Tintic Drain Tunnel

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This page was last updated on September 22, 2025.

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Overview

The goal of the Tintic Drain Tunnel was to cconnect with the Dragon mine's shaft at depth and drain the lower levels of the Dragon mine and adjacent mines.

The water level of the Tintic mines is, on average, about 4,500 feet elevation. The drain tunnel is between 5,100 and 5,130 feet elevation, which means that it will greatly reduce the lift required for pumping in all the mines it connects with. The Gemini water level is at 4,872 feet elevation, with its bottom workings being 300 feet below the water level; the Chief Consolidated water level is at 4,800 feet elevation, with workings down to 4,677 feet, 125 feet below the water level. The Grand Central water level is at 4,797 feet elevation, with bottom workings about 70 feet below the water level. Some mines will not need pumping and have water above the tunnel level: the South Swansea at 6,388 feet elevation, and the Dragon Consolidated at 5,295 feet elevation. The drain tunnel will be provided with a concrete waterway, and double track haulage. During construction, the drain tunnel is shipping about one car of ore per week, shipping by wagon north along the Goshen valley to D&RGW at Elberta. (Salt Lake Herald, March 2, 1919)

The Ttintic Drain Tunnel had its east end on the west side of the Goshen valley, and its projected west end at the Dragon mine, a bit over five miles. A line projected between the two points, intersects the Ruby Shaft in Ruby Hollow, and the point where construction stopped, 6800 feet from the portal.

The Tintic Drain Tunnel was a personal project of Jesse Knight. After Knight died in March 1921, the project came to an end over the following three months. The vertical ventilation shaft that was started in (????) was completed at the tunnel's end for the purposes of ventilation, 6800 feet from the east portal. The vertical shaft was completed to a depth of 688 feet, meaning that the end of the tunnel was 688 feet under cover. Looking at Google satellite images, there appears to be some sort of foundation at the end point. This structure may be the top of the ventilation shaft.

Based on topographic maps, the east portal was at 5,025 feet elevation. The collar of Dragon mine was at 6,825 feet elevation, indicating a difference of of 1,800 feet.

The following description of the Tintic Drain Tunnel project comes from the February 2, 1918 issue of the Salt Lake Mining Review.

The Tintic Drain Tunnel Company is one of the latest promotions of the Knight Investment Company of Provo, Utah, and in the opinion of Jesse Knight himself, it is an undertaking fraught with the greatest possibilities of anything he has ever set his hand to accomplish.

The proposed length of the tunnel, starting on the Goshen slope about five miles south of Elberta, Utah, will be approximately six miles when completed to the shaft of the Dragon Consolidated Mining Company. In its course it will cut through the porphyry section in the south end of the Tintic district, where the original discoveries in Tintic were made, and from which considerable high grade ore was shipped in the early days. As all of these vein systems run at right angles to the course of the tunnel, they will ultimately be intersected at depth.

Those familiar with the early history of Tintic, will recall that the Diamond and Silver City districts were the first to call Tintic to the attention of the mining world. Some of these properties produced fortunes in the early days from the high grade fissures in the porphyry.

Water was always a troublesome factor, and the greatest depth obtainable in the district was approximately 600 feet. Many of the mines were worked only to a depth of 300 or 400 feet when a heavy flow of water stopped further work.

Development on the east side of the Godiva mountain from tunnels, shafts and diamond drill work, discloses the interesting fact that the limestone dips out to the southeast under the porphyry. Many prominent mining men, familiar with the district, are now of the opinion that the porphyry is merely a capping, of several hundred feet thickness, and that the veins worked in the early days in the porphyry, will penetrate to the soluble lime beds underneath, where enlargement and enrichment will take place. Belief in this theory is one of the actuating motives with Mr. Knight in the promotion of the Tintic Drain Tunnel Company, but this is not the only motive, by any means. Mr. Knight is firm in his belief that additional ore bearing lime strata will be found at greater depth in the Tintic properties, which have produced their millions in other beds nearer the surface, and the drain tunnel will facilitate exploring these old properties at greater depth when the permanent water level is reached in these shafts. The tunnel, when opposite Iron Blossom and Dragon shafts, will have an approximate depth of 2,200 feet.

Instead of soliciting financial assistance in the promotion of his company from the owners of the properties which he proposes to dewater, Mr. Knight prefers to take royalty contracts from them, whereby they agree to pay a 10 per cent royalty on all ores whose extraction is facilitated by reason of the tunnel. Nearly all of the porphyry companies of importance have already entered into such contracts, as also have many of the big properties on the Godiva mountain in the heart of the district.

The company owns United States patents covering approximately 300 acres of mining claims, and holds under the location law approximately 1,000 acres additional.

In anticipation of an immense water flow, the company has acquired and is acquiring titles to thousands of acres of very fertile agricultural land below the mouth of the tunnel in the south end of the Goshen valley, and Mr. Knight is confident that a very valuable agricultural district will be added to the state's wealth as a result of this development.

The tunnel is being driven sufficiently large to provide for an ample waterway and a double track system. There is no indebtedness of any kind against the corporation as it started business with a cash capital of $150,000.

If the development work in the tunnel succeeds in opening up orebodies of importance, and ultimately connects with present producing mines, the receipts accruing from the use of the tunnel as a transportation system will provide a handsome revenue in and of itself.

Officers and directors of the Knight Investment Company are: Jesse Knight, president; A. [Amanada] M. Knight, vice president; W. Lester Mangum, secretary and treasurer; Oscar Raymond Knight, J. William Knight, R. E. Allen and Knight Starr Jordan.

The following additional description of the Tintic Drain Tunnel project comes from the February 21, 1920 issue of the Ogden Standard Examiner.

The Tintic Drain Tunnel company, while an entirely independent organization from the other Knight properties, through its common ownership and management has laid out a comprehensive program for the economic development and drainage of all the main Knight properties such as the Colorado, the Dragon, the Mammoth, the Iron Blossom and other properties of the Empire Mines company.

The tunnel, in addition to tapping the well known mineralized section in and around Godiva mountain, will cut through the southern and eastern porphyry section of the district, where the early mining of the Tintic district was done, and where much good ore was taken out of the oxidized zone. Further development of this section, however, was impossible owing to the heavy flow of water encountered in the porphyry.

Mr. Knight is confident, both from observation and from actual diamond drill work and deep development from the Dragon and Iron Blossom, that all the porphyry showing on the surface and for several hundred feet in depth will be replaced by lime above the tunnel level, and it is his confident prediction that the fissures worked in the porphyry mines in the early days of the camp's history will make rich replacements in the underlying lime formation. This assures ultimate success to the tunnel project independent of its connection with the well known producing mines on Godiva mountain.

The deep interest in the completion of the tunnel project is shown by many of the prominent Tintic operators through their entering into royalty contracts with the tunnel company providing for a graduated royalty on all ores whose extraction is facilitated by the tunnel company's project.

The company now has royalty contracts with the following mines: Tesora, Dragon Consolidated, Empire Mines, Iron Blossom, Colorado, Tintic Central and Sioux Consolidated. These royalty contracts provide for payment to the Tintic Drainage Tunnel company for all ore mined below the present water level as well as free title to all water developed.

In this connection it can be stated that the far seeing Mr. Knight has already secured 2300 acres of agricultural land below the portal of the tunnel to be irrigated by the tremendous flow that is being developed.

The Knight interests have in the development of this project secured 27 patented claims and 218 unpatented claims.

 

Tintic Drain Tunnel Co.

August 30, 1917
Knight Investment company announced the plans for a drain tunnel company, and filed the location of the tunnel site with the Utah County recorder. The company was not yet organized. (Salt Lake Mining Review, August 30, 1917)

September 17, 1917
The Tintic Drain Tunnel company was organized on September 17, 1917, and the articles of incorporation were filed on September 21, 1917. (Salt Lake Herald, September 22, 1917; November 13, 1917)

November 30, 1917
Stock of the Tintic Drain Tunnel company is now listed on the Salt Lake Mining & Stock Exchange. The company owns 24 patented mining claims, 315 unpatented mining claims, and 600 acres of land at the site of the tunnel portal. The first day of listing was NOvember 16, 1917. (Salt Lake Herald, November 16, 1917; Salt Lake Mining Review, November 30, 1917)

August 4, 1918
The "South Tintic Drain Tunnel" was in a distance of over 800 feet. Still in loose material. (Salt Lake Herald, August 4, 1918)

October 4, 1918
The drain tunnel was in a distance of about 1,000 feet. The work had not progressed very rapidly in the past six or eight months due to the soft nature of the material being tunneled through, which has required extensive timbering. The tunnel is 8 feet by 9 feet, wide enough for a double track. (Eureka Reporter, October 4, 1918, with photos)

March 16, 1919
The drain tunnel was in a distance of over 2,000 feet. (Salt Lake Tribune, March 16, 1919)

June 29, 1919
The drain tunnel was in about 3,000 feet. The drain tunnel will be "something like six miles in length" and will first connect with the Iron Blossom workings. (Salt Lake Herald, June 29, 1919)

August 13, 1919
The 1900 level of the Colorado mine was the same level as the drain tunnel. The 2200 level of the Iron Blossom was the same as the drain tunnel. Connecting the properties was the goal of the drain tunnel. The drain tunnel will reach the Iron Blossom near the No. 1 shaft. (Salt Lake Herald, August 13, 1919)

September 28, 1919
The drain tunnel was in a distance of 3,500 feet. A blower had been installed for ventilation. At about 5,000, a raise [vertical shaft] to the surface will be added for ventilation to remove power smoke, dust and bad air from the tunnel face. (Salt Lake Tribune, September 28, 1919)

November 23, 1919
By November 1919, the tunnel had reached "more than 4000 feet" into the mountain. (Salt Lake Tribune, November 23, 1919)

February 21, 1920
"The Colorado, the Iron Blossom, the Dragon and the Empire Mines company under the management of President Jesse Knight, have outlined a program connecting their lowest workings with the level of the Tintic Drain Tunnel company, as it will eventually cut the Dragon shaft, so that all can take advantage of the ultimate completion of this great undertaking." "The tunnel has now been extended a total distance of approximately 5000 feet from the portal." (Ogden Standard Examiner, February 21, 1920)

Ruby Shaft

Ruby shaft was 2500 feet southwest of Silver Pass, the boundary line between Juab County and Utah County, at the head of Ruby Hollow. The Ruby shaft was owned by the Tintic Drain Tunnel company, and ore was shipped in the name of that company.

Ore from the Tintic Drain Tunnel company's Ruby shaft was shipped by way of the OSL Northern Spy Branch from Silver City, built in 1891 and originally known as the Northern Spy Extension.

(Read more about the Northern Spy Branch)

August 15, 1919
The hoist machinery for the Ruby shaft came from the Opex mine in Mammoth. It was capable of reaching 2,000 feet, but the Knight people did not intend to go deeper than 1,500 feet. The compressor on site was capable of operating seven air drills. The compressor and the hoist were both electrically driven. (Salt Lake Mining Review, August 15, 1919)

September 7, 1919
Work had not yet started on the Ruby shaft, pending the completion of a power line by Utah Power company. The machinery had been installed and was "ready to go," needing only electric power to be put to use. (Salt Lake Herald, September 7, 1919)

September 22, 1919
The Ruby shaft was down 40 feet. A small hoisting engine had been installed, pending the arrival of a large machine. A gallows frame had been erected. (Salt Lake Telegram, September 22, 1919)

October 12, 2019
The Ruby shaft was down 100 feet. At the site of the new shaft, the company had put in a water line, a boarding house, blacksmith shop and gallows frame, as well as a shaft house with electrically operated machinery. The installation of two miles of power line was needed for the shaft house to have electric power. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 12, 1919)

November 23, 1919
By November 1919, the Ruby shaft was down 175 feet. (Salt Lake Tribune, November 23, 1919)

February 21, 1920
Concerning the Ruby shaft. "At the earliest date possible a shaft is being sunk about 7000 feet east of the Dragon shaft on the tunnel line. At this point it will require a shaft 1500 feet deep to correspond with the point of contact with the Dragon shaft and the portal of the tunnel. The shaft is now down about 360 feet and thoroughly equipped for its completion. As soon as the required depth has been obtained drifting both ways will be prosecuted with vigor.

Map

Tintic Railroads and MInes -- A Google map showing the railroads and larger mines, and the drain tunnel.

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