Weekly journal-miner., 1916-05-24
DEPTH NECESSARY ID MAKE MINES
 IN MOHAVE
O P E R A TORS REALIZE GOLD IS NOT TO BE FOUND BY SCRATCHING THE SURFACE.
(From Los Angeles Mining Bureau)

NTiOLn AOo aiSciCS huhIiS DuI eau
 OATMAN, Ariz., May 1S.-Th, , next ninety days promises to be tn, most important like number of day! in the history of the Oatman district Several great mines have been de velopei in this district The mos notable are the Gold Roads mine owned by the United States Smelling and Refining Company, and the Ton . Reed mine, which, combined, nave during the last few years paid more than S5,0O0,OO0 in profits. The next is the United Eastern which, although not having as yet milled any ore
 boasts of ore reserves conservatively estimated to be worth more than Sll 900, 900 gross. This ore is held in enormous lodes of from Is to 40 feet wide with average values ranging from Sl0 to S75 per ton. The Pioneer property, some two miles to the southeast of the United Eastern is said to have more than S500,000 worth of splendid mill grade ore blocked out. The Gold Ore mine. lying about three-ouarters of a mile to the northeast of the Gold Roads main workings. has developed into a mine, the importance of which Is not well understood by the average public. This property is steadily milling from | 25 to 5 tons of ore per day in the Gold Roads mill. and it is stated by the officials of the company that the average extraction is better than S25 per ton. The Big Jim Company ad- joining and lying between two of the principal workings of the Tom Reed Company. has on the 400 and on the ! 4S5-foot levels opened a shoot Of commercial ore which averages more than 5 feet in width. and which con tains average values ranging from S.44 to $50 per ton. Drifting opera tions now in progress in these two levels indicate that foot for foot the Big Jim will be as great property as the United Eastern or the Tom Reed. Its acreage is much smaller. however, than the acreage of the other two companies.
 In the Boundary Cone, Carter and Times properties. covering very wide range of territory, commercial ore has been exposed on one level. and operations now under way are with a view of exploring the down ward continuation Of their ore shoots. Depth seems to be necessary in the Oatman district. It has been found that depths ranging between 800 and GOO feet must be attained before per manent bodies Of ore of commercial grade may be expected. This varia- ton is due to variations in geological and typographical elevations caused by the rapid and extensive erosion which has taken place in the very rugged and precipitous territory em- braced within the Oatman district. To sink shafts to these depths and to do the requisite crosScutting and drifting to encounter ore bodies re- ouires much time and expense. Prac- tically all of the operators in the dis trict have the SC0 or 600foot point in depth as their objective. Most oil these properties were not able to be- gin development with machinery equipment until late in 1915. In this district it usually requires three or four months to sink and complete a shaft to the 5O0-foot point
 At this time number of properties have reached their objective point in depth, and arc now engaged in later al work which may bring them into commercial ore anywhere from one to % days. The properties to which this principally applies are the Dat man Gold Mining & Milling Com pany. Fessenden Company, Ivanhoe Consolidated Company. Boundary Cone Company, United Western Company. Black Range Company. Arizona Tom Reed Company. Lucky Boy Company. and the Gold Range Company. Tine two last named com Danies are still sinking, but are near ing the 400-foot point, and geological and mineralogical conditions are such as to lead the operators to believe that they will be justified in cross cutting on their 400-foot levels.
 News of extreme importance from the Oatman district may be expected at any time from the Fessenden, Unit ed Western. Ivanhoc. Oatman Gold Mining & Milling, Black Range or Lucky Sam properties. The other properties named will probably re- uuire a little longer time than some or tne last ndlnGu plOpClllta- HS Lucky Sam. although down less than 300 feet, seems to be in line for an important discovery oi ore at any time. It is sinking an incline shaft on a cross-hssure which connects its two main veins. and for some time the shaft has been in low grade commer- cial ore At this time a high grade streak is beginning to develop on the foot-wall of the vein, and indications are that this may develop into some | thing of very great importance
 Other shafts which arc at this time penetrating low grade commercial orI are the Gold Range. Arizona Gold | Star. Telluride and Tom Reed Junior. | It. is also stated that the shaft of the | Oatman Amalgamated Company is cutting low grade ore Of commercial value. ]. T. Burns is in active chargc | of the development work in ti;is prop | erty. which was recently reported up on very favorablv and at great length | by Engineer Etienne \. Ritter, oi Cripple Creek. Colo.
 The 40-horse power hoist of the | Oatman United Mines Company Is now being installed. and the balance