ME^GV^, Utah

.

AND DISTRICT.

Illustrated

Historian's Office Library

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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979.2^3 M556u

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BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF MERCUR. UTAH. Reached via Union Pacific Railioad.

Mercur, Utah,

THE JOHANNESBURG OK AMERICA

''ifKc'TORi*

COMPLIMENTS PASSENGER DEPARTMENT

Union Pacihc Railroad,

E. DICKINSON,

General Manager.

Angusl i, 1898

OMAHA, NEB.

K. h. LOMAX,

Gen'l I'ass'i and Ticket Agent.

A STREAM OF GOLD.

Mercur's Ever-Increasing Contribution to the Wealth of the World. The Mines and their Characteristics described by Reliable Authorities.

Go on the streets of Zion and you will hear the terms " Mercur" and " Camp Floyd " on every corner. In the lobbies of the hotels the theme of conversation is " Mercur and Camp Floyd." Surrounded by the elegance and comforts of the club, where busi- ness cares give way to quiet enjoyment, the members find themselves talking- of Mercur and soon get down to business again, and, instead of whiling away their leisure hours in social chat, turn their attention to figuring up just how their Camp Floyd invest- ments will pan out, or how they can get in on the ground floor. In every store the talk is of Mercur; the clerks all have the fever, and even in the hallowed precincts of the home the paterfamilias discuss the possibility of taking a flyer in Mercur stocks.

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LOOKING EAST FROM MARION HILL, MERCUR Reached via the Union Pacific Rj:.rojJ

MERCUR, UTAH. 7

Marvelous Gold Camps.

Within thirty miles of Salt Lake lies one of the most marvelous gold camps of modern times — Merctir. Though yet in the swaddling-clothes stage of develop- ment work, two of its properties alone have ore in sight of an estimated value of ten millions. Its ore bodies are so enormous in area and aggregate value that the conserv- ative man hesitates to commit himself to the facts as he finds them.

Fancy three inclines, each going down for nearly a mile. Imagine each of these in ore from the grass roots to the bottom of the incline, the values increasing with every foot of depth. Then you will have an incomplete mental picture of the conditions shown in the underground workings of the Merctir and Golden Gate mines, following the dip of three distinct and gently receding ore chutes that traverse the mighty zone of the great camp.

"When one figures that these conditions prevail over a demonstrated area of many scpiare miles; that the values range from $5 to $30 per ton, and that every square foot of the vein quarried through its thickness gives a ton of ore — when he has calcu- lated the aggregate wealth possible of production, he realizes his inability to compre- hend the total.

In its vicissitudes the camp has recorded all the range of human hopes and disap- pointments. Once a scene of prosperity and happiness, it was wrecked by the very source of its present wealth — the gold ores that were then supposed to be valueless.

HOISTING WORKS AT MERCUR MINE, MERCUR, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad.

MERCUR, UTAH. V

For nearly twenty years it lay almost deserted, a bleak, forbidding" region, covered with the ruins of scores of fortunes. Then science found a way to bring the treasure from the rock that had wrecked so many ventures, and once more it is a place of abounding activity, of limitless hope for those who have cast their lot with its future.

Camp Floyd a Boundless Sea of Rich Ore.

Those who have been intimately identified with the development of the Camp Floyd mining district during the past few years are themselves surprised at its rapid and marvelous growth; and those who have stood firm on their judgment regarding the mineral wealth of this district are now enjoying the realization of their predictions and hopes, besides which they have heavy bank accounts to show that "he who laughs last laughs best."

Three years ago Mereur was the least of the mining camps of Utah. To-day she Tanks right up with older mining regions that have paid their millions in dividends. Five years ago one determined and energetic company, with recent failures staring it in the face, patiently worked away on one mine of low grade ore and with a mill that had been a failure, as far as the treatment of Merciir ores was concerned, and since then over $1,000,000 in dividends have been paid its stockholders. A bond was given on the property for a million and a half, and to-day it is estimated that there are five millions of ore blocked out in the mine, and in making a survey of the camp numerous

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MERCUR MINE, MERCUR, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad.

MERCUR, UTAH. 11

producing mines can be seen dotting' the mountain sides, to say nothing of the great Daisy Mine on the West Dip and the numerous prospects and partially developed mines that are scattered all over the district. The magnificent De Lamar property, holding within its bosom a story of wealth untold, is but an earnest of what this camp can and will do, and as for the future, no prophetic spirit can get anywhere near the possibilities of what is in store for this wonderful district.

Three years ago a broken, rugged mountain trail led from the railroad to the Mercur, a distance of ten miles. Now, however, the steam horse climbs the hills, and is a com- mon carrier for the crowds who throng to this great camp of promise, and — who. can realize, or, at best, believe it? — a system of waterworks now brings the living water from afar to a spot that within so short a time ago was a howling wilderness, and where a spring of insignificant size had heretofore quenched the thirst of the worn-out pros- pector and his burro.

Camp Floyd is to-day the wonder of the age. No narrow walls contain its wealth of glittering gold, for nature has been most bounteous in the gift, and spread in blanket form a bed of ore-bearing rock that is practically inexhaust- ible. No pick has ever yet divulged the secret of its dimensions, and through its miles of workings the mines of Mercur have not yet, nor ever wilt, find either end to this great boundless sea of ore.

HOISTING WORKS AT MERCUR MINE, MERCUR, Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad.

UTAH.

MERCUR, UTAH. 13

Mereur, Utah.

In the great Mereur gold district, the similarity in the formation to that of the Rand district in South Africa is most marked. In both cases the gold occurs in the non- metallic form, or if it is in the metallic form it is in an impalpable powder, and the Rand, as well as the Mereur, owe their existence as productive mining districts to the discovery of the cyanide process. Expert mining engineers, who have visited both places, are a unit in declaring that where the African miner reckons on inches of ore, the man who works in the veins of Mereur makes his calculations on feet.

The Rand, South Africa.

The Rand auriferous district is said to be twenty-seven miles long by two miles wide. The gold-bearing strata is a bed of gravel, which subsequently to its disposition became saturated with an eruption of mineralized solution, which cemented the gravel into a conglomerate. The gold is found in the cementing material, there being no trace of gold in the pebbles of the conglomerate. The Mereur district covers an area eight by ten miles, and in like manner the values in the Mereur ores are found in the incrus- tation in the interstices and cleavages of the rock, there being but little gold in the rock itself. The uniformity of the metallic contents of the conglomerates of the Rand is quite remarkable.

INTERIOR HIRSHLIGHT MERCUR GOLD MINE MERCUR, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pac fie Railroad.

MERCUR, UTAH. 1")

It is a safe assertion to make that the possibilities of realizing larger returns on a given amount invested in this region are greater than in any other on the face of the globe, especialty when one is judicious and places his money in properties which have advanced enough to show their worth. No outsider would think of wasting a great deal of time on a simple prospect hole, but where the work of uncovering and bringing to light the mineral has progressed far enough to enable one to see what is contained in the property, an amount of money may Lie invested with safety.

Extent of the Ore Bodies— Enormous Wealth.

The great vein, or, more properly speaking, blanket or mineralized stratum, which underlies the district for many miles, dips at an angle of from ten to forty degrees onlv. In some localities it is almost fiat. On the east side of the mountains, where the town of Mercur is located, it is traceable for several miles. It then runs beneath the mountain a distance of four miles, where it again crops out. On the west side it is traceable from Lewiston to Ophir Canyon, a distance of live miles From general ap- pearances it seems that this deposit is one vast bod}" of ore.

"Within the bounds of the properties which are being worked, there is not, in the opinion of competent mining engineers who are employed, the slightest evidence of the failure of the ore bodies, either along the vein or upon its dip to the deep. Inasmuch as some of the workings are so extensive as to include a depth of 4,000 feet, this state- ment has more merit than would at first appeal-.

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MERCUR, UTAH Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad

MERCUR, UTAH, 1?

When an ore body is. struck its values increase with depth, and in the district there is nothing' of a pockety nature. The deposits seem to have been uniformly made Mills that are treating their average ore return $8.00 to $18.00 per ton. The profits, However, are in high tonnage and the very low cost of treatment rather than in high values, and happily the ore bodies are of such size that there is practically no limit to the tonnage.

It may be said without fear of successful contradiction that the auriferous deposits in Camp Floyd mining; district, of which the Mercur is the center at this time, promise to be the most extensive ever developed upon the globe. Could one shot of sufficient power be put into Mercur hill to lay bare its entire riches, there is scarcely a system by which their value could be accurately computed. It is not one vein of ore or a single stratum of ore, but a great zone of ore, from which the output could be increased to almost any figure, if facilities were available for milling the ore Into this zone the company has been blasting its way ever since the early days of 1890, and never since the era of production was reached has there been as much ore blocked out as at this time. It has been gone into with tunnels that penetrate the hill for thousands of feet ; inclines that follow unbroken channels of ore upon their dip into recesses below ; up- raises that at stations show the chute of gold-bearing ore over seventy feet between walls and other avenues, above which rise walls of ore that competent experts and mining engineers agree contain about 300,000 tons, with a net valuation of over $2,000,000.

MATTIC No. 4 AND SACRAMENTO, MERCUR, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Raihcad.

MERCUR, U 1 AH. 19

Tremendous Areas of Developed Ground.

In the Golden Gate mine the average thickness of the vein is thirty-six feet, and the value $18.00, and upwards, per ton. In this mine are the deepest workings in the district, and the fact has been demonstrated that as depth was secured the vein increased in thickness, strength, and value.

In this mine, to-day, there are over 10,000 feet of workings, practically all in gold- bearing material, not a pound of which has been stoped. It is in this bonanza that the first striking transformation in the character of the ore took place. Here the oxides were replaced by the sulphide, realgar, that is very soluble, and which has impregnated the entire upper stratum, making it necessary to resort to other agencies rather than the bare solution of cyanide, through which to obtain its values. But there was a limit to the sulphide, notwithstanding the enormity of the stratum in which it is contained, and in another distinct chute lying below and parallel with the oxidized ores made their reappearance. Here the workings were about 2,500 feet below the mouth of the Uncle Sam tunnel, the most southerly puncture in the great zone over which the property of the Golden Gate was spread in that period of development. On this property has just been completed the largest cyanide mill in the world.

The mill is erected on the side of a steep mountain, and from the top of the lowest foundation wall to the top of the foundation wall of the upper side of the mill it attains a vertical height of 145 feet, while from the top of the lowest foundation wall to the apex of the highest part of the mill is 265 feet, vertical

THE GOLDEN GATE GOLD MINE, MERCUR. UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad.

MERCUR, UTAH. '-.' 1

The entire plant is operated by a series of motors so located that each section can be run entirely independent of the other. The electric power is supplied by the Telluride Power Transmission Company, who bring their power from Provo Canyon, a distance of about thirty-five miles, transmitting a current of 35,000 volts. It requires approximately 500 horse power for operating' the plant.

Values Increase With Depth.

It appears that the deeper one goes the more ore is uncovered, and the values increase.

Mr. George H. Robinson, who is, perhaps, more familiar with the characteristics of the district than any who have undertaken its exploration, says on this subject: " My observations have been that wherever depth has been attained the value of the ore has increased — something that reverses all my former experience."

In what has been said by these authorities Mr. James Edward Spurr concurs in a recent compilation upon the economic geology of the district, under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. If these contentions be well taken, there is scarce telling what great values will be obtained when the zone has been reached through explorations that are now in progress on the East Golden Gate Extension, Wonder, Jones' Bonanza, Brickyard, Hecla, Golden Seals, and others along' the strip to which the Golden Gate has afforded the key. As to the number of tons in sight, and ready for the mill, as soon as the process is selected to which they shall be subjected, it is

THE GOLDEN GATE MILL. MERCUR, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacinc Raihoad.

MERCUR, UTAH. '-23

difficult to say. Certainly the deposits have few, if any, parallels in extent outside of Camp Floyd mining district.

Other Properties.

Other properties in the district are deserving of mention along- with those alluded to. The Chloride Point and Northern Light, which lie on Lion Hill north of Mercur, are splendid properties. Both are already equipped with mills. The Geyser and Marion groups have already taken a place in the front ranks with the best. The Sacramento has within the year passed from the rear to a place in the very first rank. It has an open cut on the surface, showing a body of ore 150 feet thick. Special mention is made elsewhere of the magnificent Daisy Mine, which is an earnest of the hidden wealth that lies within the Mercur vein on its West Dip. The Sparrow Hawk on Marion Hill was the hrst producing mine in the district. Favorable mention should also be made of the Mercur Gold Production Company's property, the Index Mining Company's claims, the Hillside group, the Dexter group, the Herschel, the Annie, Mattie Gibson, the Gleneoe, Glenn B, and many others. Perhaps they are entitled to as much space as has been devoted to the others, but, as the first mentioned mines lie on the vein where it comes nearest to the surface and where its peculiarities can be best observed, the}r have been selected as examples.

THE GEYSER GOLD MINE, MERCUR, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad.

MERCUR, UTAH 25

SUNSHINE AND ITS MINES.

A Brisk Town and an Energetic Aggregation of Owners.

In the distribution of her riches throughout the area of Camp Floyd Mining District, Nature seems to have been studiously impartial. Sunshine, which was for a long time the south pole of the great gold zone, is less populous and less productive at present than Mercur, simply because the latter has had the advantage of more digging. Notwithstanding this, however, Sunshine is to-day one of the thriftiest in the sisterhood of Utah's mining camps, and in another season, when developments now m progress on that part of the zone have fructified will be able to point to as many improvements as its rival on the north. Even at this time — and it is but an infant as compared with the years that Mercur has survived — it is provided with everything with which to supply the wants of 400 persons who have settled in the community, several hundred miners who are digging in the hills hard by, and any number of visitors and gold hunters who may come in.

At Work on Development.

Among the developments that have been inspired by the success of the Sunshine are those of the Red Cloud, the Old Fred group, the Overland group, the Malvern, the Searchlight, the Jumbo, the Pedro, the Keystone, Sir Victors, and many others.

THE DAISY GOLD MINING COMPANY MILL, MERCUR UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railioad.

MERCUR, I rAH ' i

IN RUSH VALLEY FOOTHILLS OR WEST DIP COUNTRY.

Good Ledges Exposed and Many Claims under Development.

What is popularly known as the West Dip, located west of the town of Mercur, bids fair to not only rival the East Dip, or mother camp, but to rival the greatest camps in the world. So fast is the development going on in this locality that any description given one month is out of date the next. The great ore-bearing stratum was discovered on the West Dip November, 1896.

Already the great Daisy Mine has been developed and placed 111 the list of producers. Considering its age and the amount of development, it is probably the "most remarkable mine in the entire district. From the grass roots to the bottom of the incline, the deepest but one in Mercur district, through all its drifts, and levels, and cross-cuts, every foot of its workings is in ore. A fine mill has just been completed and put into operation, and the work of extracting the wonderful wealth that lies in its bosom is already begun, and it is the consensus of opinion of those familiar with mines and mining that it is destined to become one of the greatest mines in the country.

The Boston & Mercur Co. is just completing one of the finest milks in Utah on its magnificent property near the Daisy. There is in this property nearly a mile of workings.

5UNSHINE, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad.

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On its west clip the great ore vein or stratum pitches to the west on an angle of from forty to sixty degrees, and in most places from Lewiston to Ophir Canyon, a distance of 23,000 feet, it can be traced on the surface. Every working on the vein throughout the entire distance is in ore of paying value. Nothing like it in extent is known in the world.

The Golden Reward and Transvaal groups, owned by the Mercuf Gold Production Company, are properties of wonderful promise. They control the apex of the vein for 5,000 feet, and no one will attempt to estimate the untold wealth contained in their depths.

The Snowstorm, the Gray Rooster, the South Daisy, Omaha, Cedar Hill, Monte Christo, Sago Lily, Gold Flake, and many others which it is impossible here to enumerate, are worthy of special and separate mention.

AT FIVE MILE PASS.

Plucky Operators Developing Numerous Properties.

Perhaps the best evidence of the faith that farseeing operators have reposed in Five Mile Pass, an extension of the great Camp Floyd zone, lying south of Sunshine, is that already they have laid out a townsite, and while adding their own money to the development of its mines are preparing a place where the multitude may camp.

SUNSHINE MINE AND MILL. UTAH. Reached via the Urvon Pacific Railroad.

MERCUR, UTAH. 31

Here the following claims are being worked : The Provo, Holmes, and Whipple, and the Sterling.

Pole Canon— A New Camp.

Although Pole Canon, a product of the present year, is not extensively known, that does not detract from its merits nor preclude the possibility of its becoming, with development, as productive as any other part of Camp Floyd mining district. The canon is one of those that radiate from the base of Lewiston Peak, and until the last lew weeks but little has been done to prospect it, although the fact that it lies but two and a half miles east of the Golden Gate should have commended it to prospectors. The campaign, however, lias begun, and the report of giant powder may be heard there every hour in the clav.

Around Cedar Fort.

The prestige that Cedar Fort, lying to the southeast of the Mercur Mill, has achieved up to the present time is derived largely from that which has been achieved by the plucky owners of the Gold King group. The management of these claims did not begin systematic development until about March ist, but since that time it lias been put forward on an energetic scale, and assays showing as much as §n per ton have now been obtained.

ZINC ROOM;CYANIDE PROCESS. MERCUR GOLD MINE, MERCUR, UTAH Re£;hed via the Union Paci'ic Railroad.

MERCUR, UTAH. 33

The Free Gold "roup, consisting of six claims, is now being developed, as well as the Block group'.

The Honolulu group, consisting of twelve claims, is being worked steadily; also the Lulu Belle group of three claims.

The Ontario group, the Don Maguire group, and a number of others promise to attract attention to the foothills southeast of the Mercur Mill.

ON FAIRFIELD FLAT. Believe the Vein Extends Through the Mountain into the Plain.

That the deposits in Camp Floyd extend as far east as Fairfield Flat, which begins at the Mercur mill and stretches out along the base of the Oquirrh range as far south as old Camp Floyd, is demonstrated through sinkings that have been already made in it. And if values obtained at the grass roots continue to improve as in other parts of the district, the foundation is being laid over there for one of the most populous camps on the great zone.

At present, developments have been confined to a few claims, owing to the limited means of the locators, but results have been none the less gratifying.

Perhaps the best evidence of the continuity of the zone into the flat is afforded by developments at the May Queen group, situated within a stone's throw of the railway

INTERIOR OF MILL AT MERCUR Reached via the Union Pacific Railro.iH

MEkCUfc. UTAH. S")

track. In the absence of a regular bank account, explorations on the group have been necessarily slow, but the owners have reached the footwall in the upper stratum, and upon it have found ore in small amount that yielded as much as $88 per ton. The con- ditions at this point, too, reveal a striking departure from those that prevail at the average location in the camp, and the owners express the belief that when the main ore chute is encountered its characteristics will be found more closely resembling that in the Golden Gate than in the Mereur, where the oxides predominate. In other words, present developments indicate the approach of sulphides, and it is to demonstrate this that the owners are sinking.

The Cost of Mining.

The ores are easily mined. The formation is loose and easily worked. The main matter is siliceous in nature, intermixed with talc and other substances, and breaks up very readily. One mine, a dividend payer, handled and worked 200 tons per da}'.

The average cost of mining and treating the conglomerate of the Rand is $6 per ton, while the Mereur ore is mined and treated at a cost not exceeding $2 per ton.

One company that has been restrained by legal proceedings from working its good ore bodies has for months been working its very leanest surface ores. The average value of which was but $3.92 per ton, and with its little cyanide plant (the smallest in the district) has earned, net, $9,000 per month. The total cost of mining, milling, superintendence, etc., being only $1.77 per ton.

GEARED I OCOMOTlVE OF THE SALT LAKE & MERCUR RAILROAD Rp.irhr.l via the Union PacifW Railroad

MERCUR, l I Ail, 3?

Under the Town of Mercur.

That Mercur town is underlaid by as good ore as that which rises above it on Mercur and Marion hills is being rapidly demonstrated by the Mercur Deep Mining Company. Tn laying the foundation for it, the owners purchased the June Bug group, whose terri- tory extends into the heart of the town. In prospecting, a shaft has been started that has now reached a level of nearly 100 feet, and decomposed material putting in appear- ance at a depth of sixty feet from which assays as high as $5 gold per ton have been obtained. The manager of the company, who has been from boyhood in the mines and acquired a fortune from them, with others, agrees that beneath the gulch that was orig- inally hied upon as a placer, will be found some of the richest ores that have been deposited in the district, and with his associates he is prepared to test his judgment. From superficial indications he believes that the deposit should be encountered at a depth of 125 feet, but they are prepared to go deeper should it not be uncovered at that level. The developments in the Golden Gate afford ample assurance that the company is on the right track, and it is not unlikely that Mercur, like Leadville, will ultimately be hoisting ore from the middle of its streets.

Have all the mines been discovered? is a question often asked. Since the first discovery was made in the district, each succeeding year has witnessed more discovery than the preceding one.

At first the ore was supposed to be confined to Mercur Hill. The Sacramento mine joins the Mercur on the west, the Golden Gate on the east. Both have magnifi-

VIEW FROM THE UPPER CIRCLE, SALT LAKE & MERCUR R R Reached via Hie Union PjciIi.: RjilrojJ

MERCUR, fTAH. 39

cent mills and arc now worth millions. The ground that contains their wealth was unlocated Government land after the Mercur mine was paying dividends, and, strange to say, the ore on the Sacramento lay within two feet of the surface.

The ground on which the magnificent Daisy and La Cigale mines are now located was a sheep pasture two years ago. Lion Hill, now a place of great activity, with its two large mills, is little older than the West Dip. The district, which was originally supposed to cover a few acres, is now known to cover a great many square miles.

Two years ago the capacity of the mills of the camp was about 300 tons daily. To-day it is nearly ten times that amount. There are better chances in the camp to- day than at any previous time, for experience has taught the miner and the prospector many things.

PARK CITY.

Summit County — Park City Mining District.

Park Gity is one of the largest and one of the richest mining districts in the State of Utah. The city of Park City has 5,000 population, and is in every way a modern small city, the commerce of which is kept even, energetic, and prosperous by a pay-roll amounting to about $175,000 per month. The Ontario and Daly mines are recognized as the greatest mines in the State, taken as a whole. The Ontario is one of the most remarkable properties of modern times, and to date has declared $13,265,000 in dividends.

40 MERCUR, UTAH.

The Daly-West is known to be one of the great mines in the big camp. The most conservative experts claim for it an equal footing with the great Ontario, or the Silver King. The Anchor, Crescent, and Woodside arc three famous properties.

The Silver King is said to be the very richest silver mine in the world Not- withstanding the governmental action on silver, it has the proud distinction of hav- ing paid over $637,500 in dividends in a little over lour years.

Park City, made famous by its great producing mines, was given Us first railroad by the Union Pacific, a branch extending from Echo, on the main line. All the ores shipped out of this camp reach the smelters over the Union Pacific.

THE TINTIC DISTRICT.

Tintic.

Tintic is one of the earliest mining districts in Utah. It covers an area about eight miles 111 length by two miles in width, and is separated I))' distinctive forma- tions into what may be called the south and north halves. The south half is a por- phyry area, the veins ranging from two to ten feet in thickness, and are very rich in silver and lead. The veins run north and south They were worked to a depth of 150 to ;oo feet when pyritie iron, carrying only small values in the precious metals, was encountered. The general supposition being that the veins had failed, work was sus- pended, hi 1893 the mayor of Eureka, relocated the old vSwansea, which in the past

MERCUR, UTAH. 41

had yielded $1,000,000, and began sinking a shaft. He worked in a small way till the fall of 1895, when the shaft penetrated the iron zone and disclosed a very rich lode of silver and lead ore. Since the extensive developments within the limits of this rich lode have demonstrated that the valuable ores underlaid the iron cap, nearly all the old properties have been acquired by new companies, which are now sinking oh the old shafts to greater depths or arc making new workings from the surface.

The ore bodies occur in the form of great lenticular masses of quartz, carrying gold, silver, lead, and copper as the valuable minerals, while in places the ores are rich in iron and manganese. In the northern portion of the district, around the town of Eureka, the principal values are in gold and silver, the silver occurring in the form of a carbonate near the surface and in galena at greater depth ; the exception to this condition being found in the Eagle Mine, which has produced principally gold, and in the Ccntennial-Eureka Mine, where gold occurs m considerable quantities, represent- ing, it is believed, fully one-half of the value of their output.

Even the deepest workings in Tintic — in fact, all the workings — are absolutely free from water.

Mines in this district have been continuously worked during the past twenty-seven years, and have added to the world's supply of the precious metals, together with the lead and copper and iron contained in the ores, man)' millions of dollars

The best evidence of the growing prosperity of the district will be found in the railway tonnage which, since 1893, nas increased seven-fold.

MERCUR GOLD MINING CAMP, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railroad

MERCUR

Utah. 43

Silver City.

There is every reasonable indication that the Tintic Mining District is on the eve of an unparalleled era of prosperity. The recent rich discoveries of vast ore bodies beneath the pyrites at Silver City makes this idea more than plausible. The strikes in the Swansea, South Swansea, Four Aces, and numerous other properties at Silver City would seem to preclude all possible doubt as to the future of this particular camp. Along about the first of July, 1896, there were barely a half dozen men in the camp, and the houses that had held the population off and on for twenty-seven years were vacated and mostly in ruins. Since that time, by sinking below the pyritic strata, strike has followed strike so thick and fast that now the place is filled to overflowing with anxious men seeking a claim-footing in the district.

With the location of the Sunbeam Lode dates the organization of the Tintic Min- ing District, December 13, 1869. The Black Dragon was the next location, January 3, 1870, and then came the Mammoth, February 26, 1870, which was immediately followed by numerous others. In the Tintic range of mountains, and west of the Goshen Valley, is the district, which is ten miles east and west, and fifteen miles north and south, or to be more explicit, it extends four miles north of Eureka, seven and a half miles south of Silver City, three miles east of Homansville, and two miles west of Eureka, which constitute North and West Tintic Mining districts. West Tintic lies beyond Tintic Valley, west of Tintic district, fifteen miles distant. This area com- prises 350 square miles of the most advantageous mineral-bearing country. The

INTERIOR OF A MILL AT EUREKA, UTAH. Readied via the Union Pacific Railroad

MERCUR, UTAH. 45

average Tintic ore is of a higher grade than that produced by any district in Utah. Silver and gold, copper and lead are the chief products of ores that flux easily, and are very desirable for smelting.

The principal towns and camps in the district arc Eureka, Silver City, Mammoth. Diamond City, and Homansville.

The Direct Line to Tintic and Silver City,

From the surrounding and Eastern States, is the Union Pacific, "The Overland Route," in connection with Oregon Short Line. The through car service on this line makes it possible to reach Tintic and Silver Cit3' from points outside the State with fewer changes than via any other line.

GETTING TO THE MINES.

Ride Over a Wonderful Mountain Railroad.

Mercur lies about forty miles southwest of Salt Lake, in a direct line, and fifty-nine miles by railroad. Going by rail, one leaves Salt Lake at 7.30 a. m., reaching Mercur at about 10.20 a. m. The route lies almost due south from Salt Lake to Lehigh Junction, twenty-nine miles, reached by the Union Pacific Railroad and Oregon Short Line Railroad, where the Mercur coach is switched from the main line to the Eureka branch of the Oregon Short Line From Lehi function the course lies almost due west to

EUREKA, UTAH Readied via the Union P.icific R.iilro.nl.

MERCUR, UTAH.

47

Fairfield Junction, twenty miles. Here passengers for the cyanide camp change cars to the wonderful piece of railroad engineering called the Salt Lake & Mercur Railroad.

Daring Piece of Construction.

The road is a marvel of modern engineering' and construction, and notwith- standing discouragements received from "wiseacres" during construction that the road could not be operated on account of grade and curves, that it would not pay, etc.; but the persevering builder pushed ahead to completion, and commenced to haul the 150 tons of ore a day the next day after the last spike was driven.

The development of this line gave a distance of four and a quarter miles from Fairfield to Manning (or the Mercur Mill), with a rise of 844 feet. The elevation of Fairfield is 5,500 feet above sea-level, U. P. data (which is higher than that used on the construction of this road), making the elevation of Manning 6,344 feet above sea- level. From this point the road continues to the summit, a distance of 5.33 miles, raising from Manning Station 1,142 feet, reaching an elevation of 7,486 leet above sea-level. From the summit to the terminus the grade falls 132 feet to the terminus, making an elevation of track at mines of 7,354 feet above sea-level.

Climbing this marvelous giant corkscrew, one sees to the east the broad plain known as Cedar Valley, the spur of foothills that separate Cedar Valley and Utah Lake; catches a glimpse of the beautiful little lake itself, and beyond, the majestic snow-covered peaks of the Wasatch that feed the lake, and water the fertile Utah

UPPER MAMMOTH, UTAH. Reached via the Union Pacific Railiuad.

MBRC.UR, UTAH. 49

valley in which the lake lies. The scene is a vision of picturesque beauty rarely equaled on the most noted of the great scenic routes of the world. Coming over the divide into Mercur, the train comes to an abrupt stop on the side of a canon clear above the town and within a stone's throw of the famous Mercur mine, which plunges into the mountain almost at the crest of the canon's south wall.

The descent from the railroad station to the town itself is made in stages. If it happens to be winter, and the roads are at the usual stage of mining-camp demoralization, the ride down the side of the canon is apt to prove quite as exhila- rating as the most enthusiastic seeker after adventure could wish. Apparently the driver has little choice between following the tortuous grade down the side-hill or rolling straight down with his load. Happily he is more careful than the nervous tenderfoot would think from his apparent indifference, for the records so far show no serious accidents, and the trip is safer than the modern trolley on the same kind of a grade.

First Glimpse of the Town.

The first glimpse of the real town is shown as the stage rounds the last curve into the head of Lewiston Canon, in which the business and most of the residence places lie. Here, at the Golden Gate offices, the altitude is 6,325 feet. Opening to the west, the canon takes quite a sharp pitch down between rather steep walls, with occasional spaces of " flat," affording room for a long, straggling row of buildings on either side of the single thoroughfare which is the main and only sheet of the camp. If one is

50 MERCUR, UTAH.

accustomed to the sights of a new camp, he will find nothing surprising in the appear- ance of the town. If, however, he is of the genus tenderfoot, he will be almost appalled by the bandbox newness of the structures. All of the houses and stores look as though they might have been planed out of the wood within the last two days. A few of them have attempted to disguise their freshness under thin coats of paint, but the newness strikes out transparently. It suggests nothing so much as a youngster in a spick-span suit of clothes just out of the store, who is hying to look imconscious. If this first impression has prepared the incomer for the discomforts that usually attend life in a new camp, he is booked for a pleasant surprise.

Hotels.

In the first place, he will find that the hotels are infinitely better than the ordi- nary camp hostelries, and very much better than can be found in most towns of ten or twenty times its population. The rates, too, are not extravagant. Board in the best hotels of the town costs $10 per week, a day rate of $2. In the miners' boarding houses, one may live very comfortably at the rate of $1 a da}'. House rent is propor- tionately more expensive, because the influx of population has run ahead of the building facilities. A three-room cottage, very cosily situated, may be had for from $12 to $25 a month, with an average, throughout the camp, of about $15. Such houses as this, however, are provided, in many instances, with luxuries unheard of in most mining districts, such as running water in the house, a fairly good sewer arrange- ment, and an accessibility that contributes much to their desirability as residences.

MERCUR, UTAH. 51

The Cost of Living.

The cost of household supplies is figured at from 15 to 20 per cent higher than the same commodities cost in Salt Lake. Meats cost on an average about 12^ cents per pound, potatoes 60 cents per bushel, eggs 1 2 V2 cents a dozen, and so on through the list of staple supplies. In the summer, living is comparatively cheaper — certainly better, and for less cost than in any camp in this country, of any dimensions. This is due, primarily, to the accessibility of the camp from supply points. Utah Valley is within a very easy day's drive of the camp, and with its inexhaustible supplies of cheap fruit, vegetables, eggs, and butter, makes life more than tolerable in the camp. Fuel, lump coal of the Rock Springs grade, costs $7.50 a ton, as compared with $5.50 in Salt Lake. Freights are quite reasonable when one considers that the one road has a com- plete monopoly of traffic into the town, and that this same road was built under circumstances that rendered it an apparently hazardous investment. One freight bill may be cited as a specimen. It was for hotel supplies shipped from Salt Lake. The rate per hundred from Salt Lake to Mercur was 70 cents, of which, 45 was from Salt Lake to Fairfield Junction, 15 from Fairfield to Mercur Station, and 10 from the station down into the town by wagon.

Are You Going to Mercur?

The Union Pacific Operates

Through Pullman Sleepers

DAILY BETWEEN THE

MISSOURI RIVER and SALT LAKE CITY.

MERCUR IS ONLY THREE HOURS' RIDE FROM SALT LAKE CITY.

For information in reeard to this

>ther mining camps, apply to any of the following agencies :

ALBANY, N. Y.— 23 Maiden Lane. BOSTON, MASS -5 State Slxeet. BUFFALO, N. Y.-210 Ellicott Square. BUTTE, MONT — so North Main Street. CHEYENNE, WYO.-Union Pacific Depot. CHICAGO, ILL.-206 South Clark Street. CINCINNATI, OHIO— Room 35, Carew Building. CLEVELAND, OHIO-1^7 The Arcade. COUNCIL BLUFFS. IOWA— U. P. Transfer. DENVER, COLO.— 041 Seventeenth Street. DES MOINES. IOWA-401 Walnut Street. DETROIT. MICH. -67 Woodward Avenue. INDIANAPOLIS, IND.-u Jackson Place. KANSAS CITY. MO. — .000 Main Street. LEAVENWORTH. KAN.-228 Delaware Streel.

S. A. HUTCHISON, A.

LONDON, ENG.-122 Pall Mall.

LOS ANGELES, CAL— 223 South Spring Street.

NEW YORK CITY.-287 Broadwav.

OAKLAND, CAL— 1010 Broadway.

OGDEN, UTAH— Union Depot.

OMAHA, NEB.— Ninth and Farnam Streets.

PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Room 8, 18 South Broad Street.

PITTSBURG, PA. -1016 Carnegie Building.

PORTLAND, ORE.— 135 Third Street.

ST. JOSEPH, MO.— Board of Trade.

ST. LOUIS, MO.— 213 North Fourth Street.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH-201 Main Street.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. — 1 Montgomery Street.

SIOUX CITY, IOWA-506 Fourth Streel.

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN— * Water Street.

G. P. A., Omaha, Neb.

E. DICKINSON,

General Manager,

OMAHA, NEB.

15. L LOMAX, General Passenger and Ticket Agent,

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