The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-05-26
HECLA REPORTED IN
ON THE STAR OPTION
VIII Join Bunker
Hill in Big Mining
Enterprise
PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT
The Hecla Had Option Alone
But Through Opposition in
Company 1t Was Dropped

VN VIEW of former negotiations be-
tween the management of the
Hecla Mining company and the
then manager of the Star Mining
company with the view to purchasing
the Star mine, there is nothing sur
prising in the announcement that
came from Milwaukee yesterday that
the directors of the Hecla company
had decided to join the Bunker Hill &
Sullivan in the purchase of the Star
When James f. Mccarthy, manager
of the Hecla company, left for Mil
waukee a few days ago to attend
meeting of the directors of the COM
pany in that city called for the os-
tensible purpose of taking dividend
action. it was believed that the real
purpose of the meeting in Milwaukee
was to reach a decision regarding the
purchase of the Star, and this theory
now appears to have been correct.
The dividend was declared all right.
hut it is evident that the main pur-
pose of the meeting was to take ac-
ton on the purchase of the Star in
conjunction with the Bunker Hill The
price to be paid for the Star has not
been stated. although uncOnfirmed
reports place the Bunker Hill option
as high as s75O,OO0 The action of the
directors in purchasing an interest in
the Star marks the beginning of
new policy by the company, which has
up to this time confined its operations
to the Hecla mine How many di-
rectors attended the Milwaukee meet
ing Is not known, bet so far as can be
learned Mr.. Mccarthy was the only
one from the west. Two directors,
Carl Landsee and Frank j. Kipp, live
in Milwaukee and Mrs. Sarah E.
Smith lives in Chicago These with
Mr.. Mccarthy would constitute
quorum. The other directors are w.
J. c. Wakefield and H. c. Lambach,
of Spokane. and f. J. Nolan, of Los
Angeles.
Heola Had Option on Star.
It is known that several years ago,
before the world war, when the late
+. II. Mofitt was president and man
ager of the Star Mining company, the
Hecla company secured an option on
the Star and no doubt would have
completed the purchase of the mine
had it not been for opposition of one
or two Of the directors. The majority
was in favor of the deal and could
have closed it, but finally relinquish-
ed the option rather than to create
o.
ure was at that time is not known
hut it may be safely assumed that it
was far below the amount for which
it is optioned now. 1t is understood
that Mrs. Smith was very much OPP
posed to the deal, and it is said to
have been through Difference to her
that the option was abandoned.
Considered Development Plans.
While the Star was under option to
the Hecla company it is known that
the question of plans for opening up
the mine were given consideration and |
it is believed that at that time the
plan now said to be favored, that of
crosscutting from the Hecla work !
ings, was regarded as the most feast !
bic. The Star had started a crosscut |
from Grouse gulch for the purpose of
developing the mine at great depth |
and had driven it about 500 feet when |
HecIa secured the option. This tun-
mel is practically at the same eleva- |
ton of No tunnel of the Morning |
and is about quarters of mile |
from the railroad at the Morning
compressor between Wallace and |
Mullan. It was estimated that this
tunnel would have to be driven 1858
feet to reach the vein. The Hecla
engineers found that the same point
could be reached from the Hecla shaft
in 1000 feet, Just 1853 feet less than
the Grouse gulch tunnel. The Grouse
gulch tunnel or a crosscut on a cor
responding level from the Hecla
workings would cut the vein at
depth of 1910 feet below the present
Star workings
Other means OF entering the Star
ground that might be open to the
Bunker Hill and Hecla is the tunnel
now being driven by the Occur
d'Alene Syndicate which will event
ually be extended very near the star
ground. It has also been suggested
as among the possibilities that in the
adjustment of the Star Federal liti-
CATION. an easement might be secured
by the Star TO use the No. tunnel OF
the Morning.