The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-05-02

count of a strike of much i'm
portance made by the Big
Creek Leasing company, of which d.
w. Price, of Kellogg. is president and
manager The strike was made in
crosscut started from the main tun-
mel at a point 700 feet from the por-
tai. After running 35 feet the ore
shoot was encountered and proved to
be from inches to foot wide. Yes
terday evening drifting had been ex-
tended 20 feet, the ore shoot in the
face being fully IL inches wide The
ore is both gray copper and lead, the
proportion being about two thirds
gray copper and one-third coarse
cube gaena. The actual values car
rled in the ore have not been deter
mined, but Mr.. Price estimates that
the gray copper will return 500 ounces
of silver, and 1t is probable that the
lead also contains a high silver value.
After driving little further stope
will be opened on this ore which, with
the two large slopes in the upper
workings will enable the company to
speed up shipments. The discovery
of this ore shoot, together with the
assured price of practically 81 per
ounce for silver gives most cheer
ing outlook for Big Creek Leasing.
Long Search Rewarded.
After securing lease on the lower
ground of the Yankee Boy, which had
for years been producer of high
grade silver in the upper tunnel lev
els, Mr.. Price organized the Big Creek
Leasing company and started a cross
cut short distance above the creek
But the vein was not encountered as
expected and after considerable ex-
ploratory work without finding it,
raise was made which caught the vein
800 feet above the level, showing a
splendid body of gray copper and some
lead. This was 200 feet below the
level above, which had been a rich
producer, and a large block of stop
ing ground was assured. While work.
ing the ground above, the ore was al
so mined downward for a distance of
ITO feet, where it disappeared Eff
forts to locate the vein on the lower
level continued, but without encour-
aging results, Fully 1000 feet of
crosscutting had been run in the
search for the vein. Finally Mr..
Price decided to come back to a point
hn rtaI Of
mel and crosscut north, and after go
ing 35 feet the strike was made that
is here reported.
Gray Copper Goes Down.
A most interesting feature of this
strike Is the presence of gray copper
at this great depth On the opposite
side of the canyon and on a parallel
vein Is the property of the Big Creek
Mining company, where few months
ago the theory that gray copper
would not go down was discredited
by striking large body in No. 3
crosscut, and subsequent work has
proved it's continuity for 1870 feet.
with faces of ore in both the east and
west drifts. Not only was gray cop
per found in a larger body than had
been found in the upper workings,
but the ore is richer in sivelr than
was found above. Accompanying the
gray copper are continuous lenses of
galena, carrying high values in sill
yer. Now comes the strike on the
ground of the Big Creek Leasing COM
pany, fully 600 feet below the Big
Creek companys lowest tunnel, show
ing practically the same mineral con-
grade gray copper ac-
companied by galena, the gray copper
largely predominating. What the
showing will be below the creek level
remains to be demonstrated, but de-
velopment on Big creek has now
upset long cherished the
ories regarding the depth at which
gray copper may be expected, 1t is not
that other surprises are
in store as further depth is attained.