The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1916-12-29
A TIMELY PRESENT.
First Payment on the Tungsten Mine
Received Few Days Before
Christmas.

| Herbert Curtis, the original locator
of the tungsten claims situated high up
in the mountains west of Looms, and
only about mile south Of the interna-
ional boundary line, spent the week In
IOroville taxing rest and inciden-
tally having dental work done. Mr..
lCurtis has good and sufficient reasons
for feeling that to HUN this was roal
merry Christmas, as a few days be-
fore that date the company that pur-
chased the tungsten CLAIMS, about
year ago, handed over the first pay
mont on the contract. That is to say,
for the first time Mr.. Curtis had
chance to finger his sharc CT the re-
Iceipts, for the payment had besn de-
posted according to contract in the
bank at Loomis in October, but owing
to hitches that need not be explained,
some created by individuals who
thought they say chance to get hold
OF chunk Of real money. the transfer
Of the cash was held up until this date.
All Is we'll that ends we'll, and at last
the man who earned the money by ten
years of waiting and many hardships
has received the first installment Of his
Just reward.
The discovery of this tungsten de-
posit Is further evidence that this up
per country Is not ,1ly rich in the
common metals Of commerce., but con-
tains rare minerals that exist in only
a few localities in the country. This
rather rare mineral was discovered by
Mr.. Curtis some ten years ago. A COM
pany was organized at that time to
promote the property, but that COM
pany went the way Of so many other
mining companies in this county. The
ground was afterwards relocated by
Mr.. Curtis, or at least through means
by which Mr.. Curtis obtained an in
lterest. During the following years Mr..
Curtis and his associates continued do
ing the assessment work. A number of
prospective investors examined the
property and were we'll satisfied with
the showing, but owing to the inacces-
l. sible location, high up In the noun
tains and remote from transportation.
no one was able to interest capital in
the proposition. After the European
lwar broke c1t, and tho destruction OF
metals became enormous, tungsten,
like other metals, took on an abnor-
,mal value. Seattle men took over the
claims about year ago. At heavy ex-
Ipense and labor machinery was hauled
Ito the mine from Loomis, large force
of men employed, much development
work done and some ore and subse-
quently concentrates shipped out. AS
has been so often the case In mining
Operations in this county serious and
Expensive mistakes were made, entail
ing unnecessary costs upon those who
supplied the sinews, at least so the re-
|port goes. AS an instance, two large
boilers have been laboriously trans
ported to the mine and neither of them
produced the power expected. A
mill is erected on the ground and
numerous buildings for the accommo-
dalton Of the men have been put up.
The work and improvements represent
the expenditure of many thousands Of
dollars. So far, the concentrates ship
value approximately of about 100000.
1.-The ore Is there in large and paying
Quantities and when the mine is prop
|erly equipped and producing 1t will un-
doubtedly pay the operators, and pay
Them we'll.
Owing to the location the extraction,
milling and transportation Of the pro-
duct is always going to be expensive.
but the ore runs strong In tungsten.
land this metal always commands a
thigh price and will continue to do so
for long time in the future as the Wis
ible supply is not greater than the de-
Imand. Unfortunately the location is a
draw back and has discouraged pros
Ipective investors in the past. The
lclaims are at an altitude Of between
lsix and seven thousand feet, snow falls
Ito great depth in the winter, and
There are only two or thre months in
tho year when the ground is bare. 1t
lis 40 miles northwest of Lomis and 81
lmiles from Keremeos, B. c. With much
difficulty and expense, road was con-
Istructed from Loomis up Toats coula
Icreek to The mine. Last fall consider
liable work was done on road from the
lmine to Asnola creek, and while the
lgrade is heavy in places 1t is said
THAT very good road can be made, and
1.-THE reduction in distance to transporta-
tion is a great attraction to the opera
TORS. Work has been suspended at the
mine for the winter, but it is the inten-
ltion of the company to put on full
|force and renew operations on large
Iscale in the spring.