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ISOUTH DAKOTA IS
MlSli OUTPUT
I Mineral Production of Past
I Year Was Largest in the
I State's History.
MANY PLACERS WORKED
Homestake Company, Pre
mier of State, Handles Bet- -ter
Gold Ore.
The total value of the production of
Sold, silver and lead in South Dakota
I for 1912, as reported from forty produc-
V tlve mines, nineteen of which were plac
ers, amounted to ?8,010,370. according to
Charles W. Henderson, of the United
States geological survey. This produe
i tlon is the largest ever produced In any
one year, the output being $223,182 above
the previous maximum mine yield or
$7,790,1&8, in 1908. and $465,612 larger than
that of 1911. The gold output was 3S1,
,' 745 fine ounces, valued at $7,891,370. oyer
' 98 per cent of the total value. The In
crease In gold for tho year was 21.SU
fine ounces In quuntlty and ?451,49ti in
value. The yield of silver also increased,
from 20.1.75P to 206,459 fine ounces. Smelt
ing ore from South Dakota in 1912 car
ried 22.S45 pounds of Jead, against t 1,311
' pounds In 1911. The output of placer
sold Increased from 485 fine ounces In
1911 to 664 ounces In JD12.
i A total of 1,901,726 short tons of ore was
, mined and treated In 1912. compared with
I, J, 893,836 tone were treated in the mills
of the state, yielding as bullion 57,734.806
in gold and 179.334 fine ounces of silver,
j valued at $110,290, with an avcrago re-
j covery per ton of $4.08 In gold and $0,058
J in silver. Smelting ore. 7.S90 tons, avcr-
ased 0.S758 ounco of gold and 3.43 ounces
of silver to the ton.
The I-Tomestake mine, which annually
yields the bulk of the gold bullion from
i this state, was operated continuously
throughout the year, with a small In-
crease In tonnage but an appreciable in
crease In average value per ton. Tho
' published report of this company shown
J a production of 1.528,923 tons, with an
i average value ot $4.31 per ton and a total
value of C.600,95o. The company's hydro
electric plant, on Spearflsh creek, which
has been under construction for several
, vears. was completed early In the year
and supplied power to the works.
The tonnage of milling ore from the
. Golden Reward group, on Bald moun
tain, was cqiml to the 1911 yield, but
an Increased tonnage off crude ore was
shipped to smelters. A scventy-five-ton
,j roaster Is to be Installed for the prelim
inary treatment of the sulphide ores be
fore cya nidation. The Trojan mill was
openi ted continuously In 1912, against five
months In 101 with a resultant increase
i in tonnage treated. The tonnage from
the Wasp No. 2 mine, where steam shov
els arc used for extracting the ore. showed
a small Increase. Because of the burn
ing of the Mogul mill In March the out
put of the property decreased. After the
' fire tho Mosul ore was treated at the
T.unnbcrg.' Dorr & Wilson custom plant,
which was also operated on ore from the
Huston & Bonanza. Midget and Dakota
mines. The New Reliance, Victoria and
Black Hills-Standard mills were operated
during a part of the year.
Placer mines In Custer, Lawrence and
Pennington counties yielded a slightly
Increased output. The most important
production of placer gold came from the
dredge at Mystic. Pennington county,
with a small Increase over the 1911
output.
I SMALL POCKET OF
ORE FOOLS LEASER
Several years ago a miner was em
Plowed bv a lessee operating In one of
the producing properties in the Gold
field district to dig trenches for pros
pecting the surface on the leased ground,
says the Goldfield Tribune. In the prog
ress of this wor.k the miner found a nar
row seam of material that appeared to
carry gold and upon opening the trench
to a depth of six or seven feet he ex-
posed a seam a foot wide of high-grade
sold ore.
Samples were taken from this seam
and assayed. One of the average sam
ples yielded $1800 per ton. while a picked
sample assayed over $16,000 per ton In
gold. The workman carefully covered
up his and. as he has since told, and
' later he endeavored to obtain a lease on
the ground from the owning company.
This was refused him and he finally
lett the district for another state.
Before leaving the camp he took a
friend into his confidence and, in order
to escape observation, they went together
to the trench at midnight, taking a dark
i lantern, when the discoverer uncovered
the ore. The friend later made efforts
io secure a lease arid finallv being con
( vlnced of the impossibility of obtaining
one he entered into negotiations with
j the owning company to obtain remunera-
i tion for showing the fTnd. A contract
J was finally drawn, providing that the
company should open up and developed
I ..- cuwnduie lapiauy; mai
the man who disclosed the llnd should
have access to the mine workings and
to the records or production and that
'. L,ei!l!?ll,d receive 10 per cent of the first
$100,000 produced and 5 per cent of each
additional $100,000 up to a half a million,
after which he would receive nothing
further.
Work was finally started on this trench
during the past few days and tlic ore
was then fund to consist of a small
pocket, all of which was taken out with
in less than an hour. leaving no trace
or sign of any ore beneath or ncpvfoy
For more than four years the possibility
or making a fortune has remained in
, sight of n man whose duty It was to
report his find to the owners of the prop
erty and who lias had his years of worry
and scheming for nothing.
I COST DETAILS CODD
LEASE SHIPMENTS
Mauling ore from the Codd mines at
Rochester, New, by Knox-Martin tract
ors costs $6.86 per round trip of eighteen
miles over rough mountulnous countrv.
The self-dumping wagons cam ten
tons of ore, so the cost per ton Is 68
cents. This Includes the wages of a
T driver and helper, distillate (8 gal.), oil.
depreciation, interest and Insurance, and
repairs. The machines are equipped
, with steel tires. The West Ind com
pany, at Tonopah. uses a Plerce-Arrow
five-ton auto-truck to carry ore from
the mine to thc mill, a distance of a
half-mile. Thc machine makes thirty
trlpu dally, or thirty miles. Actual run
ning costs are 50 cents per mile, or 10
cents per ton. Repairs and renewals arc
under $100 per month. Mining and Sci
entific Press.
PHOSPHATE LAW IS
CERTAINLY NEEDED
In the years yet to come the phosphate
H, deposits on tho public lands are sure to
H, become more and more Important- At
,, the same time other bedded deposits con-
talnlng metals of little value at present
or non-metallic In character, will also
come Into demand. A reasonable care
H-' for equity and orderly procedure would
demand that the matter be given serious
consideration and that congress frame ai
, lavr designed to meet the case. We have
no sympathy with the disposition of con-
' K?is nnd attlIT1es tI,c departments, to
, shirk responsibilities and to pass their
, burdens on the courts: the proper func-
latlve. Mining and Scientific Press
WHAT SNAKE RIVER
MEISTOALL IDAHO
Electric Power Facilities of
Stream Are Just Becoming
Appreciated.
The Snake river Is to Idaho what the
Nile Is to Egypt. From Its source In
the vicinity or the National park, the
Snako river follows Its sinuous course
across the southern part of the state, at
times lost between thc perpendicular
walls of deep canyons, pouring its great
volumes In falls of indescribable beauty
and Incalculable power, forming the
boundary line between Idaho and two
adjoining states, It at last turns abruptly
to the west at Lewlston, In north Idaho,
and finally joins the Columbia as It moves
onward to the sea.
The Snake river Is ono of Idaho's
greatest assets. ItG waters havo trans-
formed the sagebrush desert Into a verit
able garden and made homes for thou
sands of liappy, contented and prosper
ous people. And the work of reclaiming
the desert Is still In Its Infancy. The
waters of tho Snake river and its tribu
taries will go on making homes In Idaho
for thc overflow from the crowded east.
But there Is another benefit from tho
Snake river which has hardly begun to
bo realized. Thc possibilities In the way
of electric power development are beyond
computation. The many falls and rapids
afford ideal conditions for tho Installa
tion of power plant-, and oven now tho
cheapness of electric development has re
sulted In the utilization of electricity on
the Irrigated tracts to a greater extent
than In any other part of the west. Al
ready electrically heated houses are com
mon and It seems only a question of a
few years when It will be utilized gen
erally for heating and cooking purposes
and tho entire Irrigated tract will be a
network of electric railways. Wallace
Miner.
MS OF ROCHESTER
WILL 00 TO DEPTH
.
Reno Journal Succeeds in the
Task of Getting Opinion
From Official.
The ledges of ore In the Rochester
district go down deep, is the opinion
of F. C. Schrader, who is in the dis
trict making an extended Investigation
for the United States geological sur
vey, lie says there is no doubt of It,
says the special correspondent of the
lieno Journal.
Mr. Schrader has been twenty-two
years in the government geological sur
vey, making field Investigations four
months each summer which are worked
up Into official government bulletins dur
ing the winter months. Rochester is
his first camp this year. He Is then
going Into the Falrview district to com
plete work begun a year ago and then
into Eaglevllle. Rawhide and outlying
districts. Rawhide has been very anx
ious to have a government report made,
it is said by a local engineer who has
recently returned from three weeks at
thc camp. The Rochester report will
be Issued first by Itself in order to get
It out as early as possible.
Two years ago .Mr. Schrader inspect
ed and reported on the Jarbldge and
Contact districts. From 1896 to 1903
he was In Alaska, being associated with
J. J3. Spurr, now mining expert of the
Tonopah Mining company of Nevada.
In government work In Idaho In 1897.
but was In Alaska during thc Klondykc
rush of 9S and during the Nome rush
of '99.
Mr, Schrader had heard a. great deal
of Rochester before starting on his
western trip and was urged by his as
sociates In Washington make the Roch
ester district as early as possible. He
has a large envelope full of clippings
about Rochester, taken principally from
the Goldfield News. He says tho new
camp was much discussed this spring
among the members of the geological
survey.
His work consists of making a care
ful report on the mining districts he
Investigates and to this end he Kathers
a great many samples not only of. ore
but of country rock, which are properly
labeled. They are placed in "cabinets
1 and 2" until after he lias finished
with them when they go to the national
museum. When an engineer in any part
of the world finds a situation similar
to any which has been previously in
vestigated, lie may refer to the speci
mens In the national museum and may
find the exact spot on the map from
which they came.
Congress provided for the geological
survey In the eighties and it Is now but
one-fifth completed. It Is estimated that
the complete mapping of mineral dis
tricts of thc United States will require
several generations. The appropriation
for the work of the coming year Is
$2,500,000.
VERNAL MINE AGAIN
IS SHIPPING ORES
The ore haulers are now occupied in
freighting out another carload of ore
from the Vernal mine to the sampler of
the Western Ore Purchasing company
and this shipment will be completed to
day. Conditions at the mine are highly
satisfactory, according to Superintendent
Walter Norris, and the force of mlnei-3
has been increased in order to expedite
the work of sinking tne winze from the
100-foot level and driving thc crosscut
on the 200 level.
The winze from the 100 level is being
sunk on the ore and Is now down thirty
five feet and showing material of excel
lent grade. On the 200-foot level the
crosscut Is being driven to cut the same
vein, is making good progress and Is ex
pected to penetrate the foot-wall within
the next thirty-five feeL From this time
forward thc work is to be conducted on
a more elaborate scale and for this pur
pose additional men have been employed.
A new ore body has heen exposed re
cently on the 75-foot level and another
rich pocket, carrying free gold in good
quantity, has been developed on thc 100
foot level. The winze from the 100 level
s entering the sulphide zone and It Is
believed the ore will be more uniform at
this depth. Goldfield News.
PERPETUAL MOTION
AND GOLD PRODUCER
Declaring that the waters of thc Boise
r ver contain gold In mechanical suspen
sion, and that he has devised a reliable
machine for extracting one-sixteenth of a
cent from each ton of water, an Inventor
named Wright spent more than an hour
In the office of Senator Macbeth, secre
tary of the Idaho Mining association, on
a recent day. explaining to him the mar
vels of the new machine and the great
wealth that it is capable of extracting
from the stream.
According to the story told by the In
ventor, the machine, which operates on
the principle of a cream separator, Is
rapable of handling thirty tons of water
a minute. At this rate. If running 100 per
cent efficiency, and accepting his own
figures for it. the gold separator would
take gold to the value of $79.20 from the
stream In an ordinary working day's op
eration. 1
The beautirul feature of the machine,
Wrignt told the mining association sec-3
retary and Haven Sawyer, the mining en-
gineer. who was also present. Is that thr j
I operator needs merely to start it running, j
go away and leave and return at the end
of the day and collect his proceeds. It
runs on Indefinitely, he says, Is prac
tically Indestructible, extremely low In
cost and may be operated on the scale
he mentions with only 2 horsepower.
Wallace Miner.
DIAMOND DRILL AT
GOLDFIELD DISTRICT
A diamond drilling outfit, with - a bor
ing capacity of 1000 feet or more, was
unloaded from freight cars at Goldfield
lately and has been hauled to a point
about three miles northeast of Dlamond
lleld where it Is said that deep prospect
ing will bo conducted Thc men who are
at the head of the project are now on the
coast but It Is expected that they will re
turn here shortly and they are said to be
arranging for men to erect tho drilling
equipment in order that work may be
started at once. They have observed
some reticence regarding their movements
and plans and much Interest is shown
here In the prospect of what may develop
as a result of this work.
Drilling operations were conducted
some years ago on the eastern slope of
Columbia mountain but no great depth
was attained and some difficulty was ex
perienced owing to the character of the
ground. The Consolidated Mines com
pany has used a diamond drill In tho
Combination mine. In locating the down
ward extension of the Reilly vein ore
body, and this drill is to be used on the
deepest levels of the Grizzly Bear. Oth
er than tills there have been no experi
ments with diamond drills In the Gold
field district. Goldfield News.
Knight of Columbus Outing.
Sixth annua state outing of thc K.
of C. at Lagoon Tlmrsdav, .June 26.
Round trip, 2oc, " o248G
i
"Waudamore Cafe, trout dinner served
from 5 to 8:30 p. in 50r. j
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5Pi 405rewnWaS E
- L
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gffTO "-M
Jidy ?, 5, 10, 23, 31. S
Good until October 31st returning.
Round Trip Fares From Main Line Points. S
Chicago $56.50 St. Louis
St. Paul 55.70 Minneapolis n mt
Kansas City J0.00 Omaha o9
Denver 22.50 Colorado Springs....
Proportionately low rates to many other points.
STEAMSHIP TICKETS to all parts of the world.
Electric lighted Pullman and tourist sleepers to DenvOM
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DINING CAR SERVICE BEST ANYWHERE. '
SUNDAY EXCURSIONS TO PROVO CANYON, $lo. W
Special train leaves Salt Lake 7:45 A. M. ,Mj
Roturniag leaves Upper Falls :00 -f, a. jJrpiM
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