formation ever encountered In fhH
district and at vertical depth under
the highest crest of the vein Of NOV
feet. At this horizon remarkably
fine ore body has been encountered
that is almost a duplicate of the
Snowstorm ore shoot, with probably q
little higher iron contents and wider
body, This great ore body has been
drifted on for several hundred feet
and crosscut several times showing a
fairly uniform width of 60 feet with
quite defined wall limits and average
values of from to per cent copper
and 2lh ounces in silver to each unit
of copper and about % cents In gold
per ton. A raise has been successfully
made through to the upper workings
for ventilation and convenience Of OPP
Grafton.
A new mill Of 500 tons daily capac-
ity has just been completed for the