Helena weekly herald., 1877-11-01
BUTTE CITY.
The Mines amt Mills Oi the Great Silver
ado.

WIlteS III Iutc10Suuk AelcI u tuat popcI, AIOm
which we make the following extracts:
Few towns in Montana have enjoyed such
prosperous season of growth as has Butte
City. Since my visit last spring, its proper
tions have spread far beyond my expectations,
covering the ridges on the north and south,
aud extending high up the mountain above.
In the center and business portion of the town
| old cabins and little board shan,ies have been
torn away, and in their stead have been built
massive brick and frame buildings, making
the place we'll deserving of the title city.
| Every house in town appears to be occupied
and every business we'll represented, except
the hotel business, in which there seems to
have been no improvement since last spring.
So rapid has been the improvement of the
place that it has entirely outgrown its hotels.
would suggest to the proprietor of the Gen.
tennial Hotel that few of his loose dollars
| could be expended to good advantage in
building upon the vacant lot by his side, dou-
bling the capacity and improving the conven-
ience of his house. And while am making
suggestions, may as well state that this fa-
nous Buttey) City has outgrown its post
Office, too, and is sadly in need of new one;
yes, new post Office with clean floor,
little more shelving and room for mail mat
ter, and some reduction in ''cussingness'
might be spared and little vivacity substi-
tuted. With these improvements, a fellow
could hope to get an occasional missive from
his friends, and should it happen to be dun
he would have room to get out into the street
and hunt up his creditors, while the newspa-
per men would receive less scolding for the
non.delivery of papers.
THE MINES.
The La Plata looked much the same as
when l saw it last spring. The same shed
containing many tons OF valuable ore was
there, and the other piles of ore looked as
though they had not been molested since
then. did not stop to ask any questions
obout this mine. Remembering that they
told me last spring that the ore is very light,
and that the owners are not in the habit of
allowing agricultural men to pack off pockets
full of the precious stuff, didn't think it
worth while to ask any questions. When
modest man is affronted few times by mo
admittance," it is quite natural for him to
prefer to guess, rather than interrogate. Ru-
NOR has it that they have found the end of
the crevice; another rumor says that one of
the proprietors is soon to take in partner,
all of which is not improbable, and it is to be
hoped the addition will enable HIM to strike
it richer and heavier than ever.
On the Lexington mine work was progress
ing. Three shafts have been sunk and levels
run connecting them, developing the mine to
the depth of 100 feet below the surface, and
some 700 feet long. A 10-stamp mill has been
running constantly on the ore take out, and,
though no stopping and sorting has been done.
l learn that there has been a dividend besides
the running expenses of the mill and mine.
This mine being located between the La
Plata and Rainbow mines, has an advantage
over them, since the draining of each side
will draw off the water and enable it to be
worked below water level without the use of
pumps. The sole owner of the Lexington |
mine and mill is A. j. Davis, of Helena.
At the Alice mine my eyes were greeted |
by vast amount of improvements. Instead
of the single horse whim they have ten
horsepower engine which pulls nearly two
tons to the load, runs night and day and
seems never to get tired, while the water is
being pumped out by a 4-horse power engine
stationed far down below, and connected by
steam pipes to the boilers above. The shaft
on this mine is now down 165 feet, and it is
the intention of the Walker Bros. to continue
down to the depth of 800 feet Besides sink
ing the shaft they are running levels prepara-
tory to furnishing their new mill with ore,
which is down the hillside about $50 feet be-
low the hosting works on the Bainbow. It
is one of the finest and most conveniently
pieces of machinery in Montana
From the cask which hoists from the mine
The ore is carried on a railway to the mill
where it is dumped upon an iron floor, under
meath which are several heating furnaces.
When sufficiently dried the ore is passed
through large Blake crusher and lands up
IN the receiving floor, which is constructed
Just high enough to be easily pushed into the
batteries, rendering the work of feeding a
l5-stamp an easy job for one man. After
crushing it passes through the pans and then
through the settlers, which are stationed
till further below, while still further below
he metal is conveyed into retorting furn-
zee, and comes out in bars ready to be lugged
way by the enterprising and deservedly
wealthy owners. The entire machinery is