The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-09-21
THE BLACK HILLS.
Statement by Person just Returned from
the Gold-Fiel ds-$4O, O0O Said to Have
Been Taken Out of Deadwood Alone.

Statement by q Person just Returned from
the GoId-FieIds- goo said to Have
Been Taken Out of Deadwood Alone.
[From the st. Paul Pioneer-Press.l
Mr.. j. K. P. Miller, Of the Black Hills
firm of Miller & Mcpherson, has re-
turned to his home in this city, and III
an interview with him yesterday our re-
porter obtained clear, intelligent and
reliable statement of Black Hills affairs.
Mr.. Miller exhibited to our reporter
about $4,000 worth Of gold-dust and
some very rich specimens OF quartz
which he brought in.
Mr.. Miller states that DeadwooI City
IS the metropolis of the Hills, and has
population of 1900 OF 1900 souls. 1t
contains twenty saloons, three hotels, SIX
restaurants, three drug stores, two hard
ware stores, four or five clothing and dry
goods stores, five OF six blacksmith
shops, three or four barber shops,
twenty grocery stores, six doctors, one
dentist, bath house, three Chinese
laundries, and one newspaper and Job
printing office, where sprightly weekly
paper is issued. It is located IN the
narrow ravine known as Deadwood
Gulch, which is about five miles long,
and by far the richest of the gulches
thus far opened. Out of Deadwood and
its tributaries Mr. Miller asserts that at
least $500, 900 worth of gold-dust has al
ready been taken. He cites the success
of Mr.. William Wheeler, OF Virginia
City, Mon, an old acquaintance ana ex-
| perienced miner, who has already taken
from his claim $4,000 worth of dust;
while Hildebrand, who works fourteen
men on claim adjoining Wheeler, has
cleaned up as high as 1925, 900 in single
day! There are about thirty paying
guIches that are being worked, but
Deadwood is as yet the richest OF them
all. A considerable number of miners
are cleaning up from 800 to $500 per
day and several claims that are among
the best in the Hills have been d1scov-
cred outside of Deadwood, in other
gulches, showing that the gold is not all
in one hole.
Mr.. Miller saw one miner, who had
been in the Hills but three months,
leaving with $4,000 of dust that he had
taken from an outside gulch.
The placer-diggings only have been
Systematically worked thus far, but Mr..
Miller knows of one bar-claim that is
paying $3.50 to $3.50 per day to five
hands. He states that gold-coiors are
found in almost every gulch and upon
almost every hill in paying quantities,
but oftentimes beyond the reach OF wa
ter. In fact, some of the best gulches
are not being worked owing solely to the
lack of water, which can be brought in
from neighboring gulches SO soon as the
necessary capital can be procured.
A vast majority of the claims are as
yet unopened many of them because
they are what is known as deep diggings,
and others are owned by parties who
lack means or inclination to open them.
The shallow mines are being worked out
rapidly.
All of the persons who left the Hills
with Mr.. Miller's train had bags or
pouches of gold-one miner having
| $16, 900 worth of the precious dust.
Gold-dust alone is legal tender in the
Hills, and is worth 500 per ounce in
trade. 1t is shipped from thnra via
Cheyenne.
There are about 5000 men, all told,
in the Hills, while hundreds are con-
stantly coming and going.
Law and order don't prevail to an
alarming extent up there. Pistol rac-
tice and sudden death are of almost daily
occurrence, and the popular way of set
thing. disputes among the roughs is at
the muzzle of the revolver.
Real estate is worth money at Dead
wood, lots of twenty-five feet front being
held at $1,000. There is one central
street running through the city, with
cross streets at the usual distances.
Land was so scarce in this narrow city
that the roughs attempted to "iump %
the cross-streets for building purposes,
and did succeed in building on two of
them, but were prevented from further
obstructing the highway, big fight
barely being avoided.
According to Mr.. Miller's statement,
there is no lack OF Supplies in the Hills.
He estimates that there are $780, 900
pounds of -four in store, and it retails at
ST per hundred, selling at wholesale at
SIS to SIS. so; bacon at wholesale, IA to II
cents, retailing at 20; beans 4 cents per
pound. The county generally is over
stocked with provisions and staple arti-
cles.
He thinks there is every prospect Of
the country's being rapidly opened an
other spring. Preparations to that end
are being made, and property is largely
passing into the hands of parties who
are able to developit.
Considerable mining will be done dur
| ing the winter months as many of the
claims are drifting dggings.
Rules and Directions for Preserving.
l. Let everything used for the pur-