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Book The Leadville Drainage Tunnel Lake County Colo

Download or read book The Leadville Drainage Tunnel Lake County Colo written by Robert A. Elgin and published by . This book was released on 1949 with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Leadville mining district (fig. 1) covers approximately 8 square miles adjacent to Leadville, the county seat of Lake County, Colo. It is famous for its large production of rich ores containing zinc, lead, copper, gold, and silver. Some manganiferous ores also have been produced. Most of the ore bodies have been devloped and mined through shafts, and large columes of water have greatly impeded operations and necessitated continual pumping. As the mines reached greater depths, pumping costs increased vastly. When depressed metal prices or labor strikes curtailed operations at various times, the mines became flodded, and costly pumping and rehabilitation were necessary to permit production to resume. All operations ceased in 1933, and the district has remained flooded ever since, except in that part drained by the Yak tunnel. Tunnels to drain all or parts of the district were proposed at various times. A tunnel from Malta was proposed as early as 1892 but never driven. The Yak tunnel (fig. 2), started in 1895 for exploration and drainage purposes, proved so successful that it extended into the eastern part of the district a total length of over 4 miles. The Canterbury tunnel (fig. 2) was started in 1922 and driven over 4,000 feet eastward into Canterbury Hill as a community project. A tunnel 39,300 feet in length and deep enough to drain all the district was proposed as a W.P.A. project in 1934, but was rejected. The Resurrection Mining Co. considered driving a tunnel from the valley of the East Fork of the Arkansas River into Fryer Hill in 1937. Shortages of metals, particularly lead and zinc, resulting from vastly increased consumption for the war, induced intensive exploration from all possible resources. A survey of reserves by the War Production Board resulted in designation of the Leadville district as one of the domestic reserves that could make a notable contribution of lead, zinc, and manganese if the mines were unwatered and rehabilitated within a reasonable time. Unwatering could be done by pumping or by driving a tunnel, but a tunnel would have the advantages of providing continual drainage, access for exploration and development of ore bodies, and possible cheaper haulage. From a study of available information at a conference in Denver on November 11 and 12, 1943, and a field examination in Leadville on November 13 and 14, representatives of the War Production Board, Bureau of Mines, and Geological Survey, concluded that a 2-1/2-mile tunnel driven from a portal on the East Fork of the Arkansas River, about 1-1/2 miles north of the town of Leadville, at an elevation of 9,960 feet, would effectively drain the Fryer Hill, Carbonate Hill, and Iron Hill areas (figs. 2 and 3). A 6,000-foot lateral into the downtown area would provide for pumping at greatly reduced heads there. These four extensively mineralized areas have yielded more than two-thirds of the total production of the Leadville district. Deeper tunnels to drain all of the district completely would be of much greater length and would require a proportionately greater expense and longer time to complete. The Colorado district, western region, of the Bureau of Mines was given the responsibility of making a preliminary surveys for a route and preparing a report. Construction of a tunnel at an estimated cost of $1,348,000 was recommended. The Interior Appropriations Act of 1943 authorized the expenditure of $1,400,000 for construction of a drainage tunnel with laterals, 17,300 feet in total length. Necessary steps prior to construction included obtaining easement rights for the tunnel route by court action and portal rights by negotiation with the Resurrection Mining Co., drawing up a form of contract for construction, and obtaining endorsements of the procedures of the United States Attorney General and the United States Comptroller General. Furthermore, in accordance with a ruling of the Secretary of the Interior that the United States Government take appropriate measures to obtain contributions from the beneficiaries of the project commensurate with the benefits received therefrom, the Department of the Interior negotiated with property owners for the collection of royalties on minerals made accessible, produced, and sold as a result of the drainage program. A cost-plus-fixed-fee contract was negotiated with Stiers Brothers Construction Co. of St. Louis, Mo., an experienced tunnel contractor. Construction work was begun December 6, 1943. Underground conditions proved to be much worse than had been anticipated and were responsible for the extremely high cost of driving the tunnel. Funds were exhausted after 6,600 feet of tunnel was completed, and operations were recessed on August 27, 1945. Most of the equipment had been rented from a subcontractor, the John R. Austin Construction Co., and was removed when the rental contracts were terminated. Equipment necessary to maintain the tunnel was procured, and a small crew was retained for this purpose. A description of the Leadville district follows, particularly of the effect of ground water upon mining, the geology, and planning and driving of the tunnel. The surface-plant and mining equipment are described, and detailed costs of the project to date are tabulated. Appendix 1 comprises the history of driving operations and Appendix 2 embraces the personnel organization and the contractor's wage scale.

Book Report of Investigations

Download or read book Report of Investigations written by and published by . This book was released on 1949 with total page 1284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Report of Investigations no 2002 to No 7380

Download or read book Report of Investigations no 2002 to No 7380 written by and published by . This book was released on 1949 with total page 524 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Information Circular

Download or read book Information Circular written by and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Leadville Drainage Tunnel Second Project

Download or read book Leadville Drainage Tunnel Second Project written by Melford H. Salsbury and published by . This book was released on 1956 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction -- Acknowledgements -- Physical features and facilities -- Labor and living conditions -- History and production -- Mine drainage -- Second tunnel project -- Geology of the Leadville district -- Driving the tunnel -- Ventilation -- Track and pipe installation and maintenance -- Surveying -- Drainage -- Safety practices -- Exploratory drilling -- Pilot-hole drilling -- Drilling for safety at the Blonger mine -- Personnel organization -- Costs -- Provision for tunnel maintenance -- Appendix.

Book Geological Survey Professional Paper

Download or read book Geological Survey Professional Paper written by and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Geology and Ore Deposits of the Leadville Mining District Colorado

Download or read book Geology and Ore Deposits of the Leadville Mining District Colorado written by Samuel Franklin Emmons and published by . This book was released on 1927 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Geological Survey Professional Paper

Download or read book Geological Survey Professional Paper written by Geological Survey (U.S.) and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Act of 1976

Download or read book Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Act of 1976 written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. Subcommittee on Energy Research and Water Resources and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book U S Geological Survey Professional Paper

Download or read book U S Geological Survey Professional Paper written by and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 718 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Mining and Engineering World

Download or read book Mining and Engineering World written by and published by . This book was released on 1905 with total page 732 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Professional Paper United States Geological Survey

Download or read book Professional Paper United States Geological Survey written by Geological Survey (U.S.) and published by . This book was released on 1925 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Mining and Scientific Press

Download or read book Mining and Scientific Press written by and published by . This book was released on 1909 with total page 918 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: