Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-02-17

ANNUAL REPORT

1 Owing to drop in the price of
II lessees on the property of the
- continental company, Porthill,
LIMO nrofited little from their OPP
/ a ,r in 1919, according to a state
s.+ inst issued by the board of
4 ,stees Richard Schacht, secretary.
NM nrice has recovered and ore is
abeing shipped
Il 2O,50O Tons Shipped
From the standpoint of lessees
1910 was not profitable, due to the
hidden decline of metal prices in the
\ sooinning of the year, when they
',are caught with 1900 tons of con-
oortrates on hand, which had been
,roduced under the highest cost of
5lobor and supplies ever known, while
Hnbvsical conditions of the road pre-
tented them from hauling the ore
\ II time to the railway station for
shipment" says the report.
aThe price Of lead receded within
~ short time from approximately g
10 s cents a pound and caused drop
IN value Of the concentrates on hand
Of $50 ton, not only wiping out all
anrofits, but under the cost of freight
charges from the mine to the smelt-
err amounting to $3.50 ton, plus
treatment charges of $3.50 a ton,
causing the lessees a large financial
! loss and forcing them to close the
mime and mill, keeping only enough
men at work to protect the buildings
at the mine and in the road camps
against the heavy snow and the ele-
ments.
shipments of crude ore and con-
centrates from the property, includ-
ling those made in the early days
! by the old company, and including
concentrates on hand and ready for
shipment December 81, 1919, amount
to approximately 10000 tons. The
average smelter returns on concen-
trates gave the following analysis:
Lead, So per cent; silver, % ounces;
gold, .03 ounce; insoluble, II per
cent; zinc, per cent, and iron, 4.5
per cent.
Ore for 1900 Feet.
Broken mill ore left in the slopes
December 81, 1919, amounted to 23,-
$50 tons, and estimated ore reserves
above No. tunnel amounted to 1922
666 tons of grade around II per cent
lead and five ounces of silver to the
ton.
Development work consistently
carried on and actual stop;ng opera
tons proved the ore body so far
opened to be continuous for 1900 feet
in length, and in many places. as
shown by underground pictures, from
rs to 40 feet wide Mr.. Lancaster rec
\ ommends the opening in the near flu
ture of a permanent working tuun.
No. .. In speaking o. this tunnel
he says:
100000 for Ore Hauling.
"A proposed tunnel No. 5, $50
feet vertically below No. 4 tunnel and
on the level with the mill ore bin,
should be commenced next year on
The outcrop and extend under No. a
tunnel along the vein. AS No. tun-
mel carries ore in the floor up to the
iault this new work will open a new
area Of ground three times as large
as the ground above No. tunnel and
should yield some 100000 tons. Meas
ured up very conservatively the ore
IN sight below the No. A tunnel. along
Ine outcrop of the vein and in the
lioor OF the tunnel, is 257,75O tons
assured. These figures assume the
VEN TO be only 10 feet wide
he later on in his report points
OUT the cost of transportation on the
ore from the mine to the railway
station on shipments to date, Which
mas exceeded 100000, a charge rot
''rne by the mines located on the
Ialffcad The only hope at present
% overcome this great drawback lies
n inc fact that the timber all over
me country is becoming more valu-
aole every day, and that the timber
owners along the line Of our road
WIN combine and build a logging rail
way which could take care Of the
cheaply."