, 1867-08-02
montana MInIng Items.


rHE LAKES.
Into the saddle again. and leading of uo the
,anoe 10 the southeast, o ride Of six miles over
4 good mountain road brings Us to the Crater
Lakes. a cluster of beautiful lakelets, on the
yery summit of the range, ten In number and
containg an aggregate water surface OF not less
than 6fty acres, varying in depth from hVe to
fifty feet. The formation OF the country denotes
that these lakes are in the crater of once active
volcano. The well defined edges of the crater
on three sides, the depression to the east where
it falls off toward the Madison Valley in broken
ravines and irregular ridges, the trap formation,
in places one hundred feet deep, where the lava
can be distinctly traced in all directions in per-
feet vens from the central point to distances OF
from two to fourteen miles, are all evidences of
the eruption that thousands, perhaps, only hun
dreds, of years since, rivaled Vesuvius and would
have made our city another Pompeii or Hercu'
leneum. The wateris pure and cold in the upper
lakes, the temperature increasing in the lower
~ larger ones, where aquatic birds are plenti-
Iul L H0d pndisturbed. save by the casual visitor
workmen who furnish to our citizens those cool-
Iug crystal cubes, two three feet in thickness
cut from Pine Lake during the winter. The
altitude of the highest one is 6,6Sl feet above
sea level and on the 18th of July we found piled
on its edges grea. banks of snow several feet In
depth These huge snow banks, where eight
monfhs in the year the clouds empty their bur
dens, are the feeders of the lakes. Their natural
outlet is the Madison river, but the requirements
OF the miners of Alder Gulch demanded that
the engineers skill should WELD them to their
Purpose, and now, by canal three and one
fourth miles in length, and some places twenty
feet deep their waters are carried across the
range and down Alder Gulch to find their nat
ural course again hundreds of miles away where
the Jefferson and Madison unite TO form the great
Missouri. We will not attempt description OF
the magnificent view from this upper region. 1t
commands radius of not less than one hundred
and eighty miles, the valleys of three rivers and
dozen ranges of mountains between tho Yellow
stone, Missouri, Snake and Salmon rivers. Who
fails, on these glorious summer evenings, to
enjoy this picture, designed Dy the Great Master
colored by the skllful pencil of nature, and
toned by beauty's ideal by the mellow light of
sunset, is guilty of criminal completely in cheat
ing his soul of a feast at Gods banquet table of
grandeur, ublimity and immensity.
THE cHRIsTENoT MILL.
A mile to the south, we strike the lime and
granite formation again, and winding 10 and out
of deep raviues, plentifully timbered, over a
mile OF graded road, the turn of a huge project
ing point brings full in view the hamlet of Alpine
picturesqueness known Union City, from the
fact that when the crowd of workmen clambered
down the mountain side and cast their ballots
at the polls in Summit City, every man voted
" straight the Union ticket. The "city" consists
of eighteen or twenty neat aud comfortable cab,
ins, and in the center the Christenot MILL now
uLder the immediate supervision of Col. A. X.
Mcclure The building is of granite, 74x34, with
q wing for the engine. The mill is known as
the "Chilian Crusbers." Immediately below
these are four rows of simply iron barrels sus>
pended horizontally, four iu a row, and revolving
rapidly. These are the "b barrel amalgamators. ."
| With the forty horse power engine, model of
beauty and finish, this constitutes the machinery
of the mill, Heretofore the mill has been crush
ing by the dry process" from Orc Cache rock,
yielding from $40 to 5000 per toa.-The mill
t-nas not Crushed on a. average over three tons
per day, and when Colonel Mcclure took charge
was running at a dead loss of $50 per day. The
detention was in the amalgamators A test
showed that by the " wet process" amalgama-
ting in the crushers, the amount saved by the
barrels was only dollar or two per barrel. The
wet process was adopted at once, the barrels used
only for the heavy sulphurets, and the sub,
sequent runs show a net profit of nearly 5000
per day with the crushers filed with rocks and
weighing but 400 pounds each. They are now
being filled with lead, bringing them up t. 3, 500
pounds each, as originally intended. With this
improvement, twenty tons of rock can be crushed
and lgamated per diem, at total expense
OF 81 per ton. Tbe-total product of the mill
to date has been l ,357 ounces of retort. Twenty.
hYe hands are at present employed, which will
be increased to forty in few days. The Orc
Cache, rock from which costs S25 per ton deliv.
cred at tne MILL viii be abandoned for the pres
ent, and rock tan en- from the General Grantlode,
which can be delivered at So per ton A shaft
on this lode shows crevice Of ten set eight
inches, four feet of which has yieIGed, by N
arastra, from $50 to S25 per ton A tunne! is
in one hundred and forty feet, to tap the Grant
at five hundred feet, aud contract is made for
another one hundred feet of tunuellug, to be
commenced at once. 1t is estimated fifty feet
will tap the lode. 1t is also proposed to start
tunnel for the same lead from the opposite side
of the hill.-NoRtGnd Post.