Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1875-1878, 1876-12-13
THE BLACK HILLS.
Interesting Letter from an Intelli.
gent MiNncsOtian..N ..NlinnCSOtians M
. who have been SucCcssful..mcth.
i 0tds of Reducing Quartz, Etc.

gent M1NnCSO Otlan nseMl0nCSOtAanS % M
who have been Succcssful..Mctl-
:. otds Of Reducing Quartz, Etc.
LEAD CITY, BLACK HILLS. Nov. I6,
Editors Pioneer Press In my last let
ter referred to the geography of this
locality, and the fact OF be.tor group of
quartz veins crossing the hills and valleys
! here. A little below Lead City a dry
ravine about mi.e in length, called the
North Fork, comes into Gold Run from
the northwest, running diagonally, or
more nearly lcngthwise, over:ithe Home.
stake, Golden Star and somesother leads,
evidently having for ages worn away a
portion of these leads, as melting snow
furnishes water. lsE1Es
But the debris and slides 'fipm the hill
sides almost entirely covered the leads
from sight. Prospectors early found gold
in the ravine, and a ditch some four miles
in length was dug, bringing water from
Whitehall creek around into this ravine.
and the claim holders reaped a rich har-
vest during the past summer. 81. - -
y. On the 22d of April last, Moses Manuel
and Hank Harney discovered 2 slight
outcropping of quartz on the left or north
east side, about half way up the North
Fork, and digging disclosed a lead which
they called the ''Hofnestake,' meaning
in miners parlance, money enough to
carry one home, or make a home with.
This mine is now owned by Moses Man
uel, Fred Manuel, Hank Harne and Alex
Engh, known here as the ''French boys >"
The Manuels were formerly residents of
Minnesota, went into the service in 1862,
thence to Montana where they spent
eleven years in mining, and with their
partners came to the Black Hills. After
securing this lead and the golden territory
on the north slope of the same range,
they last August commenced water
power, Arastra on Whilewood creek, one
and half miles from here, which they
built almost entirely with their own hands
and have in successful operation at
their second run, they ground rock from.
Homestake, IL tons, and cleaned up IN I
days, taking out $555 in gold. At their
second runsthey ground and cleaned up
eighteen tons in ten days, taking out $9o2.
This lead is claimed to be 60 feet wide,
and is opened by shaft IS feet peep and
IL to Is wide, from which they are taking
rock to work, and grows better as they go
down. This and other leads appear to-
dip as they extend southeasterly toward
the valley, and probably pass deep under
the range of hills on the south side of
Gold Run, These boys OWE lnea 4fssads,
dig and haul their own rock, build and
run their own mill; and if any one wants
an interest in that concern, they must
come down with money enough to buy
them cut entile.
For the amusement of some of your
readers, who probably know as little about
an arastra as used to, will say this
seems to be primitive and simple method
for reducing quartz, much in use by the
Mexicans, whose arastras are often made
very cheaply and poorly, propelled by a
horse or an OK, and in such case are only
valuable, when the rock is very rich or a
mans time is worth nothing.
But to build good arastra, for water
or steam power, which will accomplish
nearly all that such contrivance for.
crushing qualtz is capable of; first, OF
boards or plank lay a solid wat Right
floor. This floor is the bottom Of a tub,
say ten feet in diameter. The sides of
the tub eighteen inches high, made
timbers cut out like the felloes of wheel.
In the centre of the tub is firmly fixed
part one foot in diameter and eighteen
inches high. The bottom of the tub is
covered with fiat rocks Of nearly uniform
thickness and any convenient size, laid as
compactly as may be without dressing,
and the inters,ices closely packed with
gravel, keeping the rocks in place. The
foot of vertical shaft is fixed to revolve
on the centre post From near the foot
of the shaft four arms reach out over the
tub; to each arm is attached by chain
drag rack or ''muller,'' weighing 200 to
400 pounds; one muller near the centre
post, one next the outside, the Others
covering the intermediate space. Power
applied to the top of the shaft gives thes,
mullers 20 revolutions per minute around
the tub, dragging on the bed rocks. The
quartz previously broken to the size Of a
walnut and less, is slowly fed into the tub
with little water. A portion is immedi-
ately ground to fine powder, which forms
pulp which must be kept, with the
proper amount of water. about half as
thick as mortar, so that the coarser part
of the rock is continually moving around
and passing under the muller. When
about ton of rock is in the arastra it is
to fine pulp, when more water is added
and all drawn off through side gate
The quicksilver previously added has col
lected all the gold and is mostly deposited
as amalgam among the bed rocks. Eighty
inches of water IN II foot overshot
wheel furnishes ample power. This is
merely an outline. Each one is made
and operated with some difference. Its
success depends upon many contingent
cies manipulated by one having practical