Since the last report was published the Kentuck S came into prominence
once more under the ownership of a St. Louis syndicate. A vigorous
policy was inaugurated, and for a time all seemingly went well. The
shoot of quartz, which had been opened to some depth, crops out along
the flank of the steep mountain side. The vein pitches into the hill at
a high angle. The manager selected a place to start a new vertical,
three-compartment shaft at a point up the hill about 100 feet above the
croppings. The shaft was started and was fully equipped. Massive timbers
were placed in the most approved style. At a depth of 100 feet the work
has reached the level of the croppings, and had cost, it is said,
$10,000, and it was still about 125 feet down to a connection with the
vein. Here the work was stopped, and has never since been resumed,
standing an excellent example of how not to open a mine. The money
expended in this shaft would have driven a crosscut tunnel from the base
of the hill to the vein, giving at least 500 feet of backs, affording a
cheap means of draining, ventilating, and exploiting the mine.