Resume of Mining
Prince William Sound
In a resume of mining codltions on
Prince William Sound, United States
mine Inspector, Summer S. Smith, in
hia annual report, says:
Alaska Mine Corporation
The corporation operates the Schios
ser property, about three-fourths of a
mite from the beach, on the south side
of Fidalgo bay. The ore, chalcopyrite
mixed to a greater or less extent with
massive iron sulphride, is found In
lenses along a shear zone which vary
in size but have a fairly consistent
strike of N. 20 degrees E. and are
nearly vertical.
The property has been opened by
drifts on four levels, the third or tram
level being at an elevation of 796 feet.
The fourth level is 138 feet below the
third, the second is 129 feet above it,
and the first 75 feet above the second.
More or less stoping has been done on
all the levels and connections have
been made between the third and sec
ond.
A 600-ton ore bunker has been erect
ed at the wharf and connected to the
mine by an aerial tram. The diameters
of the cables are five-eighths, seven
eighths, and 11-8 inches, respectively,
for the traction, empty track, and load
ed track cables.
Alice Mines (Ltd.)
The property of the Alice Mines
(Ltd.*) is situated on the north shore of
Shoup bay. The fissure crosses a slale
graywacke series with a strike of N
62 degrees W. and a dip of 20 degrees
to 80 degrees S. The vein is 6 inches
to 11-2 feet wide. It has been opened
by a 250-foot drift and a 170-foot shaft,
the bottom of which is 100 feet below
the drift level. From the bottom of
the shaft drifts have been driven 50
feet in each direction along the vein.
The property is equipped with an 8
by 10 Inch twin-cylinder steam hoist,
100-horsepower boiler, a compressor
with a capacity of 360 cubic feet of
free air per minute, machine drills,
pumps, and electric lighting plant.
Banner Mine
The Banner group of claims on the
south shore of Betties bay, a small
body of water off Port Wells, has been
developed by C. Christopher, under
bond, during the year. The vein is a
fracture zone in a siliceous dike, which
V strikes northeast and dips steeply
northwest, the broken material being
cemented with gold-bearing quartz. A
drift has been driven along the ore,
which varies from 1 to 6 feet wide,
for about 200 feet. It is planned to in
stall a mill and mining machinery in
the spring.
Cliff Mine
At the Cliff mine, on the north shore
of Port Valdez, about 12 miles from
the town of Valdez, two drifts were
driven above the old workings and a
raise started to connect them. The ore
from this development was hauled to
the mill and crushed whenever a suf
ficient amount had accumulated to
warrant starting the plant, which con
tains six Nissen stamps.
Cube Mine* Co.
The company is developing the
Three-in-One and Cube groups of
claims on the north side of Port Val
dez.
On the Three-in-One the vein varies
from 2 to 8 feet wide and crosses a
country rock of graywacke. At an ele
vation of 1,452 feet a drift has been
run for 900 feet in the vein and 175
feet above this a drift has been driven
400 feet. The two have been con
nected by a raise. The company has
purchased equipment consisting of a
Buchanan jaw crusher, a Hardinge
conical mill, three Faust tables, and
two Fairbanks’More 25-hp. seml-Deisel
engines, which will be Installed at the
property this winter.
At the Cube a drift has been driven
30 feet on complex ore containing cop
per, lnon, and gold. It is planned to
ship this material to the Granby smelt
er at Anyox, B. C.
Ellamar Mining Co.
The company operates the Ellamar
mine, at Ellamar, on the western shore
of Virgin bay, about 20 miles south
west of Valdez. The mine is opened
on seven levels from a 600-foot, 3-com
partment, vertical shaft, crosscuts be
ing driven from the shaft to the ore
body. The outcrop is covered with
water at high tide, so a cofferdam has
been constructed to prevent flooding.
The ore body, a fracture zone in a
group of sedimentary rocks, chiefly
slates, has a maximum width of 100
feet, and is divided longitudinally into
two classes of ore by a layer of slate
which has an average width of 4 feet.
The northeast or hanging-wall side is
heavy, fine-grained pyritic ore with a
low copper content and a fair value in
gold. On the foot-wall side of the slate
the ore contains a higher percentage
of chalcopyrite than on the hanging
wall side but its gold content is lower.
In the early years of operation, when
only the richer copper was handled at
a profit, the ore was mined through a
glory hole and stopes worked on the
shrinkage system. For a few years
after the old stopes had been emptied
na particular method of mining was
employed but in 1913 a filling system
was adopted whereby the old opening
were cribbed and filled and the ad
joining ore mined.
For the first few years the waste for
filling was obtained from crosscuts
and raises in the hanging wall. Owing
to the high cost of the filling and to
the fact that there was considerable
methane in the graphitic slate of the
hanging wall, which accumulated in
the raises and resulted in several ac
cidents, the filling system was
changed. The filling is now obtained
from a glory hole, 700 feet from the
ore body. It is drawn through chutes
to the 100-foot level and hauled by a
gasoline motor to the mine, where it
is distributed by watse chutes to the
particular workings where it is need
ed. Cribbed chutes are carried up and
the stopes filled as the ore is mined.
The ore is trammed by hand to the
shaft, hoisted, and stored in bins from
which it is loaded by an aerial tram
way directly to the ship’s hold. This
year the work has been confined to
those parts of the mine above the third
level and to diamond drilling.
In the main power plant there is a
250-hp. Geary water-tube boiler and
two 70-hp. Brownell locomotive-type
boilers. The latter are used as aux
iliaries in case the Geary is closed
down. Crude oil is used for fuel, the
storage tank having a capacity of 1,
500 barrels. The hoist is a 10 by 12
inch, duplex-geared, double-loose
drum, Vulcan hoist. The compressor
is a Nordberg two-stage, cross-com
pound condensing machine with 12
and 24 inch steam cylinders. The air
cylinders are 12 3-4 and 21 inches in
diameter and the stroke is 36 inches.
Ingersoll-Rand jack hammers, stope
hammers, and type C-110 machines are
used underground.
The tramway is a Broderick & Bas
com design. The capacity of the
buckets is 14 cubic feet each and the
capacity of the tram is 200 tons per
hour with a rope speed of 450 feet per
minutes. The diameter of the track
cable on the loaded side is 1 5-8 inches,
on the empty side 1 inch, and that of
the traction cable is five-eighths of
aninch.
hidalgo Mining Co.
The company is operating a group
of 24 lode claims on the southeastern
shore of Fidalgo bay, about one-half
a mile from the beach.
The ore, chiefly chalcopyrite, lies in
a shear zone through slate, graywacke,
and greenstone, and strikes N. 30 de
grees W„ with a dip of 67 degrees NE.
Two drifts have been driven along the
shear zone to open the ore with raises
through to the surface. The ore oc
curs in lenses of variable size through
this zone, the largest so far opened
being 6 feet wide. The elevation of
the upper drift in 962 feet; the lower
one is 100 feet below this. About 500
feet of track has been laid from the
lower level to the ore bins, which are
connected with the bunkers on the
wharf by a 2,000 Riblet balanced tram
way. The buckets have a capacity of
10 cubic feet each and there are three
towers. The track cables are 1 inch
in diameter and the haulage cable
three-eighths of an inch. The upper
bins have a capacity of 50 tons and
the lower 500 tons. The ore is hand
sorted and shipped to the Tacoma
smelter. This year a power plant has
been installed containing a 36-inch Pel
ton wheel belted to an Ingersoll-Sar
gent compressor having a capacity ol
386 cubic feet of free air per minute
The water for the wheel is conveyed
1,200 feet in a wooden-stave pipe
through which a fall of 400 feet 1e
obtained. The upper 600 feet of th«
line is built of 12-lnch pipe; the lowei
of 8-inch. Ingersoll-Rand jack ham
mere are used underground.
Galena Bay Mining Co.
The assessment work was the onlj
development reported at the Galem
Bay mine, on the ridge between Galens
and Boulde bays.
Gold King Mine
The mine near the head of one o
the eastern arms of Columbia glacier
about 22 miles from Valdez, was oper
ated for a short time the past seasoi
by the original owners. There ari
several known veins on the propert;
which cut a slate-graywacke series.
The mill equipment consists of a i
by 8 inch Dodge crusher, a 3 1-2-foo
Huntington mill, and a Frue vanner.
Golden Eagle Mine
Only the assessment work was done
at the Golden Eagie group, near Gold
en, in the Port Wells district. The
property, which reverted to the origin
al owners sometime ago, is equipped
with a flve-tamp mill.
Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting
A Power Co. (Ltd.)
The Granby company operates the
Midas mine, in Solomon basin, across
the harbor from Valdes. The ore,
principally chalcopyrite in a siliclous
and pyrite gangue, strikes nearly east
and west, and dips approximately 45
degrees north. The ore body, which
varies from 1 to 20 feet wide, average
about 4 1-2 feet, has been opened by
three drifts, with crosscuts and raises,
giving oyer 200 feet of backs. Much
of the ore is sufficiently high grade to
ship direct to the smelter, so the
stopes have been confined to these
high grade areas in the mine, although
this work has opened large quantities
of ore of an excellent milling grade, j
It is planned to install a concentration
plant at some later date.
During the year a 200-horsepower
Diesel engine has been installed which
drives a two-tage Ingersoll-Rand Im
perial type air compressor with a ca
pacity of 1,000 cubic feet of free air
per minute. Ingersoll-Rand, Waugh,
and Sullivan machines are used under
ground.
A 5 1-2-mile Riblet aerial tramway,
with a capacity of 15 tons per hour,
conveys the ore from the mine to the
bunkers at the wharf. The track cables
are 11-8 inches in diameter on the
loaded side and seven-eighths inch on
the empty side with a five-eighths inch
haulage cable. The tram is driven by
a 30-horsepower Foos gas engine. The
bunkers on the wharf have a capacity
of 3,000 tons and load directly on
ocean-going vessels with a belt convey
or driven by a 25-horsepower gas en
gine. The ore is shipped to the com
pany’s smelter at Anyox, British Col
umbia, on Observatory Inlet. About
14,000 tons was shipped to Anyox dur
ing 1916.
Granite Gold Mining Co.
The Granite mine is about a mile
from the beach, at Hobo bay, on Port
Wells. The vein varies from 1 1-2 to
8 feet wide, averaging approximately
26 inches, has a variable strike, and
dips roughly 45 degrees N. The fis
sure cuts a slate-granite contact, so a
part of the ore body is in slate and a
part in granite. There are many
branches and considerable difficulty
has been met in following the ore. |
with a crosscut on an inclined shaft
with a crosscut ton an inclined shaft
on the ore, since which time a second
crosscut has been run on the mill level
and a raise driven to tap the bottom
of the shaft. The level was opened on
the main vein at 50, 110, 150, 210, and
350 feet, the mill crosscut being 125
feet below the latter.
The mill is in two parts, ten stamps
on one side and a 7-foot Lane mill on
the other. The ore on the stamp side
passes through a jaw crusher to the
bins where it is fed automatically to
two Hendy 5-stamp batteries, the
stamps weighing 1,350 pounds each,
falling 105 times per minute with a
6 1-4-inch drop. The ore is crushed to
40-mesh passed over amalgamating
limies, anu conceniraiea on wiiney
and Deister tables. In the second unit'
the Lane is followed by 14-inch Allis
Chalmers rolls, the pulp going over
plates to a Wilfley table. The concen
trate from both units Is shipped and
the tailings stored.
The main power plant, situated on
the beach, contains two 80-horsepower
Oil-burning boilers which furnish
steam for an American Ball 180-horse
power engine. The latter drives a
160-kilowatt Westinghouse dynamo.
The compressor at the mine has a
capacity of 620 cubic feet of free air
per minute and is driven by a 100
horsepower motor. Underground, Sul
livan and Ingersoll-Rand machines are
used.
Kennecott Copper Corporation
The Bonansa mine, known locally as
the Beatson or Latouche property, is
owned by the Kennecott Copper Cor
poration. The property is situated at
Latouche on the western side of La
touche Island near the northern end,
The ore is chalcopyrlte in an altered
slate and graywacke associated with
considerable pyrrohotite. The mine has
been opened by a main-haulage level,
with crosscuts through the ore body;
a 100-foot level below' this, three bluff
levels at varying intervals above, and
a glory hole. The latter Is roughly 100
by 400 feet in extent and is connected
by raises to the haulage level, as are
the bluff levels above.
During the summer the bulk of the
ore mined is blasted from the face of
, the bluff into the glory hole, where it
• is bulldozed and drawn through to the
i haulage level. When the weather be
> comes too inclement to work outside
r the ore Is drawn from stopes under
ground, which are worked on the full
! breast system, only enough ore being
t drawn from the stope to give head
room for the machines. The broken
ore passes over heavy grizzlies
through bulldozing chambers before it
enters the chutes and is reduced to a
convenient size before being drawn
into the cars. Seme o£ the ore is shijv
ped direct to Tacoma but the larger
portion goes to the- concentration
plant.
In the mill the ore passes from a ro
tary coarse crusher to a Symons disk
machine from which, it is distributed
by a conveyor belt to the bins. From
these it passes to, a Marey n»ill. where
it is ground to 40 mesh. It is next
class! ied, the oversize going to Har
dinge mills after, which it unites with
the undersize and passes to the flota
tion units. Following these U a Dorr
thickener and an Oliver fitter press,
the concentrate being dried in a Rug
gles-Cole drier before it is shipped to
the smelter at Tacoma. The plant has
a capacity of 750' tons per 24 hours
but this is to be doubled, in the near
future.
The steam plant consists of three
305-horsepower Erie City watertube
boilers, using crude oil for fuel, which
is stored in one 5,000 and one 25,000
barrel tank. Two 625 Westinghouse
Parsons turbines supply electricity for;
the mill and mine pumps.
Se\eral types of ingersoll-Rand and
Sullivan machines are used under
giound, the air being supplied by an
ingersoll-Rand two-stage compressor,1
which has a capacity of 720 cubic feet
of free air per minute. The latter is
driven by a 122-horsepower McEwen
engine.
Landlock Bay Copper Co.
The company owns a group of seven
lode claims on the south side of Land
lock bay. The four ore zones, chai
copyrite, occupy shear zones through'
slate, graywacke, and greenstone. On
the west side of the ridge on which
the claims are located, two crosscuts
have intersected the ore, and shallow
winzes are sunk on the ore bodies. A
wharf and 800-ton bunkers have been
constructed near the entrance to the
lower crosscut, which is about 80 feet
above the sea level.
Mineral King Mining Co.
The company has been installing a
10-stamp mill this season at its prop
erty about a mile east of Betties bay,
on Port Wells. There are three gold
bearing veins on the property, but ex
cept for a few open cuts the explora
tion work has been confined to one.
This vein, which cuts a slate-gray
wacke series, strikes N. 40 degrees W.
anddipa 53 degrees NE. Its width var
ies from 6 inches to 4 feet, with an
average of 18 inches. A shaft has been
sunk 110 feet on the ore and drifts
run on the vein about 200 feet from
the 100-foot point. The property is
equipped with a 16-horsepower boiler
and a 12-horsepower hoist. The mine
is at an elevation of 700 feet and a
mill site has been staked on the flat
near tidewater, where water Is avail
able for power.
Ramsey Rutherford Mining Co. |
The company in operating a high
grade lode gold property, about 11
miles northeast of Valdez. The projy
erty is situated on a ridge east of the
main Valdez glaciee.at an elevation of
3,500 feet. The ore vein varies frons
1 to several feet in width, strikes
northwest and dips, 70 degrees to 80
degrees NE. It was originally opened
with a shaft and crosscut to one of the
upper levels. Since- that time a cross
cut on the level of the mill has been
driven 742 feet to tap the vein at the
300. Levels are now opened on the
50, 100, 150, and. 300 foot points, all
the ores passing down the main raise
to the crosscut level, whence It l»
trammed to the mllL
At the mill the ore passes over a
11-2-lnch grizzly, the oversize going to
a 7 by 9 Inch Blake crusher, driven by
a 10-horsepower Fooe gasoline engine.
From the bins the- ore is fed to a 5
stamp Hendy mill by a Challenge
feder and is crushed to 40 mesh. The
stamps weigh 1,000 pounds each, have
a 6-inch drop, and tall about 110 times
a minute. The pulp flows over amal
gamating plates to a Diester table,
which is driven^ by a 3-horsepc»wer
gasoline engine.
Power is furnished to the stamps by
a 20-horsepower ifoos engine. Another
20-horsepower Fbos drives a 9 by 11
inch compressor to furnish air to the
machines undbEground.
Reynolds Alaska Development Co.
The company operates the iron
Mountain {R-operty at Horeshoe bay,
on Lat.ouche Island. The lode is a
large low-grade copper-bearing ore
body which strikes N. 30 degrees E.
and dips 66 degrees W. It has been
opened by three drifts and, a, ifcompart- ^
ment vertical shaft, which is down
110 feet. A hydroelectric plant de
veloping 100 kilowatts supplies power
for the Hoist, compressor, pump, and
lighting.
Sea Coast Mine
A liO-stamp mill, hydroelectric plant,
and aerial tramway were erected at
the Sea Coast gold property on Shoup
bay by parties who had a bond on the
ground but who gave up their option
late in the season.
Sealey-Davis Mining Co.
The company owns a group of 13
lode claims, bordering on the eastern
shore of Shoup bay, about 14 miles
from Valdez. The ore body, a gold
bearing fissure vein which cuts a slate
grawaeke series, strikes N. 50 degrees
W. and dips 61 degrees S\V, It has
been opened by a 60-foot open eut, two
drifts, and a crosscut, giving a total
depth of about 450 feet on the vein.
The average width of the vein through
out the workings is about 42 inches.
Sweepstake Mining Co.
The Sweepstake group is situated at
the upper end of College Fiord, a long
arm at the northern end of Port Wells.
The company has run a drift 150 feet
on the gold-bearing quartz lode, which
-- - —'
varies from- 18 inches to, 41 faet in
width. The strike is N. C5 degrees YV„
the dip practically vertical, and the
elevation of the drift 750 feet. The
country rock. ia slate and graywaoke.
An 1,800-foot balanced aerial tram
and a mill were under construction at
Ihe property this fall. The buckets
will have a capacity of 500- pounds
each. The mflMs a two-fdamp, three
face discharge Hammond Manufactur
ing-Co. planti. the stamps weighing 1,
250 pounds aach. The palp will be
passed over amalgamating- plates to
concentrating tables.
ThomawCtiirosa Mining (To.
The company ia operating-a group of
six lode claftns on Curosa Island, at
Thomas bay. though the- work this
year has beeoigreatly hanujered by liti
gation. The*- vein in quarte, carrying
gold, silver,, ohalcopyrite-,. and1 galena,
and varies ita width from> 1 to 5 feet.
It is nearly vertical and strikes N. 15 ,
degrees E. A number of open cuts
have been made along the outcrop and
a crosscut dHVen 150 feet to intersect
the vein along which a drift Has been
run 250 feet. This season the com
pany has ben installing a 10-foot Lane
mill on the beach and a tram to con
nect the mine and plant, which will be
driven by water power.
Three Man Mirving Co.
The company owns about 40 lode
claims, tributary to Lamdlock bay. The
main group, known locally as the
Dickey claims, is at the head of the
bay; the Alaska Commercial group- is
a little to the west of these, and the
Montezaama group is: on Copper Moun
tain.
The- ore bodies at the Dickey group
lie in shear zones i» a slate-graywacke
greenstone series, have a general west
northwest strike, and dip 45 degree to
90 degrees north. They have been
opened on five levels, with over 2,000
feet of development.
The ore is carried on a short-jlg
’iick aerial tram from the Bower open
ings to the bunkers on the wharf. The
bunkers have a capacity of 800 tons.
Valdez Gold Co.
The Cameron-Johnson Gold Mining
Co. has been reorganized as the Val
dez Gold Co. The property consists
of 23 lode and 3 placer claims, about
4 1-2 mile* from Shoup bay in an air
line, and 20 miles tram Valdez by way
of Shoup bay. The claims are situated
in a glacial valley formerly occupied
by an arm of the Shoup glacier.
A number of veins have been dis
covered on the property, both in the
valley and on the ridge above it, nnd
a deep crosscut has been started to in
tersect these. An aerial tram and 10
Btamp mill have been installed.
Vatdaz Mining Co.
The Valdez Mining Co. let contracts
for the performance of the assessment
work on Its property, which is several
miles north of Valdez, on the western
side of the Valdez glacier.
I I
Friday Evening
For the Benefit of
RED CROSS
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