The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-02-09

iiornia ditch people abandoned then
line, J. Coulter, familiar with the oil,
channel. interested Messrs. King, san.
burn and Monahan. the pioneer steam.
boat men u Occur d'Alene lake, resi-
dent at spokane. and others, in a large
steel pIpe-nne enterprise 10 meet lnt
water situation IOr the msn piHcer >
me pipe was - inches III dame ,el
ana very sOnd, being within u IracuOn
OF S-SIns IN thickness. instead OF be-
ing IaIo along the hillside ABOVE the
cnannei II WAS placed down in the
creek level FOR a distance Oh -FOUR mics
from Raven 10 the mouth Oh Dream
gulch, from which point smaller pipe
was employed to conduct the great
pressure to the high and solid banks
OF yellow channel muck. The height
OF the channel was about 900 feet
perpendicular, and this left little en-
ergy in the water to battle with the
cemented muck that had lain dormant
for ages; the biologists have not been
able so far to define by similar depos-
its elsewhere. II was merely a case OF
water finding its natural level. drop
OF about 700 feet from the intake and
600 feet elevation, leaving the remain
der TO friction. For a while brief
period. a four-inch pipe nOzzel strug-
gled to break down the banks, but the
work was too slow and the operations
ceased.
The old channel remained uncon-
Quered. Had the pipe line been placed
above the channel it would have been
perpetual revenue collector. II prov
ed to be 4 complete failure. although
an attempt was made later to employ
the pipe line for hydraulic purposes in
the main creek by Barry n. Hillard
This was also a failure. A few years
later the entire line was sold, accord
ing to local report, to Mr.. Drumheller
for $4,000. Two years ago Clarence
bought the line. hauled
the pipe to the railroad and shipped it
to his mining properties in British
Columbia. 1t had become an eyesore
to the local community and gratifica-
ton was expressed at its entire re-
moval.
Unites Water Sheds.
Still later. about eight years ago. |
the Occur d'Alene Mining company. |
which owns the entire old channel |
from Bear creek to Eagle, installed /
Fred Brown, California mining en-
sineer, as manager of it's large hold
ngs. Mr.. Brown proceeded to unite
he watersheds of Gold Run, East and
Main Alder gulches into a ditch sys-
EN- which carried the water to the
proper point OF functioning above the
channel at Dream gulch. But steady
low proved to be inadequate. A large
was constructed just below
he ditch to impOund the water. and
occurred. Again failure was empha-
lied by a lack of sufficient water
lot only on account of the short dura-
ion of the pipe stream, but the mad
quacy of the energy to dsintegrate
he 60-foot cemented gravel banks.
Work was therefore discontinued. The
itch, however, demonstrated that il
vas high enough to cover that section
f the channel and with favorable wa
er conditions could perform some ser
ice but the season for plenty of wa
er cannot be depended upon. as they
nOwfall and the weather. And even
all these elements We're favorable
he run would be too limited to do eff
active work.
Beyond Dream gulch (westerly) Tor
lree miles to Eagle creek lies the
lain portion of the old channel prac-
cally in 4 virgin state, with small
ow of water on the western eXtrem- .
y. In the later sos II. b. Lane,
zeal minister, had a vision of the fab
lous wealth stored in this territory.
Without much idea of the cost of the
enture, he started a tunnel enterprise .
ear the head of McCumber gulch and 9
ctually penetrated the channel in 1900 -
,et, only to find that the tunnel was
lily 30 feet above the bedrock on the
,uth rim, making the work of several G.
ears entirely ineffective. No survey 4,
ad been made, the project being con-
lived and carried out in a hit or miss q.
amer. The miners were retired 9
ithout pay. year afterward Mr. !,
ane left Murray with his family for
an Bernardino. California, where -
other had died and left him an or .
lge grove valued at $4,000. He is n
wv there. >,
Will II Pay? F.
Now. how shall this old channel be b
ewed cit is owned entirely by the E,
0eur d'Alene Mining company)-as a
! idustrial asset of the North Side, a
as inert, dead and uncOnquerable N
reich of territory? Ample water ia q
lities, with engineering skill, are Il
'ailable to handle the entire depos- 81
but the outlay will have to be large W
hen, where is the dump room to be