The Portland main ore-shoot was caused by a junction of three veins, one having a N. W. course, the second a N. E, course, the third, a small cross-vein ; size of ore-shoot is from 12 to 30 feet wide, pinching to 6 feet; its length is 175 to 225 feet. Until a depth of 400 feet the shoot pitched S. W., at angle of 52° near surface. At 400 feet in the granite the shoot straightened, and at 600 feet dipped north 85°. There are values in the vein from the Black Diamond to the Anna Lee, a distance of 800 feet.

Principal Producing Cripple Creek Mines - 1898:

Name: Portland Mines (Battle Mountain)
Owner: Portland Gold Mining Co.
Capital: $3,000,000
President: James F. Burns
Vice-President:
Secretary: Frank G. Peck
Treasurer: James F. Burns
Superintendent:
Manager: John H. McKenzie, Victor
Lessees:
Description: own 135 acres; 7,604 feet of shafts; 1,123 feet of winzes; 12,071 feet of drifts; 2,317 feet of cross-cuts; 190,851 square feet of stoping; Burns shaft 800 feet deep; machinery - 600-horse power V-geared double cylinder and reel hoisting engine; 16-drill (Ingersoll-Sergeant) compressor and 8-drill (Ingersoll-Sergeant) compressor; 500-light dynamo; 100-horse power Mine and Smelter tubular boiler; Snow pumps, made by Snow Steam Pump Works, Buffalo, N. Y.
Employes:
Contact:
Notes:

It is known that the Portland is taking most of its ore from just development work alone.

PLEASANTLY REMEMBERED.—The miners employed on the Portland properties each received as a Christmas gift from the management a five-dollar gold piece. As there are about 400 men employed the sum distributed reached an aggregate of $2,000. The friendly feelings that have ever existed between the Portland and its employees will tend to become more firmly cemented by this graceful act tendered as a mark of appreciation of their faithful services.

During 1899 it was paid in Dividends by the Portland—
January……………………02…$60,000
February...................02……60,000
March.......................02……60,000
April..........................02……60,000
May...........................02……60,000
June...........................02……60,000
July............................02……60,000
August.......................02……60,000
September................02……60,000
October....................02…….60,000
November.................02……60,000
December..................02……60,000
Total……….......................$720,000

During the month of October, the Portland made the usual production of $35 rock.

Mr. T. Fitzgerald is superintendent of the Portland Mine, Cripple Creek, Colo., succeeding Mr. Garvin.

Portland Gold Mining Company— The annual report is very elaborate, and shows the company to be in good shape financially with good ore reserves.
The No. 3 shaft has been sunk to 1,147.5 ft. More ore shows in the mine than a year ago. About 3 miles of development work were done during the year. The water is easily handled. The superintendent's report shows that 89,664 tons of ore net were produced from the mine at a value of $26.03 per ton. making $2,334.024.

Portland Gold Mining Company.—From appearances this company intends to do considerable work. One of the largest compressors in the country is being installed, and one shaft is to be fitted with skips. At present the property is worked by three shafts, the Burns, the No. 2 and the No. 3.

Portland mine, through the courtesy of the management, was visited the first part of the week by the senior class of the State School of Mines upon their annual tour of the mining districts of the State. The class, which numbered 27, was in charge of Profs. Hill, Stockton and King.

That the Portland mine is in excellent shape is indicated by a report covering conditions just issued by the consulting engineer of the property, who recently completed an inspection.
The report shows that many new ore bodies have been opened during the year, and during the past sixty days enough ore has been disclosed to maintain the present output for 18 months or longer, while there is enough in sight in the mine to keep the company's big mill in operation for several years.

The Portland mine has been operating continuously, with the exception of a week, since the strike was inaugurated, with union miners. It's been reported from Cripple Creek today, Jan. 6, that a sensational military arrest was made today in the person of C. H. Reimer, confidential agent of James F. Burns, president of the Portland Gold Mining Company.
The statement is given out that Reimer will be banished from the district and it is intimated that if Burns comes to his rescue, he will be placed in the bull pen.

The directors of the Portland Gold Mining company met last week, and instead of declaring the regular quarterly dividend of three cents per share, they declared one of double that amount, making a total disbursement of $180,000. This came as a pleasant surprise to the stockholders, who had anticipated nothing more than the regular dividend.
The declaration of this extra dividend indicates that the Portland property is in excellent shape and that its ore bodies are holding their own or improving as additional depth is attained.

According to the present rate of output, the Portland company will this year market more ore by a half million dollars than it did during the year just passed.
A vast amount of ore has been locked out and new ore shoots are being opened constantly.

The Portland mine is now employing a force of 480 men, and is outputting at the rate of 325 tons a day, approximately 10,000 tons a month, of a gross bullion value of over $300,000. The bulk of this ore is shipped to the company's own mill at Colorado City, which has been undergoing repairs, but is to resume this week, according to reports here.

The Portland at Cripple Creek is now working about full handed, and better than 250 tons of ore is being broken daily.

Colorado Springs, Aug. 25. The Portland mine is now mining in the neighborhood of 200 tons of ore per day, and the property never looked better for a continuous production. Lately considerable attention has been given to the timbering of the property, so naturally the production of ore has been lower.
From reliable sources it is learned that the company intends to erect a large ore house adjoining the already large one built at the No. 2 shaft, so when completed the production from this property will be greatly increased. The grade of ore now being mined is giving average returns of $30 to the ton. and with the immense ore bodies in this territory the production can be made to almost any size.

Colorado Springs, Col., Dec. 7.—The output of the Portland Gold Mining Company's properties for the month exceeds that of October by nearly 3000 tons, and will aggregate 10,000 tons. Averaging the ore at $30 a ton, a conservative estimate for this mine, the gross bullion value of the output of this great Battle Mountain property will be close to $300,000 for the month.

Colorado Springs, Dec. 26.—From reliable sources it is learned that December will be the banner month of the year as far as tonnage and value is concerned of the great Portland Mine on Battle Mountain.

Not only is this company sending out its usual quota, between 8000 and 9000 tons of $30 ore, which goes to their own mill, but they will send from 6000 to 8000 tons to the smelters, which should average around $60 to the ton.
In addition to this it is estimated that the different lessees operating the large dump from this property will produce more than 3000 tons of ore, which should average $15 to the ton, and, taking the facts in consideration, besides the usual December output, when every one tries to increase the tonnage to the utmost capacity, it is safe to predict that the output for the month will be very close to the two and a quarter million mark.

Cripple Creek, Aug. 5—The Portland mine keeps up its usual steady production.

Cripple Creek, Colorado.—The Portland people have decided not to lease their dump and will handle it themselves. An official of the company is authority for the statement that the property has several years' ore in sight and 10,000 tons of ore are shipped monthly.
The company is paying dividends of 40 cents a share annually. Conditions in the past year have improved so that the territory north and around the No. 3 shaft gives promise of being as rich as, if not richer than, the territory south.
The deepest shaft on the Portland is only 1,292 feet below the collar, including the dump, and from the present standpoint of development the Portland today stands as the greatest mine on the continent.

Denver, Sept. 15—The Portland Gold Mining Co. has notified Mr. Burns, formerly the president of that corporation, that he may not only examine the books of the Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek railway, but that he will be allowed to inspect the mines, aided by an expert.

Denver, Colo.—New discoveries are being made at considerable depth in the Portland mine at Victor. At the 1,000 and 500-foot levels in No. 3 shaft fine ore bodies have recently been opened. The ore is more regular in form and value.

Denver.—Better weather conditions have inaugurated active mining in most camps, and the prospects are that this will be a good year. In the Cripple Creek section the new hoist on the Portland company's property is steadily busy raising ore from the different levels down to the 1,100-foot station.
At the company's No. 3 shaft a good tonnage is coming out from as far down as 1,300 feet. The different ore shoots are not of the extraordinary width of the old workings, but are proving of greater length, with values more equally distributed. The average value of all ores shipped for May will not be less than $35 a ton.
The Captain 700 claim of the Portland company, according to report, is the scene of a rich strike, but the rumor cannot be verified. The working force will be increased and additional drills set in operation.
No. 1 shaft is producing a large quantity of ore.

Cripple Creek.—George Balderston, leasing at a depth of 250 ft. at No. 3 shaft of the Portland Co. on the Wisconsin group on Battle mountain, has under development a 3-ft. vein which averages 5 ozs. per ton.
A narrow seam of talc gives high values.

About 3,000,000 ft. of timber have been put in the various underground workings of the Portland Co. in the Cripple Creek district, Colo., at a cost of $65,086 for timber and $77,737 for labor, or $142,823 in all, during the past year.

Cripple Creek—The Portland mine continues to be the largest producer and dividend payer in the district, the monthly output being about 9,000 tons, which yields about $200,000 in gold. Several new shoots have been opened in the lower levels, all carrying smelting grade ore.
The vein exposed in the 1,500 level is from 4 to 5 ft. wide and yields from $60 to $100 to the ton.

The upraise from the 1,350-ft. level of the Blue Bird mine on Bull hill, which was being driven to connect with the workings of the Portland G. M. Co., has been completed and the ventilation of these properties has been greatly improved as a result.
This will enable these companies to operate at considerably greater depth.

It must be admitted that the Portland mine now stands as the Independence did some four years ago, when the consulting engineers to that company advised the London office to introduce the leasing system—that is, the Portland is very much of a shell.
Its main orebodies, like those of the Independence, are worked out, the average grade of the ore cannot be much more than $16 per ton, and, although the Portland company has its own mill at Colorado City, the profits must necessarily be small, owing to the great amount of waste, large expense of timbering, long tramming distances, and the very low grade of the ore. One must not, however, lose sight of the fact that in this mine the line of contact with the granite, pitching as it does from the Independence north end into the Portland, will give pay-ore at a much greater depth than in the Independence.
The Portland may continue to do fairly well a little deeper than this, although, as before stated, the ore seems, on Battle Mtn., to become poorer in depth. The company undoubtedly has a valuable asset in the dumps; these cannot be less than 1,500,000 tons, and remembering the fact that the Portland company, for years, never leased or washed the dumps, the average value of the whole should not be less than $4 per ton. This is a considerable item.
It is known that the company has been experimenting on the dump ore for some time at Colorado City, and is now
erecting a small plant (10-stamp mill) near the mine. They are proceeding carefully, spending probably not more than $15,000 on the outfit.
The method will be to convey the ore automatically to the mill for crushing, pass it over concentrating tables, and then
cyanide. The tailing will be put over a second table. It is reported that they are going to very little expense in the matter and are obtaining the most up-to-date tables; by reason of many years of experience in milling their oxidized ores at Colorado City they should be able to devise the best and cheapest means for treating the dumps.
It would seem wise, judging by the experience of the Stratton's Independence company, to lease the upper levels of the property, instructing their superintendent to watch the timbering and attend to the general supervision of the lessees.
Twenty or thirty sets of brains are better than one in following and discovering ore, and should the Portland company decide to lease the upper workings, I believe their experience would be even more gratifying than that of the Independence, which, after losing some $50,000 in one year on company account, made a profit next year of $1,000,000—the mine making $500,000 and the lessees, $500,000.

The connection between the Blue Bird and Portland has been completed from the 1,350 ft. level of the Blue Bird to the 1,250 ft. level of the Portland No. 3 shaft.
The ventilation is perfect and operations will now be resumed on the lower levels.

One of the most important surface discoveries of the year was recently made on the Portland Co.'s estate on Battle mountain, northwest of Portland No. 3 shaft.
While grading the roadbed for the Golden Circle railroad some years ago a porphyry dike was cut. This ground was prospected and has resulted in the development of an ore body over 4 ft. in width running some 3 ozs. in gold to the ton.
The company is making regular shipments from the new workings and is sinking a double-compartment shaft at the scene of the strike.

Oct 6 - Doyle-Burns suit involving an interest in the Portland mine, Cripple Creek, Colo., settled out of court.

According to the report of President Peck of the Portland Co. the ore treated at the Battle mountain plant came from the mine. The mill has cost to date $307,676.58 and Mr. Peck advises the increasing of the capacity of the mill to 700 tons a day.

At the Portland Gold Mining Company's mines in Victor there has been installed a complete equipment for life saving and fire fighting. This step has been taken as a precaution against serious accidents arising from foul mine gases and fires. A corps of twenty men have been instructed in the use of the apparatus by the United States mines rescue service.

As a result of drainage through the Roosevelt tunnel, the Portland mine is now free from water, and preparations are being made to prosecute development work in the lowest level.

Stope filling with mill tailing is another innovation which has been adopted during the past year. This has a double advantage in that it enables the company to take care of its old stopes at less expense than before, and at the same time leaves the surface of the property available for mining work.

The nineteenth annual report of the Portland Gold Mining Company, Cripple Creek district, Colorado, was issued on February 3, and shows the company to be in excellent condition.
The Cripple Creek drainage tunnel has lowered the water in the Portland mines 207 ft., and mining operations are now conducted on the sixteenth level, where the ore bodies are larger than above.

Portland Gold Mining Co.'s No. 1 shaft, on Battle Mountain, is now 1250 ft., and in course of sinking to depth of 1600 ft., the No. 2 shaft, is down 1600 ft., and No. 3 shaft, at 1200 ft., has been abandoned.

During the past year the Portland mine produced ore valued at $3,040,223.46, and on this the profit was $768,809.84, and dividends of $420,000 have been paid stockholders.

The production of the Portland mine during its life has been 2,814,043 tons of ore, from which have been taken a gross of $43,844,865.41.
On this dividends have been paid stockholders of $10,597,080.