Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-09-20
PHILLIPsBURG AND ITS RICH SILVER.
MINES.

which have prettier locations than Phillips
burg. IJ is high up on the mountains, and,
though the country about 1t Is uneven, it is
not rough. 10 the west is a valley several
miles In extent with a picturesque noun
tain range, graced with many gaudy peaks,
while aronnd to the eastward tine toWn is
shaded by long pine covered ridges. The
town is neatly built, with wide streets, and
has q healthy look; has two hotels, two
blacksmith shops and five or six business
houses. The principal firms are VIM. Vein
stein & Co., Smith g. Caplice. The last
named firm ship their goods from st. Louis
and carry rs large Il stock as any house on
the West Side
In company with my genial friend, Hec-
tor Horton, who, by the way, is the discov-
erer of silver leads here, a miner and mason
by trade, made a visit to the principal mines
and mills. The first evidence of business
after leaving the town and travelling a mile
or more up hill, was the Northwest mill.
which we found humping away at 20 drop
time. This is one of the best built mills in
the Territory. 1t has ten stamps, crushing
dry ore and four Buckner cylinders in oper-
alton. 1t is built on the hillside. The ore,
which is received at the upper story first,
passes through a Blake crusher, and then
upon a drying table; then through the bat
terry and down to the cylinders, coming out
at last in bars of bullion ready for shipment.
Mr.. Frank Fresber, the gcntlemanly SUI
perintendent, and Chris. Herbert, the clever
foreman, appear to understand their bust
ness thoroughly. We are under obligations
to them for the courteousy and pains
which they explained the Tins and outs,
why's and wherefors'' of the silver milling,
machinery and mines Of which they have
charge.
A few hundred yards above the mill and
near the summit of the Ridge, we reached
the Speckle Trout mine, owned by the
Northwest Company. This is one of the
foremost mines of the camp, and in fact,
the Territory cannot boast of many better
than it is. 1t has been tested to the depth
OF 300 feet below the surface, 200 hundred
feet of which is below the water level, at
which depth there has been Il 100 foot level
that develops a fine body of fore. The ore is
brought out by steam power, the water for
running the engine being hoisted from the
mine. The prettlest silver ore [ have ever
seen was ut this mine. At u distance, one
would take it to be a bright granite rock,
but upon examination it is found to be very
heavy and literally im%pregnated with rich
minerals, some of it fairly glittering with
native silver. The rock, though the out
ward appearance is solid, when broken,
cells or caveties are found containing wire
silver. | have not experienced a more de-
lightful pleasure for many a day, than that
of breaking the glittering chunks of ore and
taking the first peep at the beautiful little
coils OF silver therein. In some of the cells
the curls of fine silver wire stood up in the
center, with their tiny prongs and prangles
wound about each other With such minute
ness Of beauteous design that | could hardly
help fancying that they We're placed there
by the delicate hands of the fairy. 1t would
be difficult to estimate the value OF twenty
We We're informed that the average yield of
the whole body of ore rs it comes from the
mine, is about 100 ounces OF silver to the
ton.
Tho next mine visited near by, is known
by the classic name of the %Sharktown mine.
1t is owned by III. L. Murray and J. Il.
Dumphy. They have a shaft down $50 feet,
They have run some levels and are taking
out ore which is being crushed at the North
west mill. They are also driving a tunnel
from the foot OF the hill and are within $50