The Harrison times., 1917-06-30
MINING NEWS NOTES.
, o o o o q o . . . @
pONCA DISTRICT.

to the Eleventh Hour Mining Com
pany
The mines located on these lands
are about two miles southwest OF
Ponca, Ark. Newton county, and are
on the bench lands above the Buffalo
river.
These properties have been worked
at different periods since the days OF
the civil war. William Bennett and
his son, Norman, were the pioneers in
opening up the mines During the
civil war and for a period following
its close they mined principally for
lead. and the camp produced quite
tonnage of this metal which was haul
ed to st. Paul, the terminal on the
Frisco railroad, from Fayetteville.
Later they mined twenty or thirty
cars of gray carbonate Prices were
so low at that time, even after hand
picking the carbonate, and the ores
sent being the very best of grade,
could not continue on account of the
prices prevailing.
About six years ago some parties
from Joplin secured a lease and ship
ped out from the old dumps about
$4,000 wOrth-this being the leayings
of the old work done by Bennett.
These Joplin parties did very little
development work - quitting after
cleaning up the old dumps.
In June, 1916, came H. j, Nancil
and associates operating under the
name of the Eleventh Hour Mining
Company, with Mr.. Vancil as mana.
ger. They obtained a long lease at
very low royalty and soon after start
ing work shipped out their first car
of ore, and Mr.. Vancil boasts that he
shipped his first car of ore without
sharpening a pick or using stick Of
dynamite" They uncovered a new
body of ore practically at the grass
roots during the first half day they
worked and during their management
they have shipped out some forty cars
of ore, at no time going deeper than
forty feet. a great amount was shOv-
eled out of open cuts,
These mines are on fissure veins
and there are three main veins paral-
telling each other clear through the
district besides a number of smaller
fissures or feeders, The three main
assures mentioned above seem to join
in places making one great or mother
lode. Along these fissures are some
well known mines. Beginning at the
northeast is what is known as the
Moss and Middleton shaft which has
been a good producer from the very
start. Next is the Primrose shaft and
here was the beginning Of a new de.
parture in mining in this district.
Primrose and son being western min
ers and having worked fissures all
their lives, naturally wanted to eX-
plOre to greater depths, so they be.
gun a larger shaft, timbering with
heavy timbers well surfaced and in
perfect alignment SO they continued
for one hundred feet where the vein
enlarged very perceptibly necessitat-
ing a different style Of timbering and
from this point on they used heavy
8xS square sets, with heavy tagging
on all sides. They continued on down
to the two hundred foot level finding
a still larger vein, being one Of the
largest bodies Of ore probably ever
struck in this district from which
comes quite a tonnage Of Turkey fat
ores. Here as at other places the ore
commences to show up at or near
the surface.
The next to the south is the Mccoy
shaft which has been, and still Is at
the present, a heavy producer, having
more than seventy.fiye tons on the
dump and car at the bins in Harri
son ready for shipment,
Next is the George Capps lease now
owned by Garfield and Estes. They
have a number Of shafts producing,
Then comes the Chafin mines, Big
Four, Lone Star, Estes Bros John
Davis the Key. Cook.McCoy lead mines
and some others. All Of these are
producing good ores and are working
on sub.leases under the Eleventh
Hour Mining Company management,
shipping in all some forty cars the
past year,
Some time in April Of this year
Primrose and son obtained an option
on the entire holding of the Eleventh
Hour Mining Co., and on the Sth Of
June took up the option, paying in
cash an amount said to be larger than
any sale made previously in this
district.
The new company organized was
called the Allied Mining Company,