The Cripple Creek Battle Mountain Gold Mining company have started work on a tunnel the site of which is adjoining the Moose on the south and the Portland on the north. It will run easterly through Battle mountain and will attain a depth of 1000 feet. A vein has been cut near the mouth upon which drifts will be run.
A company has just been formed known as the Mt. Rosa and Battle Mountain Tunnel company, with a capital of $2,000,000, to tunnel under almost the entire townsite of Victor. A lease was closed with the Mt. Rosa company whereby the new company has the right of five years to tunnel under the townsite and catch a number of big Battle mountain veins, which are said by Expert Charles J. Moore to run under the town.
The company expects to get one of the rich veins of Battle mountain within 300 feet. The project is an immense one and is backed by a wealthy syndicate, and work will be begun at once and pushed vigorously.
The Baxter tunnel, on the eastern slope of Big Bull hill, is being steadily driven ahead and the contractors will finish their present contract some time next week, which will make the total length of the tunnel 375 feet. The large vein of ore which has been followed for the last 80 feet has been left as it took the tunnel to far from its direct course, although the ore was of a fair grade and gave returns of near $20 to the ton.
It is expected that work will be resumed on the vein again shortly and the tunnel will be driven on through the mountain to thoroughly explore that property.
The Electric Tramway and Tunnel company is boring into Bull hill from the northwest. The tunnel enters on the Fleming lode which the company purchased for $25,000. The course of the tunnel is southeast a distance of 2,800 feet through the Fleming, Freeport and Helen lodes and the claims of the Grotto company, terminating at the Zenobia.
In a distance of 300 feet the tunnel has cut four veins. Work is being pushed at adily and it is only a question of time when some of the rich veins of Bull hill will be reached and they will be tapped at a depth of 1,000 feet below the present workings of the mines.
The tunnel is eight feet wide and provided with a double track.
In connection with the before mention tunnel another should be mentioned, that of the Bull Hill Mining and Tunnel company, which enters the hill from the southeast slope and is driving in the opposite direction.
The surveys have been so made that these two tunnels will meet about half way making a continuous passage through Bull hill, the total length of which is 5,840 feet.
The Eletric Tramway company has for its president C.M. Rice; vice-president, Isaac Schiff; secretary and treasurer, W.E. Bridgeman; manager, C.B. Wider.
Max Straus, a St. Louis capitalist who has made heavy investment in the camp, is one of the directors.
The Gold Sovereign Mining & Tunnel company owns the Gold Sovereign and J.G. Blaine lodes and tunnel site on the southwest slope of Bull hill. The tunnel enters just below the Gold Sovereign lode, and the course is in an easterly direction through Bull hill. It is one of the old locations, and was driven a distance of nearly 200 feet.
The present company is one that has been recently reorganized and are preparing to resume the work at once, and will probably enlarge the tunnel to a double track.
The officers of the the new company are Henry Le B. Wills, president; H.P. Lillibridge, vice-president; and Godfrey Kissel, secretary and treasury.
The Bull Hill Gold Tunnel company has recently been reorganized and the capital stock increased to $2,500,000 shares.
It has been pushed a distance of 700 feet into the hill from the northwest. George B. Mechem is at the head.
The New York Tunnel is one of the older projects of this kind and has been quietly worked for the past three years. It enters Bull hill near the head of Squaw gulch and has penetrated the mountain nearly 1200 feet. It will pass through the American Eagles and its further termination will be at the Hidden Treasure lode.
The tunnel has cut 13 veins none of which have been drifted upon, but it is the intention of the company to explore all of them later. A phonolite dyke has recently been encountered and something good is looked for when the contact is reached at the further side of the dyke.
The owners of the tunnel are Colorado Springs people who have lately formed a corporation to better facilitate their plans and push the project.
Messrs. N. Leipheimer, of Colorado Springs, John MacDonald, of Victor and D. Grauman, late of Chicago, but now of Cripple Creek, have located a tunnel site on Cow mountain. Next Monday they begin the work of developing the hidden mysteries of this mountain by starting men to work on a tunnel 7x8 feet in the clear, the contracts let calling for 200 feet of work.
The tunnel starts in from the north slope of the mountain.
The Britanica is the name of a new tunnel project just started, and adding another to the list on Cow mountain. A wealthy English syndicate is back of the enterprise.
The tunnel enters on the north slope. The contract for the first 1,000 feet was let yesterday.
The Phonolite Tunnel and Deep Mining company have let the contract for driving the first 1,000 feet into Cow mountain from the west side.
It will be a large double track tunnel. The work has commenced and has abundant Denver capital to push it.
The Rockford tunnel is opening up Globe hill from the west slope. It starts in on the Bennie lode, which the company has purchased, giving it 1,500 feet right of of way at the start. A ten year's lease has been secured on other ground on the line of the tunnell. It is expected in this tunnel to cut the Anchor, Chance and New Moon veins, which have made Gold hill famous, and are believed to continue in their course through Globe hill. Work is progressing steadily and some small streaks of ore have been encountered.
The project is that of the Rockford Gold Mining and Tunnel company, of which W. B. Lowery is president, A. H. Weber, vice-president and James Quinn , secretary and treasurer.
The Chicago and Cripple Creek tunnel is one of the oldest in the camp, having been located nearly four years ago. It enters Globe hill in Poverty gulch at the east suburbs of the city of Cripple Creek and has now been driven a distance of 1,100 feet. A number of veins have been cut but none have been pay. Three patented claims on the line of the tunnel have been purchased from the tunnel company by the Globe Hill Consolidated Gold Mining company. The claims are the Foggy, Good Enough and Happy Boy which are now being worked under lease. A shaft on the Foggy is down 48 feet and a drift is being run to connect with the tunnel, a distance of about 100 feet.
The projected line of this tunnel takes it to the right of the Summit mine and diagonally across the Lelia lode owned by the tunnel company.
The King Solomon tunnel is one of the big bores that enters Globe hill near the head of Poverty gulch. It is 7x8 in the clear, is now in 100 feet and has recently got into solid formation.
The King Solomon Mining and Tunnel company is made up of Boston capitalists. Cy Hall is the local manager.
The Ophelia tunnel is one of the big things which will explore Gold hill, starting in about one-half mile south of Cripple Creek.
The building and machinery now in process of erection are of the most substantial character. The two 100-horse power boilers are in place and the 6-drill Norwalk compressor, the largest in the camp, was set up yesterday. The compressor room is 34x56, and store and blacksmith shop each 20x30.
The tunnel is the property of the Cripple Creek Gold Exploration and Tunnel company, of which Moffat, Brush and Ray of Denver are members.
Just below the Gold Geyser mill is another big Gold hill tunnel under way. It is in the hands of the Victor Gold Mining, Drainage, Transportation and Tunnel company.
It starts in on the Dexter lode and has a course a little north of east and has a projected line three miles long. It is a 7x7 bore and will be one of the deep tunnels of the camp, passing under the town of Anaconda at a depth of 300 foot.
Michigan capitalists are interested and Isaac Welkinson is the local manager.
The Oro Fino tunnel is a new project with a site adjoining the Oro Fino lode on Gold hill.
A. D. Griswold, E. E. Tarbox and W. L. Kerr are the principal owners and they propose to begin work at once and push the enterprise after the most approved fashion.
The Porter Gold hill and Cripple Creek tunnel enters in Squaw gulch and will take a northwesterly course through the hill, passing under the Jefferson mine on the Mattie L. at a depth of 275 foot.
Work has been commenced and a nice looking vein cut.
The Alpha is a Gold hill tunnel a short distance below the city of Cripple Creek. It is driving east and has 100 feet of work completed.
A Chicago company is pushing the enterprise.
The Evans-Grouse Mountain tunnel enters Grouse mountain on the south slope and is being actively worked by the company. The first fifty feet has been accomplished with very satisfactory results and a contract has just been let to push the tunnel an additional 100 feet. A vein was cut a few days ago showing values ranging from $10 to $98, and as depth is acquired very rapidly the prospects for pay ore in the veins cut are correspondingly good. The company owns 1500x3000 feet on the line of its tunnel, is capitalized for 1,000,000 shares and reserves 400,000 for treasury stock.
Charles Y. McClure of Denver is president of the company and E. W. Sebben is secretary and treasurer and has charge of the main office in Cripple Creek.
The Grouse Mountain Gold Mining and Tunnel company has penetrated into the hill about 150 feet and it is expected in 50 feet more to cut a vein at a vertical depth of 2..0[200 ?] feet.
The vein appears well defined on the surface and when it is reached in the tunnel shipping ore is looked for. The main object of the tunnel, however, is to reach the great phonolite dyke which crosses the mountain northeast and southwest, and it is thought the tunnel will do this at a distance of 2,000 feet from the entrance and at a depth of 1,000 feet.
The tunnel is located on Cripple Creek, about 1,000 feet below the Gold and Globe mill, and has ample power at all seasons of the year to turn a turbine wheel of sufficient strength to run a drill compressor, which has already been ordered.
On the west slope of Grouse mountain the Shasta Mining company is pushing work vigorously on their tunnel, which is now 50 feet into the mountain side.
The company has in course of patent three claims, the principal ones being the Mary Anderson and Donna.
The Old Dominion Deep Mining and Tunnel company is an organization just perfected, with J.A. Kennedy, recently from South Africa, at the head.
The company has secured as a site the Old Dominion on Grouse mountain. It is considered an excellent location, in a distance into the mountain of 300 feet a depth of 1000 feet will be gained.
A contract has been let and the work started.
The St. Louis and Cripple Creek tunnel is one of the steadily progressing enterprises of Mineral hill. The bore has been driven nealry 700 feet and a contract has been let for another 100 feet. Some ore has been shipped and numerous veins having been cut, but are a low grade.
The tunnel is now reaching a distance and depth that something better may be confidently looked for. C.W. Kurrie is president and Hugh R. Steele manager of the company.
The Mineral Hill tunnel enters on the north slope of the mountain and has now penetrated to a distance of 45 feet and will attain a depth of 735 feet in its course, which is a direct line toward the Midland Terminal depot in the city of Cripple Creek.
The Robina tunnel starts in on the Spring creek side of Rhyolite mountain and points northeast. It has been driven forty feet on a vein. A new air compressor plant will be put on soon.
The Squaw Mountain tunnel has the distinction of being one of the biggest and best. It has now pushed its way over 1,400 into Squaw mountain, cutting five well defined veins and a number of rich seams of ore. Vein No. 4, 750 feet from the mouth of the tunnel, has been drifted upon and a station is now being cut in the north drift preparatory to sinking a winze.
The last shipment of ore was made the first of the month and two or three cars have since been taken out ready for shipment.
Total shipments from the tunnel amount to about 240 tons of an aggregate value of over $18,000. C.G. Greenwood is president, H.W. Burkett vice-president and Edwin Moore secretary of the company.
On the Squaw gulch end of the Columbine-Victor tunnel the first electric plant for the operation of drills will be put in at once on a strong guarantee from the manufacturers that the experiment will prove satisfactory to the company.
Machinery has been ordered to drive an eight-drill dynamo, but for the present only two drills will be used for the work of driving the tunnel, the extra power to be held in reserve until the veins cut by the bore are to be worked.
The Pennsylvania Gold tunnel enters Tenderfoot hill from the north slope and is pushing through in the direction of Bull hill. It is backed by Pennsylvania capitalists with plenty of money to carry the project to a successful termination.
The Iuka tunnel is starting out in a business-like way to open up the treasure-vault of Tenderfoot hill. It enters from the north base and runs south-easterly and will pass under the apex of the hill at a depth of 921 feet.
The company owns two lode claims at the mouth of the tunnel and two claims on the line of the tunnel, giving it ample territory for 3,000 feet without danger of conflict as to righs. Work is now being pushed to the utmost with three shifts working day and night. A contract has just been let for 1,000 feet of the work and the parties taking the contract have given bonds to complete the work in 100 days, or at the rate of ten feet per day. Two Ingersoll drills will soon be put in operation. The tunnel is 7.5 x 8 feet, double track.
The Iuka Tunnel and Gold Mining company is capitalized for $3,000,000, capital stock fully paid up and non-assessable. The officers of the company are Chas. H. Abbot, president; A. R. Kennedy, vice-president and treasurer; W. R. McCrea, secretary; and C. C. Runner, superintendent.