| Show RE REOPENING OPENING THE OLD HOMESTAKE A dispatch from leadville colorado states that the homestake Home stake mine on home stake peak at the line of lake and eagle counties is again being developed and promises to pay handsomely for its operation the homestake Home stake was located in 1871 ten years after the first ore was found in california gulch in the rock and dome mine twelve men suffered a terrible death in the winter of 1884 85 in their efforts to wrest a fortune from the property these men were marooned by impassable snows which fell during that winter and were carried away by a which wrecked the property the homestake Home stake was the first mine to ship ore from the leadville district pay mineral a copper sulphide was discovered close to grass roots in a vein averaging three feet in width the orid was hauled to denver the original owners sold out and the new company started development on a large scale and in addition to sinking the shaft a development tunnel was started towards the base of the hill driven ahead and connected with the shaft As depth was gained the ore became richer and the vein more defined to save the high cost of transportation the company interested F A of cincinnati and E loescher who erected the malta smelter at the mouth of california gulch the first smelter in lake county in addition to treating the homestake Home stake ore an impetus was given to prospecting and several fissure veins were discovered in dig big evans gulch and the victor and best friend claims started shipping to the malta smelter the first lead carbonate ore was shipped from the la plata mine then followed the rock both located on rock hill california gulch the first carload of bullion was shipped from the smelter in the spring of 1876 the following spring the gallagher brothers sent a sample of ore from the Camp bird under carbonate hill to the smelter which assayed ounces suver silver and four ounces gold per ton this was the beginning of the greatest mining excitement cit ement that the country ever witnessed in april of the same year five small sled loads snow four feet deep were sent to the smelter for which the Galla ghers received within three thre years after the Camp bird discovery fifteen new smelters shelters sm elters were in full blast in the leadville district the carbonate excitement was so intense that no men could be hired to work the homestake Home stake so the owners closed down and it remained idle for a number of years in the summer of 1884 leadville men secured a lease on it and again the old property was sending to the smelter high grade ore everything was made secure and comfortable to continue work throughout the winter provisions and mine supplies were sent in sufficient for eight months the first heavy snow in the fall cut the men off from the outside world trips on snow shoes were made twice a month to the old toll gate on the main road to red cliff for mail in february 1885 the mail trips ceased and after a month elapsed friends of the men became anxious and a searching party started out the mine was reached but no cabins were in sight the whole section being covered by an eight foot blanket of snow the party returned to leadville made their report and in a very short time a large rescue party was on the trail to the mine when the cabins were located and the work of digging them out accomplished the doors broken in a grew some siant was presented to the rescuers twelve men cold in death some kneeling as if in prayer some sitting reading others writing when life was snapped out by a terrible it was years afterwards that the property was again worked then it became idle now with the high price of silver it is generally believed that the old property will once again become a steady producer the ore is still there carrying the same values as it did when capital was induced to erect the first smelter to treat its ores average value of the ore will come close to per ton |
