Show electra electrical cal power plant for vi pont sa s1 silver mines arrangements have been completed recently whereby a volt power line will be built to the silver mines from oakley idaho according to information received at the local offices a few days ago electricity as soon as the power line is completed will be used instead of the semi diesel engines which have hitherto driven the machinery necessary for mining and milling operations work will be started on the construction of this line by january 15 the idaho power company will build line from oakley idaho to the utah line from which point the company will complete the work to the mine a distance of about three miles from the mine situated in boxelder Box elder county to oakley is about twenty six miles by the road but by the power line this distance will be putdown cut down to about twenty one miles installation of electrical power equipment will effect a considerable saving for the silver mining company hitherto the company has had to haul considerable supplies of fuel oil a distance of twenty six miles and from an altitude of about feet above sea level to feet As most of the climb is made in the last nine miles transportation of sup pleis to the mill and mine is difficult although the hauling from the mine to the railroad is simple mill operation successful the chief values of the mines ore is silver the occurs in the form of native silver and silver sulphide replacement in a black limestone the ore presents few difficult problems of treatment most of the deposition is found in irregular ore bodies associated with a well defined fissure system results of treating the ore by the janney machine oil flotation process have been satisfactory about tons of ore are treated in three shifts per day during december about GO 60 ounces of silver was produced at the property an interesting story is connected with the opening up of the mine two years or so ago charles A phillips of spokane wash was casually shown a sample of wire silver by an acquaintance at oakley idaho upon inquiry arl mr phillips was was informed that the ore came from an abandoned mine in the northwest corner of utah and that the sample was probably all the mine contained mr phillips although of the same opinion in regard to the amount of ore at the mine from the fact that the country was better known as a fine grazing district than for its minerals took the trouble to go to the old mine first discovered in 1860 and abandoned in the silver slump of 1893 after sporadic and profitless activity large capital interested so favorably was mr phillips impressed by his inspection of the mine that he obtained a bond and lease on the property and put a crew to work later maj mr phillips interested te R H ChEZ channing nning jr president of the utah consolidated mining company who with his brother J park channing of boston took over the property the mill which has been operating for over a year was constructed soon after the change in ownership took place the silver company owns 1244 acres of patented mining ground the relatively small territory explored up to this time is said to be richly and persistently mineralized this condition with other favorable indications leads officials of the company to believe that as exploration work is carried on ore reserves will be consistently added to and that the property will produce over a long term of years the mine is situated in the ashbrook district in the northwest corner of utah the district according to professional paper no ill of the united states geological survey is an open rolling hill country culminating here nad there in high ridges and low mountain ranges the mines are grouped within a circle a mile in diameter feet above sea level the first claim the homestake Home stake was located in august 1873 and the district organized july 1 1874 districts output reported in 1891 the lexington and argenta claims of the group were worked under bond and lease the argenta claim which was found to yield the richest ore shipped nearly twenty six tons containing an average of 1169 ounces of silver and 13 ounce of gold per ton to the old telegraph smelter in 1892 lot was shipped in 1893 the option was allowed to expire for want of sufficient funds for development A milling plant erected on the group in august 1897 contained a lewis roller mill two amalgamating pans palis and one settler treated in fourteen days an average of eight tons of ore per day resulting in a bar of bullion weighing pounds one twentieth of which was reported to be gold and the remainder silver the geological survey report shows the metal production of the district from 1899 to 1917 to have had a value of approximately although prospecting in the range began many years ago until the operations of the present silver mining company the district has never had any large production salt lake tribune ath 0 |