Show LONG TUNNEL DRAINS ALTA MINES watering unwavering Un of the workings of the old columbus consolidated mine accomplished recently by the connection made between the wasatch mines tunnel and the level of the famous old producer marks another important achievement in the alta utah district the wasatch mines tunnel which is said to be one of the most extensive pieces of engineering work undertaken in the state was started not only for the purpose of tapping the old columbus consolidated workings at depth but to furnish transportation and drainage for other alta mines in the early the Colum columbus bas consolidated soli dated was a rich producer several hundred thousand dollars worth of ore were mined and shipped when the level was reached trouble with water prevented economical operation all extensive mining operations were suspended later the wasatch mines company acquired the property and started the main working tunnel crosscut cross cut along fissure when the face of the tunnel had been advanced to a distance of feet from the portal the management decided that a crosscut should be driven along a fissure feet back of the face until the cardiff contact in which the richest was found in the columbus consolidated workings was intersected accordingly drifting was started along this fissure at a distance of approximately feet from the point at which the crosscut cross cut tunnel left the main adit the contact was cut on this contact a two compartment nine by five foot raise has been made in good milling ore all the way according to J E beveridge who has been directing the work one foot of the ore is an excellent shipping ore which samples about 70 per ton in gold silver lead and copper that the management was able to make the connection with the level feet above the crosscut cross cut with no loss of time or life was remarkable from the fact that the no 3 shaft had seventy feet of water and that the several miles of drifts were also full of water when the upraise was within thirty feet of connecting with the level above a round of holes was put in this blast caused the whole intervening mass of rock to slip from the top of the raise to the bottom men have close call the men who were going off shift had covered considerable of the distance to the portal of the tunnel when the blast was fired one of the men who heard a rather unusual noise following the explosion started to run and the rest followed the men had just reached the portal when a wave of water which almost filled the adit came rushing down the tunnel with great force this water ran out of the tunnel four feet deep for almost a whole day said mr beveridge at the present time the columbus consolidated soli dated workings are completely with the exception of a few feet of water which stands in a sump at the bottom of the no 3 shaft it is said the upraise from the crosscut cross cut tunnel to the foot level has been timbered after some preliminary work actual mining operations can be begun several good exposures of ore ord opened up by the extensive drifts exist in the old workings and it is the managements wish to start operations upon these as soon as possible all of the operations will be carried on from the wasatch mines tunnel side and the old shaft of the columbus consolidated soli dated merely used for escapes and yen ventilation ti |