The Saratoga Sun

HARNESSING THE ELEMENTS
Big Company Now Organizing to Work Gold Hill Mines and Mills by Electricity
SILVER AS WELL AS GOLD IN THE CAMP
Local Company or a Syndicate to Take the Good Chances the Holyoke Outfit Lost.

Electricity will certainly be utilized in the development of Gold Hill mines and in working the rich ores of the camp. Through the medium of Colonel Downey's address, published in the Thanksgiving number of The Sun, and comprehensive articles in the Omaha Bee, has been made known the great advantages to be derived from harnessing the mountain torrents and electrical power to the uses of mining. The spirit of enterprise exhibited has caused the already famous district to become even more widely known. Electrical experts have opened correspondence with people interested in Gold Hill relative to the projects under consideration. As the Omaha Bee sententiously expresses it Gold Hill "will contribute a celebrated chapter to the history of gold mining in the United States."

GREAT SAVING CAN BE MADE.

A recent issue of Practical Electricity contained the following: "R. S. Hunton, one of the leading mine owners of Colorado, says that electricity opens a new era in the production of silver. Many of the high mountain mines have been almost valueless because of the expense of transporting fuel to them. Now, through the utilization of water power with the electric motor, these mines can be operated cheaply, and a notable increase in output may be looked for. So evident is this fact, that there has already sprung up a demand for electrical mining machinery in New Mexico, and our American electric manufacturing companies are now sending large quantities of apparatus thither."

But it is proposed at Gold Hill to test the latest inventions of Wizard Edison and to make still further progress in utilizing the forces of electricity.

Within a few days will be organized a company to carry out these plans. The marvelous water power of the district is to be still further augmented by the exercise of engineering skill.

No definite time has yet been fixed for starting the Downey stamp mill. It is fast being put in condition for the stamps to drop and begin the run on rich ore that will result in a big clean-up. Colonel Downey will come to Saratoga next Thursday, the time when Superintendent "Jack" Martin expected to have everything in readiness to begin crushing ore.

Several meetings have been held the past week in Saratoga to consider plans for organizing a local company to erect a custom stamp mill to work the ore from the Lakeside, Acme and other claims of Greene Brothers & Co. Nothing has been decided as yet as there is a possibility that a new company of Eastern capitalists may avail themselves of the chance that the Holyoke company lost, for reasons that have become a matter of public comment and more or less notoriety. Reports from the Acme and Lakeside tunnels grow more and more encouraging.

SILVER IN GOLD HILL.

The need of reduction works for treatment of some of the ores in the Gold Hill district, outside of the French creek country where they are nearly all refractory, will be demonstrated as development progresses on the claims that are as yet mere prospects. Rich silver indications abound. On the Podunk, of McAllister Brothers, a seam varying in width from one to six inches, and increasing as a greater depth was gained in the shaft, goes high in silver. An assay showed 1,887 ounces in silver to the ton. The Podunk ore is certainly rich but in other claims equal value if not greater quantity of the same character of ore is likely to be opened up through development.

HEADQUARTERS POST OFFICE.

J. D. Minshall, proprietor of the Headquarters hotel on the Saratoga route to Gold Hill, has received his commission as postmaster of the new office established there. The supplies were received this week and the first mail was delivered yesterday. The post office department christened the office Headquarters although it was requested that it should be named Ina, after Landlord Minshall's daughter. But it was feared that this name might be confounded with that of another office in Wyoming somewhat similar. The establishment of the new office will be a great convenience to many. It wouldn't be strange if that was the nucleus of an important settlement. Hundreds of acres of placer ground have been located in that neighborhood and on some of the claims extensive work will be done next spring. Not far from there is the Mammoth claim, where Mart Lavin made his recent strike. There are good indications of leads that will pay to work on the hills in that vicinity. Headquarters was once a place of some importance during the tie-chopping days when several hundred men and a number of families resided there. At present, as a stage station on the line to Gold Hill, it is an important point and is the end of the road through the timber to the camp.