Dam to be built at Battle Lake for hydro power

Reprint of this story from the August 18, 1905 issue of The Grand Encampment Herald brought to you courtesy of Grandma’s Cabin, Encampment, Wyoming. Preserving History - Serving the Community.

Doane-Rambler Will Build Big Concentrator and Water Power

Contracts Being Made to Raise Battle Lake by Large Dam

The most important development enterprise in the district outside of the Penn-Wyoming operations is about to be started by the Battle Lake Tunnel Site Mining Co., owners of the Doane-Rambler mine.

For the purpose of inaugurating the proposed improvements the following officers and stockholders of the company arrived here Sunday: President J. W. Brooks, W. J. Lloyd, C. P. Dungan, L. A. Goore, Geo. F. Meehan, Horace F. Brown and H. J. Stegemann.

Mr. Brown is one of the best known mining engineers in the country, being the inventor of the Brown roasting process and several other metallurgical and concentrating devices, which are in general use in mining and milling communities. He is here in his professional capacity to make plans and advise the company concerning the work they are undertaking. In an interview with Mr. Stegemann the Herald secured the following information as to the immediate plans of the company.

A big dam is to be built at the outlet of Battle Lake for the purpose of creating a very large water power. The lake is surrounded on three sides by a high embankment and from its outlet a large stream of water flows continually. A dam at the outlet will enable the company to store a great deal of surplus water and create an inexhaustible water power for the operation of the mine at a saving of thousands of dollars every year. Surveys for this work have been completed and it is one of the purposes of the visitors to let a contract for the construction of the dam while they are here.

Besides securing power for the mine the water will be made to run the machinery of a concentrating plant which is to be built with the least possible delay. The mill will be built comparatively small at first, 135 ton capacity, but will be constructed so as to admit of a steady enlargement until it reaches a capacity of 500 tons per day, which is considered a conservative estimate of the possible output of the mine at its present stage of development.

The probabilities are that the concentrates from the proposed Rambler mill will be converted into blister copper at the Encampment smelter as soon as the latter institution can be sufficiently enlarged to enable it to handle custom work.

The Doane-Rambler mine has the deepest shaft in the district - 600 feet from which four levels have been run developing and blocking out large bodies of ore. The mine is also equipped with the heaviest pumping machinery in the district.

In sinking the Rambler shaft two large parallel veins were passed through, both of which cut the formation at a slight angle from perpendicular. The first vein was encountered between the 400 and 500 foot levels, and the shaft was entirely in ore for 60 feet. The second vein came in between the 500 and 600 foot levels and the shaft went 80 feet before passing through the ore. It is thought that these veins will run together at a little greater depth and make one big ore body.

The Doane-Rambler was the first shipper in the district and its ores have taken gold medals at the world’s fairs. For the past two years no production has been made aside from the ore taken out in the natural course of development, all efforts being directed toward the development of the mine to such a point that its ores could be measured and suitable arrangements made to place it on a conservative, permanent producing basis.

It is considered that the mine has reached that point and the company is now taking up the matter of handling its product in a way that means much to the prosperity of the district.