Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-07-22
JOHN M'CONAGHY
TELLS OF STRIKE
Spent Two Winters In Tunnel and
Ran 700 Feet Before Cutting
the Rich Ore Chute


Sweepstakes Mining company. last
evening was sitting in the lobby of the
Mayer Hotel when interviewed by 2
reporter for the Independent. Mr. Nc.
Conaghy had just come in from Bull
lion on a little business.
lie says the strike in the Sweep.
stakes is genuine and gets bigger
every day. They have now run in
twenty feet on the ore chute and it
has widened from FIVE to seven feet.
The strike of the ledge Is north and
south for the diorite hanging wall.
But the lime footwall is veering off a
little TO the southeast, making the
vein sort of wedge shape.
Mr.. McConaghy says when he left
Ia come in they had out about fifty
tons OF ore in the bins and he expects
shipment went out today. They
haul, by motor truck, to Raines on
the narrow guage IL miles to the
west. The cost per ton is five dollars,
and the road is little hilly but fair.
ly good
As soon as he is in far enough to
cut station an upraise will be start
ed TO give ventilation and to make
stopping ground. The ledge stands at
about 50 degrees and the din Is to
the west. The upraise will be about
300 feet TO the old workings which
were down 81 feet.
Mr.. McConaghy is now in his third
year at Bullion. He first became in.
terested in the Sweepstakes through
his son-in- law. II. a. Kinney, who
had contract on the Nevada Bunker
Hill.
In the fall of 1913 Mr.. McConaghy
started work on the old Sweepstakes
tunnel which was in about 800 feet.
He ran 300 feet that winter Last
summer he worked near the surface
and took out and shipped 300 tons of
ore TO the United States smelter in
Salt Lake.
Last fall he again resumed work on
the tunnel and ran 400 feet more on
the contact before getting into the
ore chute. In fact he has followed
that contact for the last 700 feet. He
Will keep pushing the tunnel forward
until he determines the length of the
ore chute.
There is no water I'm the tunnel
Yet the ore is sulphide which is
generally found below the water level.
IL Is not quartz hut still il requires
pretty stiff drilling to knock down
the ore
Following the contact the tunnel
made rather crooked course. They
Will now 90 back and straighten IL
out. The waste and ore are brought
out in ore cars on an iron track. There
Is no vontilator as yet but the air has
been pretty good. But Mr.. McCon-
aghy is anxious to complete the up
raise as soon as possible to in
sure good air
TWO shifts are employed. The pres
cnt force of six men will be increased
just as Soon as there is room for more.
The ore wont grow in the mine and
the owners want to get il to market
just as SOON as they can.
Mr.. McConaghy is very modest but
he did not conceal the fact that he
considered he had opened up a great
mine. The ore carries eight per cent
copper and about ten dollars in silver.
making it, worth $i2 a ton.
But Mr.. McConaghy feels that the
big mine will be opened up when they
begin sinking. The present tunnel
level is about 800 feet underneath the
apex Of the hill and about $50 below
the outcrop of the vein. The lower
tunnel will cut about 100 feet deeper.
But 1t is only question of time un.
til deep shaft will be sunk. Then
we may look for record producer in
the Sweepstakes.
The Sweepstakes Is Incorporated for
100000 in one dollar shares. A ma.
jority Of the stock is held in Iowa.
The principal stockholders are G.. f..
Wells. n grocer of Chatsworth, Iowa !:
G. p. Brady, a banker; Boyson Ross.
a grain buyer, and J. G. Beck, cloth.
ing merchant, all of Akron. Iowa.
Mr.. McConaghy expects these Iowa
stockholders out about the first Of
September to inspect the mine.
All the supplies for the Sweepstakes
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