Show THE SEVEN DEVILS ov written critien for THE REVIEW by Col colonel ofiel pat donan seven huge ragged and craggy mountain peaks give name to the region which promises soon to become one of the greatest copper producers in the new world if not in the world both old and new the mineral was discovered years ago and was sufficiently explored to establish its richness and practical exhaustlessness but the inaccessibility of the mines has so far prevented their development on any scale at all commensurate with their immensity of extent and value the camp lies about eighty eight miles northeast of baker city with which point it is connected by a wagon road But eighty or a hundred miles of rugged mountain road is too far to haul anything much less valuable than gold bullion or concentrates so mines that are apparently defined before long to rank among the most famous american bonanzas have lain for years idly conscious of their own amazing riches and but little known among outsiders all the experts who have ever visited the region of diabolical nomenclature and divine endowments unite in declaring that ore bodies so vast and running so high in metallic copper have probably never been found anywhere else in the united states the mineral belt has been clearly traced for fully thirty miles extending clear across snake river into union county oregon where some notably rich finds have recently been made in the peacock white monument helena and numerous other mines and claims the veins if such vast and mountainous masses can be termed veins are from to feet wide and the ore runs from 20 to 60 per cent metallic copper besides considerable amounts of gold and silver it was some shipment of crude ore yielding 50 per cent pure copper that first attracted eastern attention to the camp conservative serva tive men estimate that the peacock mine with only a 60 foot shaft has in sight tons of ore that will average 20 per cent copper and 5 per cent copper pays well four carloads of the ore recently shipped averaged 50 per cent copper that is 1000 pounds of metallic copper worth at present prices to the ton of crude ore last july 75 tons of peacock ore were treated in a small experimental smelter erected by isaac blake of new york at cuprum between the mine and ballards landing on snake river the result was 15 tons of copper matte which was shipped to new york where it was found to contain per cent c opper copper ounces of silver and 35 in gold to the ton a grand total at current ma market arket quotations of from 74 tons of crude ore A nine sixteenths interest in the peacock was bonded last october to glass brothers of montana for A recent shipment of 75 tons of ore from the mountain queen averaged 45 per cent copper 20 ounces of silver and 10 in gold to to the ton an average value of to the ton the alaska and mountain king are owned in portland the alaska ore averages 40 per cent copper 30 ounces bances of silver and 12 in gold to the ton and that of the A mountain king from 50 to 60 per cent copper and 30 ounces of silver other important mines and claims are the white monument south peacock and capper key whose ore runs high in gold the blue jacket owned by a new york company the decorah lockwood Dock wood fair play green vale gray horse jupiter rockwood tussle legal tender copper crescent river queen and arkansaw all more or less developed and all rich in promise when shipping facilities are in reach and with all the glittering discoveries that have been made there is still an immense mineralized territory that is virtually and unexplored the great copper camp is walled in by gold mines within a radius of ten miles lie the promising gold fields of placer basin sommers district hildebrandt rapid river deep creek and carbonate hill the pretty townsite of helena adjoining the peacock mine is owned by the seven devils mining company of baker city which holds a number of the most valuable mining claims in the district the one heretofore insurmountable obstacle to the development of this wondrous region of riches has been the lack of transportation facilities and this will speedily be removed the northwest railroad company is now pushing a railway in as fast as men and money can do it from a point near huntington on the oregon short line to tramway junction fourteen miles below ballards landin landing on snake river where donne connection action isto is to be made with an elevated tramway from the peacock mine the entire road is to be completed an and d in operation by october 15 1899 another route is being rapidly surveyed from baker city on the oregon railroad and navigation companas comp anys main line and two thirds of the distance has been covered as this page is written in so the close of the year will probably see the trains of two great railway systems freighted with the treasures of these wild crags and gorges and the seven devils Arans transformed formed into seven shining seraphim worlds wonders spangled bespangled be with gold |