Show THE SNOWSHOE MINE operations of the pacific coast smelting smelling Sm elting refining mining company special correspondence libby mont july 25 ernest H wilson consulting engineer of the pacific coast smelting smelling Sm elting refining ning t and mining company I 1 states that shipping has been resumed on the snowshoe mine near this place of which lie he is manager the mine is one ot 01 the oldest in the eastern part of the coeur dalene district mr wilson in speaking of the snowshoe said our ton mill which has been in operation for some time is now treating between and tons of ore daily and we have on hand fully 1000 tons of concentrates cen in conjunction with the county we rebuilt the wagon road from libby to the mine and it is now in good condition for foi automobile travel our shipping point ls is cherry creek seven miles from the mine on the libby lumber companas comp anys log logging g i n g I 1 road we are working 0 more than men at the time and between twenty five and thirty men at our reservoir where we are raising the dam twenty five feet this will increase the area of the reservoir from twenty to one hundred acres its elevation is such that it furnishes water under a head of 1100 feet to our mill and power plant our concentrates average in value between 50 to 60 per cent in lead from 15 to 20 per cent in iron 25 ounces of silver and from 12 to 15 in gold to the ton the ratio of concentration is between six and seven to one the mine is developed to a depth of feet the main drift has proved the ore shoot to be 1100 feet in length with only one end in sight the ore body is from rive five to twelve feet in width we have just bonded the silver tip group of four claims constituting the southern extension of the snowshoe property the work to date on this group aggregates gre gates feet of tunnels in all of which a there are good showings of ore we have started work on a new tunnel from trie tiie south side of the mountain on silver tip ground which eventually will give an added depth of 1000 feet on the snowshoe ore shoot we are surveying a wagon road from cherry creek to the portal of the new tunnel As soon as it is completed a large compressor plant will be installed there and when we open the mine from this point we shall erect there a larger concentrator the snowshoe company owns all the water rights on cherry snowshoe and lee creeks mr wilson said also he could not understand why it is that mining operators nave so long neglected the libby district which he added deserves more attention than it has ever received continuing he said the district contains one of the best and largest mineral belts in the northwest which when it is adequately developed will in my opinion prove second to none in the country so great is the area awaiting development that we should be glad to see others join us in the work because we recognize that the job is far too big for any one company to handle |