The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-03-07
Great Ore Body Is
Struck on 1000
Foot Level
BEAVER CREEK TUNNEL.
Held Inactive for Many Years
Water Right on the
South Fork
TT HAS been known for some time

TT HAS been known for some time
that the most important ore de-
velopment in the Sunset mine had
been made drifting east from the
shaft on the 1O00-foot level. 1t has
been impossible to learn the extent
of this ore body, but there is no doubt
that it is very large and is by far the
best grade of ore that has been found
in this famous mine. Ore in the Sun
set is of course not a new thing. 1t
is not necessary to even go under
ground to find it, for it glistens in the
sunlight from the outcrop of the
great Sunset vein that crosses the
peak that bears the same name. 1t
was this that attracted the attention
Of ex-senator w. A. Clark more than
a quarter of a century ago and which
date. He proceeded to patent the
ground with as little delay as possible
and when title was secured the multi
millionaire of Montana seems to have
contained what was then believed
would prove to be probably the biggest
ore body in the Occur d'Alene district.
At that time Sunset was remote from
railroad transportation and was reach
ed only by a winding mountain trail,
and as Senator Clark had plenty of
other mining interests to occupy his
attention, he was evidently content to
orable before making move to de-
velop the property. Many years pass
ed and not a sound of a shot broke the
silence of Sunset peak so far as the
Clark property was concerned.
Locates Water Right.
At that time water rights to supply
power for milling operations We're of
more Importance than now when cleo
tric power transmission lines reach
every canyon and gulch. AS indicat-
ing that Senator Clark had not for
gotten Sunset and that he had very
definite plans for the development and
operation of the property it is recalled
that soon after acquiring the Sunset
claims, he located water right on the
South Fork about half way between
this city and Mullan, his evident plan
being to build a mill in this vicinity
for the treatment of Sunset ores. I'm
der the law governing the location Of
water rights in those days, it was
necessary for the locator within
certain period of time to begin work
designed for the utilization of the wa
ter claimed and to continue the work
without intermission until the water
was actually utilized. In conformity
with this law, Senator CLARK employed
a man to prepare grade for flume
to convey the water to his proposed
millsite and year after year this man
worked with pick and shovel, leisure
ly it is true, but always on the job,
along the sidehill, where the results Of
his efforts may still be seen in the
form of an old flume grade that never
carried flume. For years he was a
familiar figure to travellers on the Null
Ian road, and the inquisitive were told
that he was "holding down" a water
right for Senator Clark But there
must be an end to everything earthly
and so there was to this mans job on
the Clark water right. Probably the
senator discovered that Beaver creek
presented a more feasible outlet for
the Sunset mine than Nine Mile. In
any event the lone workman was laid
off and the South Fork water right
was abandoned good many years
ago.
Developing Sunset.
While Senator Clark has a staff of
experts and managers to look after
his large and widely scattered mining
interests, he has a habit of making
personal tours of inspection himself,
and occasionally his private car rolls
into the Northern Pacific station here
to enable him. to visit the Sunset mine,
Following one of these trips few
years ago, the Sunset claims became
the scene of mining activity and it has
been going on ever since. During this
period a shaft has been sunk 1000 feet,
or rather 500 feet and a winze 200 feet,
east of the shaft on the 500 level The
vein has been crosscut and explored
at intervals of 200 feet and on every
level large bodies of low grade ore
have been exposed More zinc than
lead was found and the large amount
of iron in combination with the ore
presented rather difficult milling
proposition, but one which thorough