The Alaska daily empire., 1917-05-05
THE TREADWELL SUBSIDENCE
(Mining and Scientific Press)

(Mining and Scientific Press
 Late on the night of April 21 the workings of the Alaska Treadwell Alaska United and Alaska Mexican mines had to be abandoned account of thrush of from the sea- that is Gastineau Channel the strait separating Douglas Island from the main. land Fortunately ample warning given, so that no lives were lost The locality of the subsi- dence is shown the accompanying map, it being the rounded space marked Subsistence Area" extend ing for 250 feet each side of the boundary between the Treadwell and the TOO Ft. mines. An intermittent settling of the ground has been noted since July last Another of subsistence is shown the Mexican mtsite, but this has given no sign of movement re- gently. These two danger-spots immediately re- lated to the respective faults along the dikes, shore line which by discharge of tailing and other filling, has been extended about 800 feet into the suddenly, but watch had been kept each known area of settling that the evidence of further ing was detected the surface and reported in time to permit the men to escape rom under ground Then the water broke through the cracks and filled the Bullion mine is separated from the others, and the only connecting working, the 35Ofoot level from The latest report states that the bulkheads are hold ing, so that the Ready Bullion mine is likely be saved To what extent the position may be retrieved cannot be known immediately; if the subsistence does not go too far. that is if the caving does reach out along the fault so as to present larger opening to the salt water there will be chance of surround ing it with cofferdam. and thereby re-winning the three mines now completely drowned. If that cannot be done then the Ready Bullion shaft be sunk and drifts extended to tap the virgin ground under the lost workings of the three other mines. This deeper ground has been giving promise improve ment in gold content. explained in last issue. and it is protected from caving by several hundred feet of unstoped rock. The staff particularly, their chief Mir F. w. Bradley, not the kind of to throw up their hands helpessy long as engn- eering skill can the mines part of them. Fortunately MT. J. H. Mackenzie happens to be Jul neau just now and his mature experience is at the service of the local management. The three mines immediately affected by subsistence and flooding produced A22661749 tons of yielding $54SS6968 in gold from which profit of $23072567 has been earned from August, 1885 to June 1. 1916 The re. of amounted 600O0O0 tons besides about as much in pillars and caved ground The Ready Bullion Mine. of the Alaska United company. has pro- duced 3S02299 tons. yielding $790.491. of which $1- 966o11 profit. The three companies have dstri- buted $21337651 in dividends during their lives. We give the hand of sympathy to the members of the staff Treadwell, to whom the event must seem cal amitous AS regards the force of workingmen hap that scarcity of labor exists in Southeastern Alaska. owing largely the work on the government railway from Anchorage, so that any discharged from Treadwell will be welcomed at Juneau. where the shortage of labor threatened seriously to interfere with the success of the AlaskaJuneau operations coming fruition.