The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-07-07
OATMAN TO USE
DIAMOND DRILLS
WIDE SCOPE OF WORK Is INDI-
GATED BY REVIEW OF
NETVS
Special to Tribune

VA AN. Eihl Inv
drill as a means of exploring mining
property is about to be given an ex-
tensive test in the Oatman district.
For some reason this method has
never been looked upon with favor
by the engineers and mining men OF
the gold camp. While admitting the
speed and economy of the diamond
drill, the local companies have held
that shaft sinking. tunneling and
prosecuting was the only practical
way for opening I'D u vein system.
The Santa Gertrudis corporation
used diamond drills to prospect the
Moss vein and their two holes both
showed excellent cores, a~ffording &C
curate data as to the width and char
acter of the great Moss vein.
Diamond drills will be tried on
two important properties within the
next few months. At the Telluride
j. l.. McIver will use some form of
diamond drill to cross-cut from the
shaft to the vein at the next level,
after the shaft has been sunk 100
to $50 feet.
McIver has conducted a very eX-
tensive program of development on
the Telluride. both at the AIS and
the 535 levels. The best proof that
McIver believes in this property is
the fact that he has been financing
a great deal of the development
work himself.
1t Is the idea to sink the shaft to
a depth of 100 feet below the present
level, or about 635 feet. and then
use diamond drills, or else to start
the drills at work from the surface
in order to thoroughly explore the
vein for it's entire length.
Results of the development carried
on at the Telluride are sufficient to
satisfy Mr.. McIver that the property
is worthy of the expenditure of fur
ther money and energy, and since a
diamond drill hole costs about one
fifth as much as the ordinary shaft,
he believes that with the knowledge
already gained of the ground, he
can complete the desi1 ed work in a
thoroughly scientific ard satisfactory
manner with diamond drills at a
great saving of time and money.
AT the Mohawk Central, NJ. j.
Monnette and Capt. John A. Hassell
have also decided to use a diamond
drill to cross-cut from the shaft to
the vein from the 400-foot level. The
shaft has now reached the desired
fdepth and a stump and station are
being prepared.
With a diamond drill the Mohawk
Central claim car be prospected
quickly and economically, and the
former partner in the famous Hayes
Monnette lease at Goldfield will not
be satisfied with anything but a com
plete exploration of this property,
which he has absolute faith in.
There are some engineers who
have always recommended diamond
drilling in Oatman. under certain
circumstances, n of these being
Etienne A. Ritter of Colorado
Springs, who reported on the Oatman
Amalgamated Telluride and other
properties here.
With the high cost of shaft min
ing, the diamond drill becomes a ne
cessity.
Another new system being tried
out in the Oatman district is that of
working and developing properties
under a lease. 1t has been the
theory that because most of the de-
poslts lie at great depth large capital
is necessary to deevlop a property in
the Oatman district. Therefore the
leaser has not regarded this as a
promising field for his operations.
Many attempts were made to
lease the old Gold Road property
while it lay idle last summer, but all
of them failed, because the United
States Smelling, Refining and Min
ing company refused to consider any
such proposition.
That there are many properties
that can be made to pay from the
gross roots, at least in the opinion OF
shrewd and experienced gold min
ers. and already one of them has
been leased to practical mining men
who are at work sinking a shaft
This is the Sure Shot, adjoining the
old Midnight and near the Times
The lessees r George Malone and
Frank Thomas. former Tonopah and
Goldfield leasers.
The strike at the Adams is re
garded as one of the most important
developments of the year in the Dat.
man district. The Adams has been
managed by NJ. A. Darcy and N. H
Newlands, former Goldfeld men, and
the work has been done under the
direction of c. II. Balmer, Jr., en-
gineer for the United Eastern. On
the 40O-foot level a cross-cut was run
toward the Adams vein and about