Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1922-02-02

Ihe following artlcle appeared IN q
recent edition of the Northwest Min
ing Truth and was written by Sidney
Norman, editor. The article is of
especial interest to local people, many
of whom are stockholders of the Idaho
Gold & Ruby Mining Co., and all being
anxious to see the project prove a
success.-The Editor.
Within sixty days, if nothing unfor-
seen occurs, every detail of the great
hydraulic project of the Idaho Gold
and Ruby Mining Co., near Leonia
Idaho, will be completed and with the
first spring flow of Boulder Creek.
which has been at low water for sew
eral weeks, the company will be in a
fair way to demonstrate once and for
all the value of its property.
My second visit was made two
weeks ago, and l enjoyed four fully
occupied days going over the prop
erty and plant, particularly the exten-
sive new work that has been COM
Bleted since my first visit last April.
Since then, the last touches have been
placed upon the massive bedrock
flume structure; 400 feet of the creek
bed above the flume has been ce-
mented all the washing or concen-
trating equipment has been assembled,
or made ready for immediate assem-
bly,; the concentrator building has
been put under way; new road on
the east side of the creek has been
constructed and a 75-foot bridge
placed across the creek just below the
hydraulic race; comfortable rest quar-
ters provided for the men at the bed
rock flume plant and much other less
important work completed
Most Remarkable Project.
AS it now stands, it is one of the
most interesting and in many ways
remarkable mining projects it has
ever been my good fortune to examine.
So far as can be told prior to opera
ton upon practical scale the scheme
is entirely feasible from a physical
standpoint and if values should prove
to be even one-tenth of what the man
agement so positively asserts they will
be, one of the greatest and most eco
nomically operated hydraulic projects
in the history of mining on this con-
tinent will have been brought into
production.
Ready in Sixty Days.
When l left the property on Decem-
ber z, large force was at work upon
the concentrator building, which is
being erected on the bedrock flume,
and there is no doubt that the entire
work of construction will be COM
pleted within thirty days. Installa-
tion of the washing plant will be the
next and last undertaking and, as
practically the entire equipment has
already been assembled, another thirty
days should witness completion down
to the last important detail
Reduction Plant Simple.
Some confusion has arisen in the
minds of stockholders and the general
public as to the nature of this plant.
The word "concentrator" naturally
suggests heavy machinery, operated
by power. AS matter of fact, no
power is required at the Leonia plant,
the whole scheme merely embracing
the principle of gravity on a large
scale. Hydraulic power will be used
to elevate the fine gravel and black
sands to the tables, and a bucket ele-
vator, run by water power, will lift
the heavy gravel and coarse gold to
the head of the washing plant, where
1t will be run over a set of rifles Of
patent design. That is the entire ex-
tent of the power, all derived from
water under pressure already pro-
vided, necessary in conducting the op-
erations, except the power of Boulder
Creek itself, which will hurl the
boulders and gravel through the great
bedrock flume and bring into play the
principle of gravity which is the basis
of the whole scheme.
Values Await Practical Test.
AS l said in the story written after
my first visit and which appeared in
Mining Truth Of May 2, 1921, the most
important question involved in the un-
dertaking is the value of the gravel
that will pass through the plant. I
said then that 1t would be impossible
to determine this question upon a con-
elusive, commercial scale until prac-