The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1919-07-26
ACTIVE MINING !
TO RECOMMENcE
FAVORABLE OUTLOOK FOR RE-
SUMPTION OF ACTIVITIES
IN BIG PROPERTIES
Former County Record as Mining
Center May Be Eclipsed BY
Future Work in Properties

The assurance Of the reopening
this year Of two famous pioneer
mining enterprises in the Stesens
county mineral field is welcome hsws
to the people of Stevens county. The
personal difficulties that have kept
the Old Dominion near Colville
closed for a number of years have
been adjusted, the company affairs
rehabilitated, and within two months
active development will be in prog
ress and shipment of ore will be the
order. The Old Dominion was dis
covered nearly 35 years ago and for
many years was the magnet which
drew mining men from almost every
quarter of the earth to exploit the
mineral resources of Stevens county.
In the first ten years Of it's opera
ton nearly $1,0O0,OOO, it is said, Of
ore was shipped from the property,
and it was not an uncommon thing
for a car load of ore to net from
$4,000 to $4,000 after being hauled
by mule team to Spokane and then
shipped by rail and steamer to San
Francisco. Nearly a quarter of a
million dollars have been expended
in the development of the Old
Dominion and there are yet large
stories of rich ore in the lower levels
yet to be extracted. W. H. Linney,
well known mining engineer and
practical mining operator, with sue
cesses in opening new projects in
many of the northwestern camps, will
have charge of the Old Dominion,
and it is his opinion, after spending
several months in exploiting its
depths and studying the geology of
the property, that is is one Of the
great lead-silver mines of the west.
The First Thought mine at Orient
will also open up this season. This
mine has recently been acquired
from P. Burns of Calgary, who is
said to be disposing of all his metal
mining interests in the United
States and devoting his attention
solely to coal mining and the meat
business in Canada. The new
owners have reol ganized the COM
pany upon substantial working
basis and will operate the mine upon
larger plans Of ole extraction than
ever before. The First Thought
mine has over 100000 invested in
equipment, including machinery at
the mine and two miles of arial
tram from the mine to the railway
station of the Grea. Northern at
Orient. Between 1904 and 1910,
while the mine was operating, the
gross smelter returns on OF shipped
from an area of i0x25O feet above
a vertical depth Of 300 feet, was
nearly three quarters of a million
dollars; to be exact the gross aver
age of the ore treated was SIT to
the ton gold, there being no other
metal contents beyond a trace Of
silver. Only one level within the
area described has been opened.
5000 tons Of the lower grades piled
on the dump will average above
$3.50 per ton. A quantity test made
by the head of the school of mines
at Pullman denotes with acurate
conclusions that the ores of the
First Thought can be extracted by
the cyanide and amalgam process
combined at cost not to exceed So
per ton, showing saving of 81 per
ton as against 81 per ton charge on
freight and smelter treatment. As
in the case of the Old Dominion, the
First Thought is in the very primi-
tive stages Of development.
The new owners Of these prop
critics are. fortunate in having to
begin with, at practically no in
itiative cost to themselves, the
hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of development and machinery
equipment
A commendable feature of the re-
organization of both properties is
that the managements are giving to
the home people of Stevens county
an opportunity to avail themselves
of meritorious investment Of the
first issue of stocks at an attractive
figue. Both properties are at home
where the prospective investor may
make his own investigation on the
ground and examine to his own sat-
isfacticn the real merit of the Prop
critics. Any enterprise which has
the backing of the people at home
is a most valuable asset to the en-
tire country where it is situated.
J. C. Fredendahl has sold his ranch