Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-12-31
l0EKESl'ONOENCE FRO DICK
GREEN.
Plnccr.-<lunrt. Mines s-ArH~tra~--MilDs
etc.

December 2st, 1874.
I" the Editor OF the Herald.
Having posted myself regarding mines and
matters generally in the Duck Creek District,
send few items to you for general distri-
button Duck creek is situated in Meaghcr
county. about four miles from Confederate
gulch T;e mines are about two miles above
the county road leading up the valley, and on
the road leading to Carroll. The first are
placer. owned and worked by Hathhorn,
Mcdonald, johnson, and others. They have
not paid very we'll yet, but the boys have
faith in them.
Next above are two 10-fcct arastras, run by
water power, one owned Ivy D. G. Chezum,
and the other by Thos. Howell, q. n. Porter
and Add Williams.
The quartz mill above is the one built and
owned 10y o. Leonard 1t has six stamps, made
Of wood, eight inches square and fifteen feet
long, shod at the ends with cast iron shoes
weighing 100 pounds each The stamps arc
kept in place with cast iron guides, and the
shoes work on dies in the battery. The stamps
weigh about 500 pounds each, and the die
plate tho same. The cast iron about the mill
weighs 1850 pounds. and the wrought iron
800 pounds. The stamps arc lifted by shaft
a5 inches in diameter and II feet long, with
hardwood coggs. drove by All Overshot
watcrwheel Is feet in diameter and feet
inch buckets The wheel makes 12 rcvolu-
,ions per minnie, and the stamps are lifted
three times each to one revolution Of the
wheel. which gives the stamps gig drops per
minute The stamps drop 16 inches. The
capacity of the mill is 25 tons per week with
fine screens. 1t was late in the fall before
the mill was completed and started, and only
=, tons of quartz were crushed before cold
weather set in. 1t will be started up again
about the first of April next.
OF the gold bearing lodes in this district l
give the most prominent: The Nancy was
discovered in 1872 by ID. &. Chezum. and
Nancy No. , south by Chezum and IL. {.
Booth the same year. The Leonard .Odc,
north Of Nancy No. :. was discovered ny ..
Leonard in the fall of 1873, and the Stiner
lode the same year. The owner of the Nancy
is ID. G. Chczum: of the Nancy No. ?, L.
Howell, $. II. Porter and Add. Williams own
30 feet. c. Puet and T. S. Chezum own 700
feet, and VI. A. Belell so feet. Running
north on the Nancy you come to the Leonard
lode. owned by o. Leonard, 1,5O0 feet in
length Twonty-seven tons Of the quartz
crushed in the mill were from Nancy No. .,
and averaged $50 per ton.
The S,incr lode is owned and worked by \.
>tner. None Of the quartz has yet been
crushed.
Most Of these lodcs will be worked the COM
ing season, and the mill will be able to crush
about 700 tons during the warm weather.
Judging from present appearances, Duck
creek camp will turn out the next season not
less than So. 900 in gold. If our mines dis
covered throughout the Territory were all
vigorously worked, We would soon have |
money enough to build all the railroads we |
want. The time is not far distant when |
Montana will be second to no country in
America. The field for prospecting is still
large. miner who has some knowledge of
quartz can sooner or later find . lode, and,
once found, it is all man can wish. 1t is
bank which cannot be robbed, the key is
Tue pick and shovel. and no burglar will un-
dertake job of that kind. The miner who
Will try to help himself will find the merchant
and mechanic always ready to give q helping
Yours, truly. MINER.
"A New York State woman owns FIVE acres