The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-02-22
BENTON HAS A NEW VEIN
MAY Be THE WIDE WEST
IN TUNNEL WlDENS
INTO STRONG AND PROM
lSlNG FISSURE.

The Benton Mining company has
had one lone man at work for the
past few months running a drift. and
while he has not established a record
for speed in development, he has
nevertheless made a footage cost rec
ord that reminds one of pre-war days
and he has not been slow either. But
it is the showing developed rather
than the cost of development that is
the subject of this story and partic-
ularly its relation to another showing
which has attracted much attention
The Benton is a short distance up
Gorge gulch. near Burke. and consists
of 5 claims on the east and also on
the east side of the Gorge gulch fault
Much development work has been
done by the company and considerable
ore has been extracted as evidenced
by several carloads on the dump, but
much drifting and prosecuting both
from the main tunnel level and from
the bottom of a 2OO-foot shaft have so
far failed to disclose a body of pay
ore
Strong Vein South of Shaft.
Several years ago a tunnel was
started about 500 feet south of the or
iginal vein to prospect a showing of
anthony ore discovered on the sur
face. After running about so feet
without results, a crosscut was run a
short distance south and cut small
of quartz along with a little
tale. This was not regarded as of
sufficient importance TO follow and the
tunnel was continued probably an
other 100 feet in its original course.
Then it swung off to the south again
md finding nothing worth while the
work was discontinued In the course
Of time the Hecla Mining company
-ook over the old Tiger Poorman
ground which included among other
numerous claims the Wide West, sit
lated due west of the Benton and
separated from it by less than the
width of two claims About a year
lgo the Hecla company discovered a !
-ery promising ore shoot on the Wide !
Vest claim, to which a deep crosscut !
: now being run by the Hecla The !
,ourse of the Wide West vein is al
most due east and west, and its posi-
ion corresponds very closely to the |
unnel driven on the Benton to find !
he anthony vein
Opens Strong Vein.
This situation suggested an idea to
. G. Gnaedinger, mining engineer in !
.harge of the Benton which led him !
o inspect the old anthony tunnel to !
zee what he could see He found that !
he last crosscut to the south cut
cam or stringer of quartz and tale |
milar to that in the first and in line |
With it. 1t was a meager showing to !
Ollow, but he decided to take |
nance The lone miner started to
work.. With almost the first round /,
he stringer took on more strength |
There was more quartz heavily stain /
d with iron, a thicker streak of tale /
lmost the color of lead and within !
5 or 20 feet the stringer had grown /
y TIC NlQtl vi AlAG ltilliSi WIFI a pei
ect wall on the south side. This has I
ontinued now for upwards of 60 feet, /
he vein being practically all quartz I
nd iron and in one place a short dis /
ance back from the face it is fully 10 .
eet wide. Occasionally a little ga I
sna is found It has every appear
nee of a true vein and the conditions +
re favorable to ore A survey shows
hat it lines up identicaIly with the
Vide West vein. The tunnel starts
ear the west line of the Benton,
'hich extends east the length of two
outh This explains the recent re- I
ewal of interest in the Benton.