Gunnison news-champion., 1915-09-17
REMARKABLE ORE DEPOSIT IT.
DOCTOR NINE IS EXPERT OPINION

"A very remarksbie ore deposit. =
Seems 10 be the universal verdict Of e<
pert mining men at the Doctor uine.
As development progresses and more
" learned about this astonishing find OF
rsd oxide Of zinc. the more remarkable
1t appears. At first Bo one knew any
thing Of the probable size Of the de
post. nor for that mstter Is this de
terminsd yet. for although twenty four
horse teams have heen haaling steadily
for TIVE months, with the daily ship.
msnt running around thirty tons there
is yet no bottom or sides 60 the zinc de
post There seems to be a top-the
surface wash-which Is being supported
BY timbers 0ger the immense stope or
quarry which runs some fifty feet wide
ninety feet lol,E. and eight feet deep.
bat with ends and sides still in ore. A
shaft has been sunk 90 feet. al in the
same uniform zinc-carbopate. that aver
ages around thirty five per cent zinc
and twenty per cent iron.
1t is now the intention of the man
aeement TO continue the shaft another
sixty-fve feet, making 125 feet in
depth. From point near the wagon
road lower down, a 500 foot tunnel viii
be run 90 intersect the shaft and afford
easier transportation a. well as drain
age to the mine. Ii is quite possible
the shaft may run out of the zinc de
posit. but no one has yet any idea
where il extends superintendent
Hohisei hopes TO have this Development
completed shortly after the first of the
year.
A curious feature of the ore is that il
contains practically no lead or silver.
Nothing but straight carbonate of zrne
and the iron, thus forming very de
sirable zinc ore, that is wonderfully
easy to treat at the smelters. Nothing
just like it has ever been discovered be-
fore in America. 1t will be remember
ed that the original discovery ct the
Doctor mine was Of sand carbonates of
which perhaps 800, 000. O0 worth were
shovelled into wheelbarrows from sur
face pockets. Considerable prospect
ing at that time discovered no other
pockets and no one dreamed that the
great ledge or mass of red stuff along
side was anything but hemette stained
country rock. However, as this coun-
try rock, now proven TO be high grade
zinc, is quarried and shipped, it is more
than probable that other pockets of the
rich sand carbonates cont lining silver
and lead will be uncovered. If so the
leasers, Messrs. Hohisel, Gilbert, Runtz
and Wolf will be twice lucky, as their
lease has four years yet to run
This ore is being sold to the Ameri-
can Steel and Wire Company of Pitts
burg, but is being marketed through
owners of the Smuggler mine at Aspen.
d. A, Bannick is representative of the
Smuggler people on the ground and is
located at Almont in charge of samp-
ling and weighing
The owner of the Doctor mine is the
Wicks Mining and Smelling Co. of
Youngstown, Ohio. a gentleman named
Nlcks being the principal stakeholder.
They have employed as their represen-
tstive, d. b. Myers, a well known min
ing engineer of the Pacific coast. Mr.
Myers has his headquarters at Los
Angeles, but has had wide experience
in California along the Alaskan coast
with the government geological survey,
and in the Hawaiian Islands. He is
very much interested in this unusual
ore deposit, and will remain for some
time actively Interested in its develop
ment. Geologically it may appear that
the deposit is gigantic replacement of
the lime.
At the mine. at Bogans' cabins, which
is the half way house for the teamsters,
and at the shipping switch at Almont.
things are being put in shape for a
winters campaign Of development and
steady output. This output can hardly
be increased much until the shaft and
tunnel above mentioned are completed,
but everyone is hopeful that they are
opening up one of the great big mines
of Colorado And not the least inter-
esting matter connected with this 10
the fact that from the Doctor mine 10
ltalian mountain and the head Of Taylor
river b . mineral territory which has
hardly bsen scf.scAeA - every foot q
vAich losks - pes0isiag - this soe
locality. he ioe fes1atioa I'D tie
sssfsce isdicseisns ere vesy sinilar -
those Of LeoAvilIe.