Tintic, Water Lily Shaft

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This page was last updated on November 19, 2025.

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Water Lily Shaft (Homansville)

(The focus of this page is the surface workings of the Water Lily Shaft, 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 Water Lily shaft was a project by the Chief Consolidated company, begun in 1920 and restarted in May 1921 from an existing depth of 60 feet, to assess the ore bodies of the eastern part of the Tintic district near Homansville. By November 1921 the Water Lily shaft had been sunk to a depth of 1250 feet. By February 1922, the Water Lily shaft was a full three-compartment shaft and was down to a depth of 1468 feet, known across the Tintic district as the water level. From the 1450 level, at least two drifts pushed in separate directions to explore for potential ore veins.

Comparing maps of the North Tintic district that show the location of the Water Lily shaft, with earlier maps of the same area, the earlier maps show it as being within the earlier Central Standard property, with different locations for the original Central Standard shaft and the original Copper Leaf shaft.

There is no reference to any production taking place from the Water Lily shaft. In March 1956, when the Jenny Lind Unit Lease was taken by Kennecott, the Water Lily shaft was included as one of the existing improvements made by the Chief Consolidated company, to be included as part of the lease area.

Research has not yet found why the shaft was named Water Lily. The detailed maps of mining claims in the area do not show a Water Lily claim, with the shaft shown on the "Railroad No. 12 " claim.

The Water Lily shaft is still shown on topographic maps of today, with the shaft collar at about 5900 feet elevation. It is located very near the center of Section 3 of T10S, R2W, about 2000 feet from where D&RGW branch line passed through a tunnel.

Water Lily Shaft (1921-1978)

May 1921
In 1920, the Water Lily shaft was 60 feet deep. The conflicts with other companies had been cleared up. Work was to be resumed "at once" in May 1921. The Water Lily shaft was a three-compartment shaft, and would be very near the same size the the Chief Consolidated company's No. 2 shaft. (Eureka Reporter, May 20, 1921)

July 15, 1921
"An attempt to break the world's record in shaft sinking, now held by the Crown Mines in South Africa, was started on July 15 at Eureka, Utah, by the Walter Fitch, Jr., Co., which began the work of deepening the Water Lily shaft of the Chief Consolidated Mining Co. The start was made at 8 o'clock in the morning, at which time the measurement from collar to bottom, made by certified engineers, was 115.5 ft." (Engineering and Mining Journal, Vol. 112, No. 4, July 23, 1921, page 146)

(The Water Lily shaft was officailly known during 1921 as the Chief Consolidated company's Shaft No. 3. -- Engineering and Mining Journal, Vol. 112, No. 5, July 30, 1921, page 146)

August 15, 1921
From the Salt Lake Tribune, August 16, 1921.

Eureka. Aug. 15.—Another world's record fell to the skill of Utah workmen when at 8 o'clock this morning the miners of the Walter Fitch, Jr., company of Eureka completed 427-1/2 feet of a vertical three-compartment shaft on the Water Lily property of the Chief Consolidated Mining company near Eureka.

This record exceeds by 117-1/2 feet the best previous effort made by miners and was completed in thirty-one consecutive days by three shifts of men. As a result of the achievement, the company will receive a gold medal and the qualified members of the crew will be awarded the silver medals offered by the Engineering and Mining Journal of New York, which established the conditions governing such contests.

The best previous record was made by the Crown Mines, Ltd., at Johannesburg, South Africa, with a distance of 310 feet. In 1916 the Walter Fitch, Jr., company, made record of 261 feet at Eureka.

October 8, 1921
The Water Lily shaft of the Chief Consolidated company was sunk 801.7 feet in 62 days, beginning on July 15th, and including the record breaking 427-1/2 feet in 30 days set on August 15th. (Engineering and Mining Journal, Vol. 112, No. 15, October 8, 1921)

(Walter Fitch Jr. wrote an article in the January 14, 1922 issue of the Engineering and Mining Journal, describing the work of sinking the record breaking shaft.)

October 18, 1921
"For the three months ending October 18, the Water Lily shaft was sunk a distance of 1106.8 ft., or an average of 368.9 ft. per month. The shaft is now down to a depth of 1250 feet." (Mining and Scientific Press, Vol. 123, November 19, 1921)

February 13, 1922
"The Water Lily shaft in the East end of the [Chief Consolidated] company's holdings in East Tintic, was bottomed at 1468 feet, a point slightly below permanent water level, and drifting was taken up on the 1442 level." (Deseret News, February 13, 1922)

April 7, 1922
"Among the most important pieces of development work which this organization has in progress at the present time is the prospecting of the Water Lily tract at a point just above the water level." (Eureka Reporter, April 7, 1922, citing the 1921 Chief Consolidated annual report)

(After 1922, and until 1978, there is no reference in online newspapers to the Water Lily shaft except to recall the 1921 breaking of the world's record for sinking a shaft, and which was broke again in a South Africa mine in 1936.)

Water Lily Shaft (1978-)

November 10, 1978
Kennecott was moving ahead with plans to re-open the Water Lily shaft. (Eureka Reporter, November 10, 1978)

(The Water Lily shaft was about 2.5 miles north of the Burgin mine, which was 1.5 miles northeast of the Trixie mine.)

September 1980
The Water Lily shaft collapsed during Kennecott's activity to rehabilitate the shaft to gain access to the nearby Central Standard ore body. Kennecott had leased what was called the Homansville property from Chief Consolidated. But with the collapse of the Water Lily shaft in mid-September, Kennecott was drilling on Central Standard ground, which Chief controlled but only owned 24 percent of. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 31, 1980, "one and a half months ago")

October 1983
Sunshine purchased from Chief Consolidated an option to lease the Homansville property in October 1983. (Eureka Reporter, May 24, 1984)

May 1984
Chief Consolidated announced in May 1984 that Sunshine has decided to exercise its option to lease the underground rights of 2,013 acres comprising Chief's Homansville property, to be accessed from the existing Water Lily shaft and the Central Standard shaft. Sunshine would also exercise its option to lease from Central Standard Consolidated Mines company's 320 acres that adjoin the Homansville property. At the time, Chief Consolidated owned 18 percent of the outstanding stock of Central Standard. (Eureka Reporter, May 24, 1984)

(Read more about the Central Standard Consolidated Mines company, which was still in existence as late as 2005)

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