Show STEAM SHOVEL VS CAVING SYSTEMS there is a question of doubt as to the relative value of mining by steam shovel or by the caving system at the ruth mine near ely nevada owing to the vast amount of overburden that must be removed if the former method is finally decided upon in commenting upon experiments now being made to fully decide upon the ques question tion of superiority of methods from an cedono economical standpoint the boston news bureau says pope yeatman consulting engineer of nevada consolidated has returned east after an examination of the ruth mine at ely nevada with the view of deciding between steam shovel versus caving of underground der ground mining methods for this ore body mr yeatman left a corps of assistants in charge of robert marsh who will thoroughly investigate the pro and con of the much mooted question of steam shoveling this rich ore at last reports the ruth ore body was credited with tons of 25 per cent ping to less than two yards of capping per ore approaching at no point nearer than seventy feet to the surface the average aap depth of over burden was in excess of thred th cubic yards per ton of ore by eliminate elimina tilla s some of the deeper ore the overburdens a been reduced to 27 cubic yards per ton arla churn drills are now engaged in III exploring the tract especially around the edges and at depth so as to add additional tonnages ton nages ot of lower grade ore such low grade ore could be susceptible to steam shovel mining where it boull hardly repay underground mining if fou fod n d in sufficient amounts it w will I 1 11 materially ateria lly increase the total ore tonnage and the number of cubic yards of capping t ti be stripped per ton of ore rained mined this is the deciding factor in determining the problem of steam shovel versus underground der ground mining at the ruth its importance is apparent from the fact that stripping would cost 30 to 33 cents per cubic yard and steam shovel mining about 1712 17 Vs cents hence with two yards of capping to one ton of ore that ton of ore would C cost ost 77 12 to 83 1 cents to extract as against 60 to 90 cents per ton by underground mining with the caving system thus it would appear that steam shoveling of the ruth ore body is unlikely un les enough tonnage of low grade ore can be added so as to reduce the factor of capping to less than two yards of capping ton of ore it will require some six months explore tion by churn drills and thorough digestion of the records to determine the mining method best suited to the extraction of maximum profits out or of the ruth ore body it is unlikely that actual mining of the ruth will resume within a year especially it if steam shoveling be decided upon |