The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-08-25
PHYSICAL CONDITION
OF THE HECLA MINE
CONTINUED from page q

forward as an intimation that the
present methods of either stopping or
timbering are lamentably deficient,
for such is not the case. But while
there is no reason for alarm, there is
reason for correcting the real causes
for the difficulties with the ground
before they become more aggravated.
This is particularly true because of
the expense of keeping open the long
drifts in the upper levels to the east
ern portion of the mine. The writer
made no analysis of the repair costs,
but ventures the opinion that the re-
timbering and repair of drifts and
raises has cost the company many
times the expense of the small caves
above described. The average cost of
a drift set, in one of the upper level
drifts through the Hecla slopes. is
only about three years. Much of No.
tunnel has been retimbered twice.
This condition can not be avoided
until the upper levels of the east ore
body have been stopped and finished.
At present the general top of Stopping
on the Hecla ore body is at the 1900.
On the intermediate ore body it is at
the 600 On the east ore body it is
several hundred feet above No. 3 !
tunnel and some portions are not
fully developed. This is the natural j
and unavoidable result of the Sc |
quence in which these ore bodies were
discovered. 1t would, however. make |
for economy if the opposite condition
were true, so that the upper levels
could be progressively abandoned
from the inside face toward the shaft.
1.-The slopes above the 1900 level in
the Hecla ore body have been open
for three years or more. Many of
them for four years. 1t is not to be
wondered at that they are getting
heavy. The management has a well
considered plan for filling and hang
ing up the more solid of these and
concentrating production from the
upper slopes in the intermediate ore, '
and the heavier Slopes in the Hecla
shoot. If this plan is followed care /
fully for about a year, the area in the l
Hecla shoot will be reduced to such /
an extent that further difficulty could t
probably be Obviataed. But to do this s
necessitates postponing commence t
ment of the removal of the east ore f
body for at least another year The c
east ore body, being comparatively e
narrow and unaccompanied by a dyke, t.
is much better ground than the Hecla c
and can be safely left for this period
To do so. however, necessitates hold
ing open the upper drifts for so much
longer. r
Profit in Silver.
ALSO. there is, in the writer's opin-
ion, a stronger reason for not defer s.
ring unduly the extraction of the up s.
per part of the east ore body because q
of its superior silver content BY vir- E
tue of the Pittman act the United O
States government is enabled to pur- II
chase silver from domestic producers c
until 2O7,OOO,000 ounces have been r,
purchased. This act is not manda- q,
tory and the purchasing is left to the Il
discretion of the secretary of the OF
It is. however commonly OF
assumed that the director of the mint a
will purchase all that is offered until ds
The entire amount has been bought.
# this program is followed it is esti- 3e
mated that the purchasing power will w
asst about four years When it has al
expired, there will almost certainly be pl
considerable drop in the price of co
domestic silver. Such opinions as the ii,
writer has had access to. indicate a an
probable price not in excess of 65 wi
'ents an ounce. err
TN the east ore body above the 200
evel. there is about las, 900 tons of
re of which the average silver con-
ent is lis ounces higher than the
verage content of the Hecla shoot. err
assuming no increase in tonnage pro- Ca
uction of the mine, there would be, 5S
this estimate of the future of silver
re correct, a loss of $5S,000 to the sa
ompany if production from the Hecla ga
topes were carried so far that this by
PIPER portion of the east ore body 81
hould not be liquidated within the
fe of the Pittman act It would ap- ac
ear to be just barely possible to fin tn,
sh the upper slopes in the intermedi- ms
tie ore few of the heavier slopes in tn,
he Hecla shoot and still remove this w
ortion of the east ore within the next
our years without increasing produc- tai
ion. w
'Tf production were increased so exl
hat the desired stopping from the pr
Iecla ore body could be carried on DID
with the removal
( this ore and marketing of the sill tn,
er only, the company would profit to dis
he extent of s27S,SOO from the postu- to
tied difference in price of silver lex dis
raction of 76 per cent of silver as thu
umed) This would necessitate an qu
lcreased production of about 120 to ed.
so tons per day These figures do by
OF take into account the interest she
barge, ie., the difference in present the
alue of an immediate and deferred d.
quotation of the ore body. The to- -
Il recoverable silver content of this
ortion only of the east ore body as