| Show el capitan and last chance mines are part of happy jack group last week we told you about the nationally famous cooper bronson happy jack mine at white can yon utah actually there is not just one mine here there are three with the happy jack in the center the other two mines are named the el JEI capitan and the last chance both are only a few hundred feet from the happy jack and today s story largely concerns them A large denver gardner two stage compressor capable of putting out cubic feet of air per minute is located near the happy jack drifts on the operating ledge this ledge which clings to the vertical canyon walls has been blasted out of solid rock and connects all three mines this huge compressor supplies pow er to operate the mucking machine in the happy jack the one and one half ton shuttle car in the last chance and the slusher in the el capitan mine it also furnishes air power to operate the jack hammers or rock drills in all three mines as well as three 2 centrifugal sump pumps and one small piston pump carios carlos hyde and afton hyde bro and both living in monticello are operating the el capitan by con tract the hydes have not found it necessary to hire any employees and are working the mine by them selves they are using a new method of transporting the mined ore from inside the mine to the unloading platform their new machine is 19 called a scoot crete a rubber tired shuttle car with a diesel engine it rumbles right into the mine for a 1 ton load of ore each trip thus eliminating the need for iron tracks hoists etc the hyde brothers were enthusiastic about the advantages of using this type of mine nune transportation the slusher a machine in the el capitan that loads the ore into the shuttle car is run by compressed air from the happy jack compressor it is reported that the last chance mine is leased and operated by four members of tahe family mrs mae cooper joe cooper s mother ace holden son in law of fletcher bron son and lawrence cooper and I 1 warren bronson the last chance also uses a trackless shuttle car but of a different type this one is operated by compressed air from the happy jack compressor I 1 was unable to learn whether or not this type of shuttle car was considered as effi chent as the one with a diesel engine uranium at the happy jack group is found mainly in uran urani mite when mined this type of ore is black with a greenish brownish or grayish cast to it that leaches out yellow ore output from all three of these mines is probably about 90 tons per day r 4 e ap 4 F A e ax v ow 7 A evv IX r X 4 k P V OA AX aw 1 tu af 7 na X A oi 41 1 1 V at 0 P 4 e A 4 SW 1 4 11 45 4 A 4 V sv 6 W 8 A I 1 green river journal photo this is a picture of the last chance mine which broms part of the happy jack holdings the drift or entrance at the left is the one being worked at present the tunnel entrance at the right is an old drift now being used for storage the small house visible above the storage entrance belongs to 0 herbert goforth a miner and the trailer house perched far above the mine entrances belongs to grant bronson of monticello V it V 1141 le 5 1 A V W N here is entrance to the el capitan mine which is associated with the famous happy jack mine belong ing to bronson and cooper of monticello utah I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 4 1 the machine standing in front of the mine drift is the new type of transportation that goes into the mine for ore making iron tracks and hoists unnecessary afton hyde of monticello IIo is in the operators seat carlos hyde also of monticello Montice IIo is standing behind the rubber tired shuttle car the use of this shuttle car makes it possible for the hyde brothers to operate this mine without hiring any employees |
