The Montana post., 1866-12-01
Correspondence.
BANNACK, Nov. 2S, 1866

/ EDITOR Posi-: Bannack still progresses.
Pack train. after pack train from Salmon
river mines arrive in town for goods, and
give the best proof in the world that the
above mines are good and extensive. 1t
is said that the " dust assays as well as
the Bannack; and five or six hundred
miners are preparing to winter at the
mines, while others are building their
cabins at the crossing of Lemhi valley,
fifteen miles from the mines. The val
ley is warm, and good for winter grazing.
We believe Salmon river will be the best
mining camp in the Rocky Mountains
next season. Business of. all kinds is
improving in Bannack, and the vacant
lots are being taken up, and property
that was worthless one year ago is now
valuable. ,f-, 81, IT,.
All the tests, so far, made by the fur
naces, both here and at Rattlesnake, of
the silver ore, prove them to be very
rich, and it is now fact that our leads
both of gold and silver, are unsurpassed
by any in the known world. We have
been watching closely the operations of
the various companies now operating
here, and we are satisfied that they will
prove success. And we will here ven
ture another prediction, (take another
peep into the future,) that the year is
not far distant when every poor man
who owns claim on good silver lead
can erect simple furnace by which he
can himself smelt his ores and make
fortune. Thomas w. Wood, superin-
tendent Of the Huron Silver Mining Com
pany, is, if we mistake not, of the same
opinion. He has had a great deal of ex-
perience in the smelling furnaces. His
furnaces for the Huron Company are rap
idly approaching completion, and him.
self and son have been doing the mason
work with their own hands 1t is
wonder how Mr.. Wood has accomplished
so much under the embarrassing circum-
stances that met him upon the arrival
of his train. The company had failed to
supply him with means the hands were
to be paid off fire clay was yet unknown
in this vicinity, or even good clay for
common bricks; but all these things
have been overcome, and it is now
settled fact that we have every thing in
these mountains which we need for min
ing purposes.
The Huron lead to-day is better than
ever it was. Its dark day, too, has
passed. Mr.. Wood has been opening a
mine for the future, not one to get out a
little surface ore to smelt and make a
big blow about, but permanent pay
ing mine, if such vein of ore was in
the Huron, and the fact is now proven
beyond a doubt At the depth of eighty
feet, after tunneling sixteen feet to the
southwest, in the direction Of the vein,
it was struck almost exactly at the dis
tance that its angle of bearing would
have given. The vein at that depth IS
sixteen inches wide, and of very supe-
rior ore. Nothing can be more conclu-
sive than that Mr.. Wood has succeeded
in developing legitimate mine, and if
the weather keeps good for few weeks
more, he will without doubt gladden. his
company with hugely satisfactory re-
turn. They now have at least eighty
feet in depth and FIVE hundred feet in
length of rich ore. That fact alone is
sufficient. We have been thus particu-
lar in giving an account of the opera
tions of this company, from the fact
that some one has sent report to New
York that Mr.. Wood has suspended
work, and that their mine is a failure.
Nothing can be more false and the re-
port is as base as it is false. Time will
prove my assertions true, for what is
written above is from observation,
knowledge and belief. We have al
ways endeavored to write facts as they
appear to us, and give truthful history
of passing events in our part of the Ter
ritory. Any other course is wrong, and
all attempts to injure company that is
developing our mines, are mean and con-
temptible.
The Huron company is going ahead,
and in six months or a year hence, will
stand higher than ever before. Its pros
poets are to-day unclouded and it's future
bright. SID.