The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-07-11
Adopts an Original
Method of Treat
ing lis Ore
CRUSHER ANDHANDJ JIGS
Clean Shipping Product.-Fine
Ore Showing and Great
Possibilities

| II dig lleth hllllllS COMPANY oliuSn
the vein which was the objective
of a crosscut which had been run
in round figures 2400 feet, and it is
significant of the accuracy of the sur
vey and of the regularity of the vein
that it was encountered within 10 feet
OF the distance estimated by the en-
gineer. The splendid body of ore dis
closed at the point of intersection
proved the continuation downward OF
the ore shoot which had been rich and
productive on the tunnel level $50 feet
character of ore on the level $40 feet
above that. Thus the strike in the
lower tunnel, or No. 3, proved con-
tinuous ore shoot for a depth of 1900
feet, and the amount of ore that had
been removed from those upper levels,
although representing many thousands
OF dollars, is small compared with the
large area that has now been prac-
tically established by this lower open
ing This does not take into conslde:-
alton the possibilities of deeper de-
velopment While the matter of an
other tunnel is still several years in
the future and is not being considered
at this time by the management, 1t
is nevertheless interesting to observe
be gained before the question of sink
ing comes up for consideration. These
facts taken in connection with the
steady enlargement of the ore bodies
while maintaining their high values
as depth is attained, afford material
for pleasant contemplation to Big
Creek shareholders.
Provide Shipping Facilities.
The ore where first encountered in
No. was galena, but drifting soon
disclosed gray copper as well, much
of both ores being of shipping grade
Ore taken out in the drifts alone soon
made a large accumulation on the
dump, and a building was erected for
sorting it for shipment. The plan first
adopted was to dump the ore over
grizzly, the coarse chunks being hand
sorted and the lead and gray copper
being separated. The finer stuff that
passed through the grizzly was then
hand jigged, the lead and gray copper
products of this process being also
separated for shipment. 1t was found,
however, that this method was too
slow to handle the increased produc-
ton after the slopes We're opened and
i G. Scott Anderson. manager OF the
company, was confronted with the
problem OF devising means to meet
the situation without incurring the ex-
pense of building a mill. In this he
was greatly assisted by the practical
knowledge and experience of Chas,
X. Moffitt, superintendent of the mine,
and through their combined efforts the
Big Creek company now has a plant
which, while not entitled to the dig
nifty of being called a mill, does never
theless turn out milling product and
will result in greatly increasing ship
ments.
Crusher and Hand Jigs.
Excavation was made beneath the
ore sorting building which added an
other story to the building, and the
lower story was extended to give a
total floor space Of 20 Is feet. On
hn nd Or
in operation and the fourth one is
nearly completed. In the ore sorting
room a Blake crusher has been in
stalled at the foot Of the grizzly with
short platform between. The crush
ei is driven by an electric motor. AS
the ore Is dumped on the grizzly the
finer ore goes through to the jig floor
I'he man who feeds the crusher rakes
the ore down and into the crusher
picking out all chunks of clean ore
that come to his notice and alst
+chunks of waste. similar to the sortins
belt process. This Is all the sortinl
that is done now, all the ore passins
through the crusher and dropping t.
the jig floor below.
The jigs are under the personal su
Ipervision of G. r. Hutsell, hand jit
expert, who for many years has beer
successful in recovering the values II
the tailings of Canyon creek. Th
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