RX Exploration

The Drumlummon mine is located in the southwest quarter of section 36, T12N, R6W. The mine was the largest mine in the district. However, most of the production occurred prior to detailed records. Prior to 1910, the mine was developed through 123,500 feet of underground and was estimated to have produced 1,150,000 tons of ore. The ore returned 586,898 ounces of gold and 4,982,942 ounces of silver. The Drummlummon vein was developed along the strike for 3,000 and has been stoped as wide as 40 feet. Other veins extensively worked include the North Star, Castletown, New Castletown, Sampson, Jubilee and Jubilee No. 2. The latter two veins were discovered at depth and did not outcrop (Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology; Goodale 1915).

Thomas Cruse located the Drumlummon claim in 1876. The property had been located before, but the claim had been allowed to lapse. He named the mine after the parish in Ireland where he was born. Cruse uncovered high-grade ore in his workings and in 1880 (some sources say 1878) erected a 5-stamp mill at the upper end of Silver Creek. He worked shallow prospect holes for six years. By 1882 Cruse had single-handedly extended the adit 200 feet and cut the vein at a depth of 140 feet. The mine produced 6,000-7,000 tons of ore which was worked in part in arrastras and a little over half in the new mill with a return of $144,539 in bullion. In 1882, Cruse added a second battery of 5-stamps to the mill (Leeson 1885; Goodale 1915).

In February of 1883, Cruse sold the Drumlummon mine and lesser associated claims to an English syndicate for $1,000,000 in cash and $500,000 in shares. The English company found abundant ore reserves in the upper workings. Additonal stamps were added to the mill and two amalgamating pans and a settler were put into operation. By 1884, a 50-stamp mill from the P. I. works in San Francisco was completed and Frue vanners were installed to extract sulphides. Two years later, a 60-stamp mill was built at a cost of $128,340 to handle an increased output of low-grade ore. Each battery of 5-stamps was equipped with two Frue vanners, but no pans or settlers. In 1885, the mill produced between $80,000 each month with company profits at $40,000 to $50,000 each month (Leeson 1885; Goodale 1915).

A new shaft was begun 260 feet below the Cruse tunnel and 400 feet below the discovery pit. The 1,260 foot adit was named the "Maskelyne" after the chairman of the board of directors. In 1886, a 3-compartment incline shaft was begun which reached a depth of 800 feet in 1888. Levels on the vein were opened at 500, 600, 700 and 800 feet. A second 3-compartment incline shaft was begun in 1887; the No. 2 shaft was begun 700 feet south of the No. 1 and downslope 400 feet. Both shafts used double decker cages (Goodale 1915).

The best year for the mine was 1887 when it was working ore valued at $27.21 per ton. Dividends of $920,000 were distributed. Unfortunately, ore value decreased with depth. Studies suggested that the problem was only a local one, so sinking on the shaft resumed. In 1891 the shaft reached a depth of 1,600 feet and 165 men were employed in the mine. Connections were made between the two shafts by a crosscut at the 1,200 foot level and by drifts at the 600 and 1000 foot levels. When the "9-hour" ore shoot was discovered a few hundred feet south on the 400 foot level, a third shaft was sunk. Ultimately, the 1,600 foot level of the mine was developed by nearly a mile of exploration drifts and crosscuts (Swallow 1891; Goodale 1915).

In 1890, to combat increased flow of water, a Cornish pump was purchased for $55,000. But as new ground was opened, the flow diminished and so pump installation was never completed. In 1895, a 400 gallon per minute Riedler pump was installed at the 1,600 foot station. Exploration so increased the flow of water that a second, 500 gallon per minute, pump had to be installed. While the second pump was being installed, a concrete dam was erected in a crosscut to diminish the flow. By the time the pump was operational, water pressure indicated that a head of 600 feet had developed beyond the dam (Goodale 1915).

A fire started at the 1,200 foot station on May 8, 1892. Because of the strong draft between the shafts, the blaze quickly raced up through the 10 x 10 inch timbers used in the shaft. Before water could be poured down the shaft and put out the fire, it had spread to the 400 foot level, destroying 800 feet of timber. Smoke made it difficult to approach the collar of the shaft. Hoses connected to pumps in the boiler room flooded the mine with 5 million gallons of water. By the time the fire was out, water had risen in the mine to the 700 foot level. Damage was extensive; a reorganization of the company delayed until 1894 some repairs to the 1,600 foot level which had been damaged by burning timbers falling down the shaft. Because the mine was in hard slate, little caving occurred from the fire (Goodale 1915).

The reorganization of the company resulted from the effects of the fire, a bad cave in the "9 hour" stope and expensive litigation. The new name of the company as of December 1892 was the Montana Mining Co., Ltd. The litigation continued for another 18 years. The property was finally sold to satisfy a judgement of $240,000 against the company. The company was bought in 1911 by the successful litigant, the St. Louis Mining and Milling Company.

The Castletown lode was originally developed by a small shaft and drift by a Mr. Attwood. The lode was later extensively developed by extensions of the Drumlummon mine levels. New Castletown lode was discovered in 1893 when the Castletown 2A workings were extended by a short crosscut. The new ore body was quickly developed to the 1,000 foot level and yielded a large tonnage of good ore (Goodale 1915).

In 1896, tests were run to examine the advisability of working the tailings from the mills by cyanide treatment. A year later, a $66,000 cyanide plant was built with a capacity of 400 tons a day. A railway with a Porter locomotive and cars hauled the tailings from a series of five dams on Silver Creek to the plant. Later on, another company, the St.Louis Company worked the tailings a second time and recovered more gold. By 1907, all of the tailings along four miles of the stream had been reworked. It was reported that $1,500,000 was realized from this venture (Goodale 1915; Wolle 1963).

Because of the on-going litigation, the mine produced only intermittently from 1892 to 1910. However, when the mine was in operation, it employed an army of men to produce large amounts of ore. In 1895 the mine employed 139 miners and 67 topmen. However, as production levels declined, the lower levels were allowed to flood and were not pumped out again until 1924 when a new power plant was built and the mine dewatered (Shoemaker and Miles 1896; Pardee and Schrader 1933).

From 1901 to 1948, the mine showed production every year. Total ore production was 480,576 short tons with a smelter returned of 115,694.49 ounces of gold; 852,666 ounces of silver; 23,341 pounds of copper; and after 1946, 29,848 pounds of lead. A large share of the production in 17 of the years came from reworking old tailings (Goodale 1915; Pardee and Schrader 1933; McClernan 1983).