Gunnison news-champion., 1920-12-31
MAKING A BIG PAY MINE
At THE AUGUSTA
Allied Mines Corporation Of Pittsburg. Pa,
Carrying on Extensive Developments
Which Will Place this Famous Old
Producer in Front Rank Of
Colorado Pay Mines.

! this connection some history Of the
mine may be interesting.
In the spring of 1880 Dan Rarick
, prospected the rich float up Poverty
| Gnlch and finally climbed up the d.
vide, where just over on the Dark
Canon side he located the Augusta
vein. The croppings Of this true fis-
sure are plainly marked for several
thousand feet down into Dark Canon
at the head of Anthracite creek and on
between Augusta and Emma noun
tains into North Poverty Basin.
The first workings were a shaft
sunk ON the vein from an altitude of
1926 feet or far above timberline.
At 16D feet a tunnel was driven thru
the cone. From this the shaft was
sunk 16o feet further and blind drifts
run to the ore. Later another tunnel
was driven thru the cone at 800 feet
depth. The mine paid from the start,
altho It was a fearsOme task to pack
ore over the cone on burros and down
six miles to the railroad at Smith
Anthracite breaker. Many good men
lost their lives in the snow slides, but
carload after carload Of rich ore found
its way to the smelters. Gillette and
Ross became owners. Then s. C..
Robinson grub staked some leasers
and shipped fourteen cars that ran
above three ounces in gold and hun
dred ounces in silver. Two different
trans were CONSTRUCTED and swept
away by snowslides. A pack train Of
100 jacks was kept busy.
Then in 1901 the Augusta Metal
Mining company took control. Fifteen
cars Of high grade ore were shipped
from the 500 foot level that returned
better than $50 q ton at the smelter.
Large quantities of the same class re-
main with the back slopes full Of
$50 and $40 ore, but the expense Of
mining at that altitude convinced the
company that modern methods must
be applied. A tunnel HOO feet down
the slope was projected. This was
on the Crested Butte side near the
railroad terminal and supply points.
1t was run 2900 feet, when the vein
was encountered, larger and richer, II
anything, than above. II has been
driven ahead to 3,065 feet by the pres
ent owners, the Allied Mines Corpora
ton, toward two other parallel veins
known to exist and in time may be
exended 1900 feet to Dark Canon.
The dip of the vein is almost ver-
eiSnit u0t uuc 1OOt III SR lIUm tne
perpendicular and width varies from
foot to % feet as developed. Gold,
silver and zinc ores are found in other
shoots. Occasionally a car Of this
high grade ore was shipped but the ma
jority Of it was backed into the slopes
or sent down to the terminal station
where above 10000 tons now await
construction Of the new mill. Over
$1,000 tons may be said to be in sight.
Seventeen tons shipped from the
dump ore in 1919 showed that the mill
would make Q saving Of 500 ounces
in gold, silver 81 ounces, and lead, II
per cent to the ton. The estimate Of
this dump ore runs to 1856 900 tons.
High grade mineral running to 1000
ounces silver and II per cent lead il
now found IN the main tunnel
Or of tie striking possibilities Of
this mine Is the fact that another tun-
,nel sfnxted from Camp Augusta Will
&ive thousand feet more dspth On
fhess immense ore bodies before shaft
minfng b neesssary.