Salt Lake Tribune | 1913-08-31 | Page 1 | Judge Hiles Tells Riches of Tonopah

J UDGE OGDEN HILES, who has returned from a visit to the Tonopah-Halifax mine enthusiastic over the property. JUDGE HILES IFJiPAH Eminent Authority on Mining Law Believes It to Be the Big Camp of the Future. RETURNS FROM VISIT TO HALIFAX TONOPAH Calls It the Camp's Greatest Proposition; Has Extension of the Belmont Ore Body. Judge Ogden Hilcs, ono of Utah's noted jurists and an eminent authority on mining law, returned Saturday afternoon after-noon to Salt Lake City from a visit to the Tonopah, Nov., mining district, decidedly woll pleased and impressed with tho achievements and future possibilities possi-bilities of that great silver-gold producing produc-ing camp. Judge Hiles admitted that he anticipated finding no such extensive exten-sive and high-grade ore bodies as ho found upon investigation, and ho is of the opinion that the Halifax Tonopah proporty will prove to bo ono of the greatest mines of that section. He was joinod at Tonopah by Thomas Kearns, vice president of tho Halifax oompany, and thoreby enjoyed every facility for investigating conditions in this mine. Both gentlomen roturned to thiB city yesterday. When seen last night, Judge HileB said: ThiB was my first visit to the Tonopah district, and it appealed to me ne the most promising camp, in tho country in the ovidont certainty of permanency. I did not ' expoct to find such great mines 'there as really eodat. The ledges are much larger than I expected to find them and conditions impressed mo as being be-ing much like the Comstock camp. The large gold valuo3 in the ores are similar to those of tho Comstock, although the gold values In the ores of tho lattor district are larger. Tonopah is cortain to be a very largo producer. Has the Belmont Vein. My visit to the camp was for the purpose primarily of seeing tho Halifax property, and I found it giving evory promise of being one of the greatest producers of the country. Tho company has opened what .appears beyond question to be the extension of the Tonopah Belmont ore bodies, and on the 1000-foot level a body of ore, much of which is very high grade, has been crosscut for forty foot. The indications are that the same ore body will be cut on the 1400-foot level, where some cro is now being found, but this has not boon ns thoroughly developod eb yet as on tho 1000. The Halifax shaft is down to the 1700-foot lovol, but no drifting has beon done at that depth as yet. There can bo no quostion but that this is a very big mine, and in its acquisition and development Senator Sena-tor KearuB has shown proof of his eound judgment and courage, and tho Halifax will add very largely to his fortune. Belmont's Dividends. The Belmont property, which ad-iolnta ad-iolnta the Halifax on the westt has fine oto bodies from whioh it ia paying dividends at the rate of 6375,000 quarterly, and in my opinion opin-ion tho Halifax will proro to bo a larger mino than the Belmont. I was certainly eurnriBod at finding find-ing the district bo much largor than I liad anticipated. Judge Ogdon Hilos has boon familiar with mines, mining and the mining law for many years. After the war, in which ho served ns a soldier from Maryland, Mary-land, ho Btudied law and practiced in Virginia City, Nev. For a number of rears he was prosecuting attorney for Storey county, in which Virginia City and tho groat Comstock mines are located. lo-cated. For many years he has boon one of Salt Lake's most prominont citizens. citi-zens. Ho was olected as a Democrat to tho district bonch, on which he sorved for four years, rendering notable nota-ble decisions in a numbor of important mining cases.