The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-03-16
OPHIR MOUNTAIN IS
STILL RICH IN GOLD
DADDY WAS A BONANZA
How "Sky Pilot" Surprised
KnOckers--A Tragedy Con-
nected With Denver Claim

(By Adam Aulbach. Murray. Idaho)
- PHlR MOUNTAIN, the eastern
part oil which formed the basis
OF the writer's previous letter,
is a northern spur OF the range
that separates Beaver creek from
Prichard creek a mountain range that
runs almost due east and west from
the North Fork oil the Occur Alene
river and connecting with Sunset peak.
Facing north from Ophlr canyon to
Tiger gulch at Murray the mountain is
very abrupt, but quite uniform from
the Prchard creek level to the summit.
This makes tunneling easy and mex
pensive, so to speak Advantage has
been taken of this system of explora-
ton and extraction OF practically all
the ore taken out and run through
the arrastres and mills to this date.
No raises have been made from the
tunnels to connect the different flat or
bedded veins to determine the number
OF extent of the naturalization. One
shaft was sunk by Barry n. Hillard
ADJOINING the Mother Lode slab" vein
This was put down under the manage
ment OF James Murphy, now superin-
tendent OF the Hercules at Burke. The
work was started during a severe win
ter, entailing a heavy expense The
shaft was sunk 100 feet, where it en-
countered a perfectly flat vein from
four to eight inches thick, and, OF
course, considerable water seepage.
The quartz was characteristic OF the
surface veins and much Of it showed
free gold. A large chamber was ex-
cavated, but the size of the ledge did
not increase and work was discontin-
ued. Steam power had been installed
after an expensive excavation for a
proper foundation. Mr.. Hillard in
formed the writer that the cost of this
prospecting was $4,000. He declared
in connection with the statement, he
was satisfied that additional veins
would be found at greater depth, but
it could not be carried on with the
sinking facilities at hand. Sinking
would have to be done on a much
larger scale.
The Yosemite.
Immediately adjoining the Mother
Lode vein on the west is the Yosemite
property This is a narrow location,
and was the last one made of the ser
les which produced milling quartz
along the Ophir base. 1t was wedged
in in fact, between the Mother Lode
and Daddy lode group. When the
neighborng claims to the east We're
taking out handsome pay the owner
of the Yosemite also became inspired
with activity. They were William W.
Hart owner Of the largest interest in
the Occur d'Alene hardware store at
Wallace lately deceased, and John A.
Finch, the well known mine operator
on the South Side, also lately deceased.
Clarence Cunningham was their rep
resentative and manager. He is now
very successful mine operator in Brit
ish Columbia. Quite extensive devel-
opment work had been done on the
flat vein that followed the course of
the mountains base and a 1O-stamp
mill was erected, with steam power,
being placed between the tunnel and
creek. This mill was operated for
some time but it was finally closed
down, as the quartz was too complex
to yield sufficient returns to be prof
table Friction with adjoining claims
was also a factor in the extraction Of
quartz that prompted suspension.
While no appeal to the law was made,
the negotiations between the Yosemite
and Daddy people were apparently
continuous and vexatiOus. There did
not appear to be enough room for both
to mine on the same mar
row flat ledge. Both the owners be-
ing dead, the estate is now in the
hands of Charles Hussey of Spokane,
the administrator of the estate of John
A. Finch.
Dividends From Daddy.
The Daddy group, as stated, ad-
Joins the Yosemite on the west, and
was the most successfully operated
property along the line of Ophir noun
tain activity, producing a large amount
Of gold, estimated at fully 100000.
The original locations were made,
shortly after the Mother Lode excite
ment. by George w. Coplen, a Metho-
dist minister, his father, and Robert
T. Horn. All have since passed away,
Horn surviving until last year. His
estate is in the hands of Therrett
Towles. attorney at Wallace. Shortly
after the locations were made, the old
gentleman (Coplen) sold an interest in
the Golden Chest mine Ito which allu-
sion will be made in another letter.
and invested the proceeds with his
sons in Whitman county washington