The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-03-28
Silver Production of Idaho, 1917; Occur
dAlene Mines Produced 80 Per Cent

Bell, State Mine Inspector)
With an output of nearly 12,500.0O0
ounces of silver in 1917, Idaho ranks
a close second with the other principal
producing states of the Union, which
are Utah, Nevada, Montana and Ari-
IONA. Fully 80 per cent OF our silver
production is derived as by product
from the smelling and refining of our
lead ores, and is at present largely
credited to Shoshone county mines.
There are very few ore deposits in the
state that are now or likely to be
worked exclusively for their silver
values, for while we have number
of what Is locally called dry silver
ores, they usually carry associated
metal values in gold copper or lead,
and should be classed as silver-gold,
silver-lead or silver-copper ores.
Outside of the Occur d'Alene dis
trict the state possesses several dis
tricts that have been notable silver
producers In the past and in which
considerable promise Of future produce
NAOH sian <Nh'0hS s'i~ 'N%NoS'~
past producers of silver were the com
bined silver gold milling ores of Silver
City and Delamar now largely exhaus-
ted of their bonanza values, but at
several points undergoing q revival of
interest and development in the hope
of disproving the geological de-
auctions as to the limit Of values In
depth expressed by the scientific inves-
legations of the u S. geological sur
yey.
Demmny Mines
One of the newest developments in
Owyhee county is that of the DEM
ming Mines company, a new enter
prise launched during the year for the
development and equipment of q
splendid system of vertical fissure
veins in an eruptive granite forma-
ton. These properties are situated IL
miles south Of Silver City on Boulder
creek, near the foot of the Owyhee
range on its southern slope. The fis-
sures are numerous, in close set, par
allel lines and vary from one foot to
over ten feet thick. The principal
operation In this new district Is that
of the Demming Mines company Their
property has been equipped with a
new mill, within the past six months,
of 100 tons daily capacity, and sup
piled by electric power derived from
the Idaho Power company's lines at
Silver City.
The plant is equipped with a large
Blake crusher capable of handling 500
tons a day. An Alice Chalmers ball
mill and Janney flotation machine, to-
gether with Oliver filter and a dozen
electric motors from five to one hun
bred horsepower, comprises the prin-
cipal features of the equipment. The
plant Is expected to be finished and
put in commission in January The
mine is equipped with a $50 cubic foot
connects the ore bin at the back of
the mill direct to the main tunnel dew
elopment of the mine. The tunnel is
now several hundred feet long, driven
on the largest vein of the series, and
discloses an ore body six to ten feet
wide, which Is said to average $4,000
per ton In gold and silver all through,
about equally divided as to values In
the two metals. The gangue of the
vein il massive blue quartz, The
blue color is due to very finely dis
seminated arsenical sulphide and some
antimonial sulphide with very SPAR
ing dissemination of pyrite and sphal-
orite. With very fine crushing the
centrate to flotation methods, and af-
ford a shipping product worth several
hundred dollars per ton in gold and
silver and also rich in arsenic, which
is now q desirable substance in strong
demand for war uses by the govern
ment This fact may offset it's objec-
tionable smelling features if disposed
OF at a special plant where arsenic re-
covery is made.
The Demming Mines company has
half dozen other fissure veins. car
rying relatively high values in gold
and silver on which preliminary tun-
mel development has been done, and
II these splendid precious values are
maintained in depth and the metallur-
gical problem is successfully solved,
this new Boulder creek district Is like
ly to bring back the reputation of
Owyhee county as an important
source of silver and gold bullion.
There are hundreds of claims located
adjacent to the Demming property in
the same district, many of which have
handsome surface showings of ore, but
all of the same general type, and the
success of this enterprise will doubt
less induce other important develop
ment.
Banner Mine.
Twenty miles northeast of Idaho
City, in Boise county, the old Banner
mine, operated 80 years ago with 25-
stamp pan process mill, was an i'm
portant producer of straight silver
ore in the form of chloride and silver
sulphide mineral from a pronounced
assure vein in granite formation.
This property has been undergoing
further development with a small force