Greatest Gold Mines
THE recent completion of an addition
of 100 stamps to the Amicus mill
of the Homestake Co. at Lead City
S. D., gives that company the largest
combination of gravity stamp batteries
in the world—1000 heavy stamps—
which crush every twenty-four hours
upwards of 4000 tons of ore, or about
1,400,000 tons annually. There are
many mines, and good mines too, which
have not sufficient ore in sight to keep
these Homestake stamps in operation
six months, but the Homestake ore is
low grade—under $4—and to make min
ing profitable under the existing con
ditions it is necessary to conduct oper
ations on a scale attempted in but few
places elsewhere.
The first Homestake mill consisted of
thirty-five light stamps, and was built
Jn 1876-77. In the summer of 1878 the
ffrat heavy mill, the Homestake of
eighty stamps, was completed, and soon
thereafter was commenced the con
struction of the second large mill, the
Golden Star of 120 stamps, followed the
next year by the Highland, (now Ami
cus) mill, with 120 Stamps. In the
meantime the Father De Smet Co. one
mile to the northward, built a mill of
100 stamps, the Deadwood Co. and the
Golden'Terra Go. each built 60 stamp
mills. Ail of these mills have enlarged
and consolidated with the Homestake
and more built to keep pace with the
expanding industry until it has become
in many respects, the greatest gold
mine on earth. _
The nearest competitor for magni
tude of operations in a gold mine, is
found in the Alaska-Treadwell and Al
aska-Mexican mine on Douglas Island,
Alaska. The mining methods are dis
similar, but the general features of
these great mines are about the same.
The evolution of these mines from pro
perties of small and incomplete devel
opment and equipment, as compared
with their present magnitude, has been
a constant study of changing conditions
—physical, structural and metallurgi
cal. Every advantage has been made
U3e of. Automatic machinery has been
introduced in every department. Grav
ity has aided greatly in the solution of
the problem, and today cheaper mining
is done nowhere than at the Treadwell
and the Humestake mines.
Among The Miners
Welsh & Goslaw are prospecting on
15a Hoosier. They have three shafts
under way.
Ehrhcrn & Hull have just bedrocked
another shaft. They have good pros
pects.
C. A. Davidson has been in town the
week from Thanksgiving on the sick
list.
Cutting & Ballou are crosscutting on
the lower end of 5 Ruby. The giant
will soon displace their thawer,
Wood & Wood, 19a Hoosier, are on
fair pay. Mr. Wood, Sr. has been sick
in town the past week, and will return
to the creek tomorrow. They have a
good sized dump hoisted.
Louie Iverson and Frank Hammond
returned from Squaw creek the early
part of the past week. They sunk two
shafts on Sourdough, a tributary of the
former, and expect to return and do
some drifting.
Monroe & Lindsay are prospecting
the width of the pay on 13a Hoosier,
preparatory to summer hydraulic oper
ations. Rich pay has been found in
many of the shafts sunk. Water is
preventiug any drifting, so the testing
can be done by shafts only.
R. H. Wright is hoisting good pay on
Thanksgiving. Recent underground
prospecting has disclosed a much wider
paystreak than formerly supposed, and
of a higher grade of pay. The hoist
will lift three barrow loads of dirt in
each minute.
The subject for Sunday evening at
St. Andrew's chapel will be: “I am
the Resurrection and the Life.' ’
Rev. M. E. Koonce received a tele
gram the past week announcing the
good news of the birth of a son. This
paper extends congratulations.
Dave McQuesten and Lynn Smith re
turned to Fairbanks Thursday. Among
freight taken was a reel containing
2200 feet of steel cable.
Whooping cough has carried off two
children at the villiage the past week.
One, a six-year old boy, a son of the
late Chief Moses; the other, the four
year old son of Paul David. Henry
Nicolai, a young man, is dying from
consumption at the villiage. All in all
the present winter has been a hard one
on the Yukon Indians.
OLD PIONEER
Carries a Full and Complete
Assortment of the Finest • -
Brands of Imported and Do
mestic WINES
...LIQUORS and CIGARS
RAMPART
TANANA
JOE ANIC1CH
Proprietor
Alaska
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