Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-11-18
THE BLACK HILLS.


bAie IN Deauwooa City Nno Aoee9 tae
/ A correspondent, writing from tho
Black Hills region, says that Dead wood
City, which was laid out few months
ego. has now q population Of about
5000, and q complete city organization,
the expense Of maintaining which is
met by taxing oil kinds Of business, the
rate being made especially heavy on
saloons, disordsrly houses and faro and
6ther gambling dens, which flourish
there. Building is still active, particu-
larly in South Deadwood, where forty
or fifty houses and stores are going mp.
Although winter is near at hand, and
large numbers Of claim owners have
shut down and gone 70 the " States I"
SL.;l- l--Prlugs yss vne Populatiuu does
not I" thin out" any, as there are ifes6
arrivals every day. Fully one-haH the
able bodied men seem to be idle and
without visible means Of support. How
they will manage to weather it through
until spring seems mystery. There
are very few :" tender feet" among
them. They are largely old miners, who
have travelled California. Montana,
Idaho, Utah and Colorado oil over, and
have been alternately rich and poor. So
it is no new thing for them to be
"dead broke" It is condition which
they borrow 10 trouble over, and which
they expect to work out Of in due time.
There are some ten "cities" and
thirty different miners camps in the
Black Hills. The principal cities are
Deadwood and Custer. The latter last
year was the supply point, and contain
ed 5000 Inhabitants It has now dwin-
died down to 400. There are Hill City,
Lead City, Montana, Gay City, Eliza.
bethtown and other camps. The total
population now in the Hills" is
thought by the best informed to be
about 10000. How much gold has
been taken out by this swarm of pros
pectors it is bard to tell. Some think
it will exceed $3.50, 900. But oven this
would be poor wages for the three
months work Of 10000 men, supposine
all had given their timo to mining.
While some have doubtless made their
fortunes, the great mass bave not
F." made grub" as the expression is.
The merchants and spectators in the
various towns have a lively trade and
big profits, SO of course they are doing
we'll, and are more than satisfied with
the prospects. Tho froightipg teams
and stage lines are also making a good
thing. Gold dust circulates freely there,
and greenbacks are at discount.
Pretty much all the stores, saloons,
hotels and Offices have scales, and make |
their barter in "dust," reckoning it at
s2O per ounce.
The average claim owner at Dead
wood is enthusiastic, but is always will
ing to sell out. Figures are invariably |
high. There are plenty of miners with
hardly enough "dust' to pay for a
" square NEAL" who stick out for a
round 100000 before they will part |
with their claim. The whirl of specula.
hon seems to have seized the people.
The Bonanza days have come to Dead
wood. 1t is currently reported in camp |
hat the Wheeler brothers, who left here
hree or four weeks ago with guard of
;wenty men, carried out with them over
100000 in gold dust, the result OF a
'enson's work. A four days cleanup Of
wo men is Just now the talk of the
,amp. It realized $5, 500. The Eid-
len Treasure" has just been sold for
s25, 900, CLARA No. ] for $50, 900, and the
voolsey for 100000. The Alpha" a
luartz mine, brought $4,000. It is
aid that the Wheeler brothers, who
worked claim "No. g." thought when
hey left for the estates" that they had
rot about all there was ont of their
nine, and SO sold it for the pittance of
q, 900. The first twenty-four hours
york by their successors cleaned up
3, $40 The present owner made the
3, 900 which he paid for the mine SELL
ng peanuts in Montana town. Now
10 is cne of the prospective millionnaires
f Deadwood.
There are some thirty claims on Dead
7ood and Whitewood that are doing
yell. No. on Deadwood is producing
Iom $500 to 5000 per day No. from
800 to 81 200. Some are just making
fair days wages. Hired help get from
4 to $5 per day.
The mines thus far worked are nearly
Il gulch mines, and shovel and Chin
Sc pump are all the machinery necessary
l working them. But valuable quartz
lines have been discovered, and the fu-
Ire gold yield may be to a large extent
ON this source. The gulches do not
blow any of the known rules of supply,
, IN Montana, Idaho and Colorado.
he runs are narrow, and often for q
w feet will pan out enormously, while
/ all the balance of the way scarcely
~ "colors" will be found. A few of
le deeper claims where drifting can be
one will be wol ked this winter, but the =.
rger number being surface claims will
Q frozen up.