The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-09-26

granite contact and a hot sprlng on
Deer creek in Blaine county and mug.
gets of cinnibar up to two pounds in
weight, 60 per cent quicksilver values
nave been obtained from the gold MIA :
Ger deposits of Stanly basin In Custer
county near live hot springs in the
porphyry granite contacts.
Government Aid.
II an increased supply Of quicksll
yer Is necessary or desirable for gov
eminent uses, the government
think, would be justified in immedj-
ately assisting in the modification of
the transportation difficulties with
which this new district is hampered
The erection Of a public treatment
plant by the government would also
De an encouragement to more active
development and | think would insure
substantial output Of this desirable
ore. The present route Of the wagon
road could be very cheaply put in
shape for auto truck hauling as far as
Knox, 30 miles from Cascade. From
there to Johnson creek, a distance of
II miles over the Cabin creek summit
the present road could be greatly
improved and its grades modified at
an approximate cost of $500 per mile
as a very little change is needed TO
modify the present grades by a fur
Their switch back above the Thunder
Bolt mill over Cabin creek summit.
From the Johnson creek bridge the
route should be diverted and road
made down Johnson creek to the vi
entity of Hanson's or Hennessy's
ranch and a grade made up Riordan
creek a few miles or to the Yellow
Pine Anthony mine, where the climb
can be made on easy grading ground
without much rock work to the divide
between east fork and Johnson creek,
or by Trapper creek summit to
Meadow creek; down Meadow creek
to east fork and up east fork to Fern
creek and the center of the new
quicksilver district ON an easy water
grade. This route would be little if
any longer than the present road, it
would be at a lower elevation and a
far superior road from snow stand
point, am advised by the more per-
manent settlers of the country.
This new road would cost very lit
tie if any more than it would cost to
put the present Thunder Mountain
road in decent haulage shape from
Johnson creek bridge to the Monu-
mental creek summit, whose heavy
long grades it is practically impossi-
BILE to eliminate.
With government aid and encour-
agement, first, for more aggressive
mining development, second for road
building and possibly the erection of
a modern custom plant say of 100 tons
daily capacity to start with and thus
provide a local market for the ore.
Such encouragement in wagon road
improvement and custom plant should
be installed and completed at an ap-
proximate cost of $25O,OOO and if the
governments available supply of
quicksilver is at all strained at this
should give immediate consideration
to these suggestions as they would, |
believe, insure the government for its
war uses, a very promising reserve
supply of quicksilver and also of rich
antimony ore, a mineral extensively
used for war purposes in hardening
lead for shrapnel.
The inclination Of the government
to take a hand in the further exploita
ton and availability of these import
ant war metal discoveries will doubt
less be governed by the findings of
their own experts. I am reliably in
formed that Frederick Leslie Ransome
of the United States geologic survey
and one of the leading geological au-
thorities of the country Is to shortly
visit the district for this purpose and
in spite of the very limited develop
ment available in the camp for his
guidance, I am optimistic that his
findings will be favorable to the sub
stantial permanency and availability
OF the deposits of the new camp as a
substantial resource Of quicksilver
ore in spite of it's present isolation
which can be very easily modified at
a moderate cost from a war emerg-
ency standpoint.
Anthony.
Anthony mineral is used quite ex-
tensively in this country as a soft al
10y metal. It's effect on lead Is to
harden 1t and it is used by munition
manufacturers in the production OF
shrapnel bullets for that reason. The
metal Is volatile and melts at a low
heat and in that respect 1t Is some-
what related to mercury and Is prob
ably of shallow range in it's occur
renee in nature.
One Of the interesting virtues OF
this metal Is the fact that 1t expands
slightly on cooling, an opposite eff
feet to most other metals, and by vir-
tue of this feature 1t is used as the
.r;, ,;o,I boo;c of 1inotyDe metal in