New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-03-17
FROM MONTANA.
How Geld Was Discovered in MONTANA
Goid.Wnshing The Process - A's
WnstefuInsss - Prospecting Ground
RANKIN.
News.

Aces ago. when pollywOgs and Their kindred
had the world pretty much to Themselves wheh I'LL ma
ture was in iadpole state, these Rocky Mountains
from which write gradually pushed their way up
,s,opc, the waters and assumed hight thousands OF
feet greater than that they possess to-day Inc neat
pressure and other influences brought to bear upon
them cleft and upturned the rocks OF which they were
composed. Tie splits and cracks thus produced were
filed by infration from the surrounding rocks win
quartz and other minerals and received at the same
time and in the inner their stores 0f precious
metals. Most precious among these was gold But
scarcely were the veins filed with gold before chemical
decompostons aided by gavanic effects began totahe
place as the earth became cooler the mountain sum-
mts were covered With glaciers that pursuing their IT.
resistable course down into the lower country carried
with them the rocks and stones they hao satcheu Ho3
their birth place and deposited them IN the Valleys anu
rayiues that they Flowed out in their descent; the
seasons commenced TO have their influence ana by tne
alternate freezing and thawinG OF waters III Tue ccls
Of the rocks canscd the mountains TO slowly crumbe
away and from that day TO this tie torrents ana streams
have been huryng on TO deposit their highland SANDS
In the valleys The quartz and gold filed veins suffered
from this universal robbery and their golden sands,
seereted in tie mountain valleys and cnnons or
spread out in bars at the examinations OF gorres, lid
the foundation for the gulch and placer "diggngs oil
today. The bcstowai of this wealth was peculiarly
lavish upon what is Montana-ndeed so broadcast
the golden grain sown that there Is not mountain
not be obtained the "color" Of the most precious
metal.
Concerning the first discovery OF gold in this Terri
tory much uncertainty exists; but the most probable
version is this: In 1852. French hafbreed discoy
cred light float gold on the bar ks Of one OF the mead
waters Of Carks Fork of the Columbia, taking us rise
in the Rocky Mountains, in the southwestern portion
of the Territory, and since known as Gold Creek Ten
wears later james and Granville Stuart successfully
prospeced on the banks of the same stream end made
the first real dseGeE OF Montana sga the mSop
ant ones OF Bannack and Alder Gulch upon which IL
Virginia City,. and later those OF Last chance NOW
Helena, Blackfoot, French Gulch ana Coniederatc
These the principal mining camps OF the Territory
and form the centers from which the minor gnches
draw their supplies With the exception Of French
Gnleh, all the mining ground OF the Territory Is STU
ated in strip of land not over 80 miles wide and
stretching along the backbone Of the continent dis.
- az 1pssyl goo mies--from beyond Helena on the
tons Of ali the eulches one en T,d Pa the
the amount of ground actually worxed %tuiu
their peculiarities In the gold is found in very
coarse grains so that The miners facetiousy complain
that they have TO mix dust from other localities with 1t
in order to make change. In Others. the bed rock
ancient bed Of the stream is so far below the present
surface of the ground as to require aborious strip
ping off Of tie superintendent earth or hazardous
! drifting " before pay" Is struck. In still other
cases two or three "bed rocks" found the miner
gong through, perhaps, two strata OF ppeclny that
have served as beds to the stream subsequent TO the
deposit Of sands the primitive bed rock" below
them. The quantity OF water TO be obtained in gnch
also serves rs very general guide for classification.
ard frequently determines the occupancy or abandon.
ment Of the ground.
Mining as at present precticed In Montana. has for
its sole idea the obtaining Of the gold In the shortest
possible time. Ii pretends 10 thorOughness in its
work and when The miner of to day leaves his claim it
is far from exhausted.
Although the rocker is frequently used tie method
called sluicing is the iOpted for collecting
the golden sands Into series Of fitted troughs placed
at the proper slope and through which small stream
Of water flows the pay dirt Is thrown The force Of
the water Is sufcien to carry an OF i-saLe the larger
stones, which forked out-dovn through the length
Of the "boxes." as the sluce troughs are called But
the golden particles being times heavier than the
sand. sink 10 the bottom Of the boxes. where their
downward progress is arrested By clcats or RIFLES"
by the side Of which they lodge. The separation is far
from perfect; for while many OF the finer particles
Of gold swept the whole length Of the contrivance
and find an unhonored grave among the "tailings."
many Of the heavier grains Of sandespeciay the bits
Of magnetic iron, which, under the name Of black
sand. cause 80 much hard talk about trade dust
sink with the gold beside the rifles Cleaning up is
the given to the final separation Of the gold from
the sand that unevoidably becomes mixed with il
beside the rifles" pan. filed with mixed sands
and water, Is shaken with peculiar oscating motion.
while being held at such angle that q small portion
Of the muddy water may constantly pass the side
After tedious process Of this kind has separated the
gold from the common sand the magnetic iron may be
taken out by common magnet or by blowing with the
breath.
cannot but feel encouraged. The decrease in the
price Of the necessares of life that will follow increased
facilities of intercourse will insure TO the miner of fu
ture years good wages while washing the taings Of
to-day he at present obtains in slucng only the best
Of pay dirt In California they have sometimes found
paid to wash the same dirt nine times and surely the
slipshod manner OF working here. the use Of short
sluces, common rejection Of amagam processes and
the imperfect dissolution OF frozen earth being taken
into consideration will render our "tailings' not less
valuable than those Of the Golden State Again the
numerous gulches already discovered that pay only 81
per day to the man. and not considered worth work
ing, will be the source OF handsome incomes to claim
owners upon them. There is a vast number Of dry
gulches from Of which 1t pays to haul dirt
mile more TO be washed nearly Sl00 to the wagon
load having been obtained. and these will soon be
turned TO account by means Of water dtches and finally
after the bed Of nearly every stream In the Territory
has been tum bled that II would be perfect
torment for water TO lie in it, then will
the large hydraulic mining companies, washing down
then 1000 cubic feet Of earth per day, and receiving
the largest dividends Of all.
Although the diggings already discovered would
serve suppliers Of capital TO the Territory for long
tme-fOr they are working the same claims the Pa.
cfc Coast to-day that they mined fifteen years agoyet
we have not these alone to depend upon. New dscov
cries will constantly be made even as to-day While |
write parties going through the street to stake
themse, claims upon ground that has been lying,
disturbed in its richness and within stones throw Of
their doors since the settlement Of the places the other
sHs the t ss na little
had been digging, and there they had the "color."
Hardly week passes but we hear Of promising mines
being struck and the end is yet do not exagger
ate when that the end Of the century will not
the gulch dggings Of Montana reduced TO
state Long before this time arrives indeed within ten
years, the country will DO filled with quartz mills as
az New England is with factories and Mon.
taDa will be a. permanently settled as Massachusetts
But OF quartz hereafter.
The laws which govern the gulch mines were made
BY the miners themselves soon after the discovery. and
are essentially recognized by the courts Their pripc
pal provisions usually are that no person shan hold
extend 200 feet or 100 feet the case may be up and
down the gulch and across from side to side Of the