The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-02-06
VIEWS OF A MINING MAN
J. L. Harper Writes Enter
tainingly ON His Impression
OF Okanogan County
AND ITS MINERAL SH0W|NCS
An Outline OF His Plans In the
Future Development of
the Golden Chariot

Mention has been made in these col
| umns OF the purchase by j. l.. Harper,
the Republic mining operator, of the
Golden Chariot property, on Kruger
mountain, and the beginning OF CAM
paIgn OF development that from the
plans OF procedure justifies the ex-
pectations OF the making OF real
Alne. in communication to this
paper Mr.. Harper takes the public
into his confidence, and while stating
what his intentions are regarding the
working OF the Chariot, gives his views
III general of the mining prospects In
OkanOgan county and the methods of
mining that promise the best results.
Coming from man familiar with the
mineral and mining conditions in the
northwest, and who bases his views
upon the best course to pursue in
opening II e from long and actual
experience, MI. Harper's letter will be
read with a great deal of interest by
claim holders and those interested In
mining i'll this part of the state.
The initial work at the Golden
Chariot mine is taking the form of
learning the ground and the best meth
DDS to be employed in opening and
extracting the ore. We find that un-
usual methods may be successfully
used in breaking the ore. While the
ore occurs along well defined zones
Of fracture and is persistent longi-
tudinally and with depth SO far as de-
Velopment has progressed the ore lens
es are enclosed in soft serpentine and
vein tll1inU w.
cent. OF the vein is chalcopyrite or
@eil-burdened quartz, the balance be-
ing the softer formation mentioned.
There appears little or no ore sus-
cepuble of profitable concentration.
refer to this because it has been
suggested that concentration is the
solution Of the Oroyille problem"
Every camp has its problem" but
Lnere seems to be an entire absence
OF one so far at least as concerns ore
development on Kruger mountain.
The concentration" we shall employ
viii consist of breaking the ore lenses
separate from the waste. To do this
we are already putting in practice
some novel methods, burning our
powder chiefly in the softer serpentine,
letting down the ore lenses as q sop
arate product. We will start the
movement of ore this week and as
rapidly as new ground can be opened
tor stOping will increase the force and
output, While we do not by any means
subscribe to the prospector's belief
that vein always gets better as It
goes down, there is really every evil
dence to conclude that greater depth
will show better results at the Golden
Chariot, and this conclusion applies
to the entire Kruger mountain zone
Holding to this belief we shall equip
the mine with facilities to 60 to the
thousand foot level by early summer,
i the meantime crowding Longitude
raj development ON levels above. Ore
viii be shipped as rapidly as possible
| have no patience with the practice
OF putting money into ore reserves
and then when face to face with the
task OF mine operation, sitting down
Like MicaWber while waiting for
something to turn up"
have been looking over part of
Okanogan county and have learned at
tirst hand that it possesses by far
more mineral wealth than any other
mining county OF the state. 1t has had
more development money by countless
thousands OF dollars than any other
county Yet in fact and according to
the government reports, it is far down
the list in its mineral output. Ferry
county, with only about one-tenth of
The potential mineral showing of Okla
hogan county is producing 75 per
cent. of the states output of precious
metals. | am surprised at the deep
hold the long tunnel habit has on Okla
rogan county. l have participated
in both succe es and failures l may
be pardoned for criticizing what to
me appears the chief element of mine
failure in Okanogan county. Few long
t. nnels are ever justified. Economic
ming has outlaWed them, mainly for
the tremendous risk of picking up tho
ore body which always has its rake"
as well as dip, and in large part for
the reason that a ton of ore can be
lifted vertically or on incline out of
a thousand foot shaft at less ton cost
than it can be trammed out of a
thousand foot tuneel. What a story of
happy results Okanogan county could
tell If its numerous long tunnels were
cut up into workings along the ore
bodies! No mining practice has ever
improved on the prospector's practice
OF following" the ore. Friend Fisher
up at the Di' 1end mine is consistent
ly following this practice and he ia
getting the results. 1t Is the ore out
OF the mine on it's way to the smelter
that counts and that puts a camp or
district into the mining column"