The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1870-06-24
NUMBER 81.
FROM PHILIPSBURGE,
4 Card OF Rcfilta(lon.
TO rus EDrroR NEW NoRrn.wEsr:

TO 1us EDrroR NEW NoRTn-wEsr:
In the last issue of your paperi 10 on article
subheaded " Practical Results of the Camp"
signed VIM Purvinc" As tho gentleman
has selected your paper to publish = state.
mcnt purporiiug TO be facts and stating HE
grievances We have deemed II our duty to
meet the splcnetic eifusion, and 50 far pre-.
vent any erroneous impre ssions in the minds
Of strangers such publications might give
rise 70. i
Tirst.-The statistics will not be disturb
ed. We care little whether they are correct
or incorrect, % far as the outside world 10
concerned.
Next" What the mill can do" is simply
the opinion of failure and need not now
be brought before the people when no chance
will he allowed the writer 10 prove or fslsify
far, or boring your readers, let us state that
what the mill can do, aud what the mill hos
done under the unfortunate management OF
Mr.. Purvinc, is highly different. One Is .
recorded fact, the other 10 theory, vague and
indefinite to q practical mind. The whole
giSt and burden Of the communication Is 80
saturated with malice, that We cannot be-
lieve any sane man will for moment fall to
recognize tho wounded, writhing serpent
coiled along every line. 1t is confidently
asserted that sirleen hundred pounds Of
quicksilver was lost from pans" and ''sct.
tiers" during that short but unfortunate
management. Mr. p. accounts for but 1908.
But we will take his figures and then ask.
would not that unfortunate circumstance
reduce the yield of metal materially!
But let us look back few months. NJ.
Purvine came to this camp about eighteen
months since. He represented himself as o
crock sharp p"-was accredited as such
knew more than anybody; he assayed. tested
and tried all the milling ores, and tried them
for nearly one year before he found Schne-
pel with money which he sadly needed:
His - Ephriam Smoothe (" talk won some OF
the miners and conquered Schnepel. They
went in. He officiated in selecting tho
"carefully selected ores Aimse!f, and gave
the miners kthe assurance OF said ores pay
ing. This, the miners whose confidence he
won, readily believed from his repeated as.
says, and tests, and misrepresentation to
them. Mr. p. had been treated, when no
came amonst us, 10 only miners know how
to treat an unfortunate miner in strange
camp. It was expected in return that com.
mon friendship would have dictated IN
ooeu. straightforward course towards them.
He publishes in his "practical results" Lis
own disgrace, which is all sufficient. It,
after whole year of practical experiments
upon tho rock, he has failed to show In "rc.
suits" one quarter average of HE tests, arc
We not justified in pronOuncing him mic.
erable failure? OF the readiness Of the mill
to crush ores after tho month OF January,
we know nothing. We do know he refusf1
to crush any from, any one but Merrill ana
Ullcry, until Il scas tao late to open mines, Or
n,iners had lose all ntdenee IN him. In his
summary Of inhabitants he has mistaken his
vocation, but it matters but little, as all IL
dictated in the same spirit. As mill man.
Purvine Is not q success. But when We
reflect that this was his first effort in this
line, We have felt, and do still feel, that tho
mantle of charity should in \ measure hide
tho past pnd leave an opening for his am.
bilious aspirations in the future. Some
latitude should be allowed for disappointed
ambition and schemes so minutely planned
- With the " Spcckled Trout" Frost, San.
ders and the Prof., VIC have little ~ 10.
Owing them no malice, having nopetty spite
to crafty, we leave the "only unbrokcn"
ledge etgAty fee! deep. and its magniilcence,
out of the question. We only ask to DO
permitted the suggestion, that 1t rwou'd no
q base mind, indeed, who did not praise the
bridge he was actually using. Heartily
hoping, under the Professors management,
he may attain success and avoid the Charyb.
dis and Scylla Of the mill management, We