Tintic, Beck Tunnel Consolidated
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Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining Company, 1904
(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the Beck Tunnel Consolidated mine, as visible in photographs, as well as a general description of the mine, with minimal coverage of the geology and financial returns. Also to establish a timeline using sources not previously readily available.)
The Beck Tunnel was a project of Jesse Knight; one of the first projects after he sold the Humbug and Uncle Sam mines in 1901.
J. William Knight, Jesse Knight's second oldest son, in his book "The Jesse Knight Family," published in 1941, tells the following story about Jesse Knight buying the Beck Tunnel company. "Money accumulated very rapidly as the ore in the Uncle Sam mine was rich in silver and lead. He acquired the control of what is known as the Beck Tunnel property and erected machinery and sank a shaft thereon a distance of 300 feet. Then he directed Mr. Roundy to run a drift to the east at the bottom of the shaft, and in a short time another ore body was encountered about 40 feet in width, rich and easily mined."
June 17, 1904
The Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company filed its articles of incorporation with the county clerk. "The company is formed by the consolidation of the Bullion Beck Tunnel company and the La Reine Mining company. The officers are: Jesse Knight, president; Jacob Evans, vice president; R. E. Allen, secretary and treasurer; with Henry Dinwoodey and E. H. Mead as additional directors. The articles of incorporation were filed with the Secretary of State on June 20th. (Deseret News, June 18, 1904, "yesterday"; June 20, 1904)
(The original news story stated that David Evans was the vice president, but the next day, it was corrected to be Jacob Evans, younger brother of David Evans by 15 years.)
July 2, 1904
Jesse Knight deeded the Cyrus Oliver claim to the Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company. (Deseret News, July 2, 1904)
(The Cyrus Oliver claim is wrongly identfied on several maps of Tintic mining claims, as the Cyrus Adler claim.)
September 30, 1904
From the Deseret News, September 30, 1904.
Provo. Sept, 30. - The Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company has ordered an air compressor plant, and will conduct a pipe line from Homansville to bring water to the mine. In order to make those improvements the company has decided to sell the remaining treasury stock.
President Jesse Knight is confident that the company will develop a rich mine. A winze is now being sunk in the tunnel, following a chute of copper stained quartz, in which rich products of copper and silver ore occur, and Mr. Knight is of the opinion that this chute will lead to a big body of valuable ore.
The winze is down 160 feet from the tunnel, and about 550 feet from the surface.
December 21, 1906
The Yankee Consolidated Mining company deeded the Leona claim to the Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company. (Salt Lake Herald, December 21, 1906)
(Read more about the Yankee Consolidated mine, which became a part of the North Lily company in 1925)
December 21, 1906
The Mountain View company deeded the Emma claim to the adjoining Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company. (Salt Lake Herald, December 21, 1906)
(Read more about the Mountain View Mining and Milling company of 1898-1908)
April 15, 1908
From the Utah County Democrat, April 15, 1908.
Beck Tunnel. -- The Beck Tunnel group, consisting of ten or eleven claims, adjoins the domain of the Colorado company [also a Jesse Knight property] on the north, and covers at least 3,000 feet of the extension of the Colorado vein, its north end line abutting upon the territory of the Yankee Consolidated. In addition to the Colorado vein, the Beck Tunnel group embraces two other known ore zones or ledges, one known as the Crown Point vein, and the other the Yankee and Humbug ore channel, the latter cutting through Beck ground well within its western sideline.
On the 2,000-foot level the ore body measures thirty-five feet in width. The ore on this level has been drifted upon for a distance of 150 feet, and it has been sunk upon, in a winze, for thirty feet, the bottom being in a body of mineral of splendid grade which assays from 6 to 10 per cent copper, 200 ounces silver, and from $3 to $5 in gold to the ton. On all of the levels, down to the 11th, the ore body has been followed on its strike for a distance of 3,000 feet, and along this ore deposit sets of timber four or five sets in width, and six or seven in heighth, have been necessary to prevent the caving of the mine after the ore has been extracted, and this fact will give some idea of the magnitude of this wonderful ore deposit. Some of the high-grade ore from this portion of the mine assays as high as 9,000 ounces in silver to the ton, while the mine average is in the neighborhood of $100 to $150 to the ton. From this portion of the Beck about $1,000,000 in ore has been taken from which the company has disbursed $820,000 in dividends; a record that would be difficult for any mining company to eclipse, or even duplicate.
North from the shaft the company is drifting in ore, and the vein has been followed in this direction for two or three hundred feet, the ore body maintaining nearly regulation size but being of lower grade, as stated above.
One thousand feet north of the old, or south shaft, the company is now sinking a two-compartment shaft and manway. This shaft is down over 250 feet, and a drift will soon be started, if not already under way, to be run to the east, the expectation being that the ore channel will be encountered in that direction within a distance of from 100 to 200 feet.
Equipment of the Beck. -- The south shaft of the Beck Tunnel company is equipped with the first steam hoist ever operated by the old Bullion Beck & Champion Mining company. This is a single-drum 100-horsepower hoist with a history.
May 8, 1911
"The Beck Tunnel was upon the market again this week with a couple of carloads of ore from the new strike, making a total of six cars which have been sent out since the compromise of the suit with the Uncle Sam company. The development work is going along in good shape at the Beck Tunnel and the management expects to open the ore in the main south drift within the next few weeks.—Eureka Reporter, May 4." (Salt Lake Tribune, May 8, 1911)
(More research is needed concerning this "compromise" between the Beck Tunnel and Uncle Sam companies.)
June 3, 1913
The Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company shipped 6,418 tons of ore during the previous year [1912]. (Deseret News, June 3, 1913) (This works out to be about 17 railroad carloads per month.)
May 10, 1913
The Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company opened its mine to leasers, with the company receiving 25 to 50 percent royalty. The company was under no expense or liability. (Provo Daily Herald, June 26, 1913, annual report to stockholders)
Colorado Consolidated Mining Company, 1916
In May 1916, the Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company was consolidated with the Colorado Mining company to create the Colorado Consolidated Mning company.
May 2, 1916
At a special meeting held on March 28, 1916, the board of directors of the Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company voted to approve the consolidation of the company with the Colorado Mining company, and to organize a new corporation, for the purpose of purchasing and taking over all assets, properties and interests of the Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company, and the Colorado Mining company. A special meeting of stockholders was held on May 2, 1916 to ratify the decision and recommendation of the board of directors. (Provo Daily Herald, May 1, 1916)
January 15, 1917
"Mr. Knight is known as one of the most successful mine operators in the west, and has made great dividend-payers of three of the greatest mines in the country, namely, the Beck Tunnel Consolidated, the Colorado and the Iron Blossom." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 15, 1917, upon Knight's visit to the Chloride mining district in Arizona)
November 24, 1928
An assessment against the stock of the Beck Tunnel Consolidated Mining company, along with the stock of the Colorado Mining company, the Old American Mining company, and the Salvador Mining company, with the assessment to the treasurer of the Colorado Consolidated Mining company. The stock of any unpaid assessment would be sold at public auction to pay the said assessment and any costs of advertising and expenses of the sale. (Goodwin's Weekly, November 24, 1928)
August 31, 1933
"A number of leasers were busy at the Uncle Sam mine. The best lease was that of Joseph Gagon, this block of ground was on the Uncle Sam-Beck Tunnel line, and was a high grade lead-silver product. The royalities from this lease were divided between the two companies." (Eureka Reporter, August 31, 1933)
(During the Great Depression, many large mining companies in Eureka could not afford to operate at full capacity due to low metal prices. To keep the mines open and the town employed, they used a leasing system. The leasers were independent miners either in small groups or as individuals would "lease" a specific "block" of ground within a larger mine. The leasers paid for their own supplies and labor, then gave a percentage of their earningsas royalties to the company that owned the mining claim. If a leaser worked a block of mineral ground that sat on the boundary line between two properties (like the Uncle Sam and Beck Tunnel companies, above, the royalties were split between both companies.)
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