LETTER TO DEPARTMENT CHAIR FROM DON JUNG:
1998
Dear Jaak:
Enclosed is some information on my career in mining. The first mine I worked in was a small tungsten mine in the Oceola Mining District, eastern NV. Two of us worked in an inclined shaft » 150' deep mining pillars of tungsten ore and drifting off the bottom of the shaft. We used carbide lights for illumination and drilled out rounds with a column & bar mounted drill (Cochise Jackhammer). Hand crank feed on shell mounted drill. About 2 foot feed length. Column & bar took a while to set up. This was the Dirty Shirt Mine. We hauled out ore to Cherry Creek north of Ely to the Bounty & Cleghorne Mill.
At the next mine I worked at Minerva, I saw my first jackleg drill. It was an Atlas Copco sinker attached by clamp to an air leg. There was a "y" fitting in air hose with a line going to the leg & control valve for leg pressure on the leg itself.
I used carbide lights until about 1964. At New Pass, two of us would spit as many as 50 rounds at a time.(25 each) in shrinkage stopes. 5' long fuses. When I first heard of spitter cord to tie all the fuses together and spit one place, it was a big relief, much safer of course. We milled about 4000 tons of ore through a stamp mill. Two 5 stamp batteries, 1000 lb. stamps, 6 inch drop & 100 drops per minute per stamp. For a period of time, my wife and I worked this alone. I would help her start up the mill and then we walked up to the shaft and she would lower me to work. Kathy ran the mill while I mined on the 340 or 490 levels. She would come up and hoist me out at the end of the day. We added mercury to the stamp batteries and recovered gold by amalgamation in the batteries and on copper plates at mill discharge. My Dad, who had a business in Northern California, would come over as time permitted and helped us with the hoisting and milling.
The last mining we have done here at New Pass was in 1994. We sunk a 50 ft. of winze from tunnel floor on the Superior vein. Did some slushier drifting off from the winze.
Our plans now are to make a mine-mill tour business with the property. Go into Superior Tunnel » 1000 ft. and have drills etc. set up and operating. The train ride in is using an air trammer and flat cars. Gold panning outside, antique assay lab, blacksmith shop, etc.
I am enclosing several resume’s and they overlap, but there is a little different information in them. If there is anything I can do to be of help, contact me.
Best regards, Don Jung