188 University Geological Survey of Kansas. 
spiles aid in the advancing of the drift, and ultimately form 
a permanent support for the roof and walls. (See ‘‘ Method 
of Timbering.’’) When a drift has been driven as far as de-- 
sired other drifts are taken up by the side of it. This lateral 
enlargement of the excavated portion is continued until all 
the ore has been removed on that level. When the ‘‘slice,’’ 
as it may be called, of the deposit has been worked out, a 
new slice is started at the shaft. Before drifting for the 
second slice is begun, the timbers are partially removed, 
all remaining supports, natural or artificial, are destroyed by 
being blasted down. Poles thrown on the floor, together with 
the timber left in the abandoned drift, form a mat upon which 
the roof and superincumbent material fall, and so form a solid 
roof for the subsequent drifts below. Drifts are then driven 
under the mat of timbers, placing the caps of the sets 
directly under the mat. By this method of procedure a very 
strong roof is possible. Drifts are run as in the first slice 
until the ore has been exhausted on this level also. The sup- 
ports will then be removed, or shot down, and a new level 
begun, and so on until all the ore has been extracted. 
OpEN Cut WorxK.—Little or no open work has been done, 
to our knowledge, until within the last year (1901). Open 
cut work is now being undertaken in the neighborhood of 
Galena. The principal workings are on the south bank of 
Short creek, between Empire and Galena. The mine is lo- 
cated on a strip of country lying in the valley of the creek, 
which has been quite productive in times past, but owing to 
the highly fissured condition of the formation, also to the 
fact that the creek has no well defined channel, flooding is of 
common occurrence. Several flumes have been constructed 
over the greater portion of the ground, probably extending 
over a distance of twenty-five to thirty rods, but it has proven 
rather difficult to maintain them, and for that reason mining 
has not flourished. At present there is a flume in good con- 
dition and most of the mines are fairly dry. The mine or 
open cut, in question, is located on the site of an old mine 
which had caved in but was known to be fairly rich in min- 
eral. An attempt is now being made to open it up by start- 
