El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-25

! there is really no telling how large the
! Gastineau ore body is.
| Tunnels Cut 1000 Feet.
The outcropping OF the mine begin
I at a half mile or more above the sea
! level and tunnels have been cut at in
| tervals from there down to 1000 feet.
! The mines have been further prospect
! ed by diamond drills and by shafts and
/ cross-cuts. so that its owners should
know pretty well what they have.
All this has cost millions. Fortunes
were put into the property before IT
came into the hands Of the present
owners, and they have spent millions
more in installing machinery that Will
do the work at the least possible cost,
and in the institution Of a hydro-elec-
trio plant situated 10 miles away,
which gives them 5000 horsepower.
Nearly all the work of the mines and
the mills is done by electricity, and II
is the dropping Of the water on the tur
bines 10 miles away that gives the
force that is now dragging this gold
from the earth, and changing it into
the great yellow bricks which go to
the mint
Is Mountain OF Gold.
But come with me and take look at
this mountain OF gold, whose treasures
electricity and its helpers the sooty
faced miners, are bringing forth to the
light Of the sun. We take the motor
car stage at Juneau and fly over the
city We wind around under the
mountains in fun sight of the Tread
well mines across the channel over the
way. and at the end of three miles
come Thane. where are the offices and
homes of those who manager the great
milling plans and reduction works Of
the property. We can see the mills 200
feet above US on the sides Of the
mountain. They seem to grow out Of
the rocks extending for A long dis
shines that gravity
ca, ries the ore through one process
after another.
The offices are right on the sea The
mines themselves are three miles back
in the mountains. They begin about
$500 feet above where we are now, and
we are hauled up by cable to visit
them. Our car is an open platform on
wheels. with a wall al the lower end to
keep us from falling or sliding, as the
car climbs the track The road has a
80 per cent grade. and the way is al
most straight up the side Of a cliff Gov
cred with forests
Unique Private Car.
At the end Of the cable We meet what
might be called the private car Of the
managers. It is a steel box upon wheels
with open doors at the sides and seats
under cover. 1t is equipped with a stOr-
age battery, and is so small that it can
90 anywhere throughout the mine. IN
IL we ride around the side Of the noun
tain. We fly through n canyon and en-
ter a tunnel. which is two miles in
length and 1000 feet below the snow
clad peaks overhead. It is through
this tunnel that the ore goes in trains
to the mills.
The tunnel is cut right through the
ore. and there is an ore body 1000 feet
thick overhead. There are other tun-
nels at various levels and the chutes
are so cut that ore from all Of these
levels can be dropped into the cars far
below.
The tunnel is so large that a Pullman
train could go through it without
scratching the paint. It is lighted by
incandescent lamps which hang down
from above. 1t has a double track so
that continuous trains Of cars can move
back and forth at the same time. All
OF the hauling is done by electricity.
In this main tunnel the cars work upon
trolleys The other tunnels are smaller
and there the ore cars are hauled BY
storage battery engines, in order TO
keep the miners from touching the live
wires.
Electric Ore Trains.
We get off and stand at one side as
an ore train comes laundering along.
IT is drawn by a powerful electric en-
CINE. The train consists Of rs steel |