Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-01-18
FROM FHE BLACK HILLS.

~ ASsANA -
Nevadan.
Letters from the Black Hills have
| not come 10 hand very freely for the
last three months. The excitement in
reference to that wonderful El Do
RADIO has subsidized and about all inter-
est abated. Nevertheless, we repro
duce a very interesting letter placed at
our disposal by Prof. Plumbof. fot the
reason that it gives some reliable in
formation in regard tn that country.
The writer is engaged In running a
deep tunnel to strike a vein located
near Rapid City. He daies his letter
from Rapid Creek, December 80, and
says:
We are getting along slowly with
the tunnel. The rock is extremely
hard, requiring from 30 to 90 drills To
put in "a 20 inch hole. II it should con-
tinue of the same character all of the
way il will he a lorg. tedious and ex.
pensive job. costing not less than from
ten to twelve thousand dollars, and /
doubt whether the parties furnishing
the means would corr plete it. They
are a%bmDdantly able, but may not feel
l ItlCtttttu W sttNc>t lin IttuCu III ttc I'll
terpri~e. / feel assured that it would
pay even Ii II cost more than The sum
named; but people in this country do
not haze the go-ahead that obtains in
Nevada or California.
LAcK OF ENTERPRISE.
This is perceptible in all classes, from
the merchant to the prospe citing miner.
All mining camps have their idleis
and dead. beats, but they are the ex.
ception elsewhere. Here they nre the
rule. and even in that capacity they
show a latnentable hack of spirit. l
can imagine the look of disgust that
would steal over your ainiabIe ounte
nance ii you were Keeping a saloon
here, and a party OF our were to sit
down to "A game OF bean. poker with
perhaps n five.dolIar greenback be-
tween them, and at the end of twenty
four hours steady playing not he out
more than two hts each; yet that is
the kind of gambling tlat rules in This
section.
We have been getting u supplies
up to the present time from Rapid
Cuy, and nearly two months < left
an order Tor our winters provisions.
We have just been obliged to suspend
operations aud go to Dead wood t. get
them There are half n dozen stores
AT Rapid City, all anxious TO furnish
us, MS they know they will be paid ~
soon as the goods are delivered, and
yet they are TOO internal sl,iitless to do
it. All OF them combined do not carry
half MS much stock AZ does Everts 81
Co., of Hamilton. l think All enter.
VrtStta.r .a... .attt a ... ..aa..t
of merchandise, would do we'll there.
Everything ut present indicates that
Rapid City will 10 the future town OF
tho Hills, as from its location it will oe
the Eaturai terminus OF the railroad,
aud consequently the depot OF sup
plies for the mines.
QUARTZ CEMENT.
There Is quite an excitement here
about quartz cement-tbe same char
acter Of ore that they have at Dead
wood. 1t has been traced from that
place to Rockerville, about 10 miles
southeast OF u present abiding place.
II follows in close proximity TO the
junction of the slate and limestone
formations, aud crosses Rapid creek
where we are. | have made one loca-
ti'bs At'h thtt ~ kpih va nv u
face rock with a han I. mortar. They
are not quartz veins, but simply beds
of cemenied quartz gravel, the pay
being in the stratum mex to the bed
rock, or slate. If | had n little money
TO operate with / could make some
coin out of it in a short time. There is
no trouble to sell ii n can make any
kind of u showing.
rnnx,.r.o~
l stated above that the cement fol.
lows the junction of the limestone and
slate. There are, however, three diff.
ferent formations. Limestone, sand.
stone, and the slate underlying both.
On he northeast side of the line OF the
break, the limestone stands up bold
and abrupt, exposing the sandstone
underneath, n dipping to h north
east. Immediately underneath the
sandstone we find tho cement-some
times hinge masses of it broken up
and tossed about in every conceivable
shape, showing conclu>ively that il
lies between the two formations. Here
there Is a field for enterprise that
promises rich results for years to come,
and gives tn the Hills n prominence In
the mining world not dreamt of before.
1t vas supposed that this cement was
confined To the vicinity of Deadwood,
but IL has been traced over 60 miles al
ready, and no one knows its full ex-
tent.
The writer, after ch~ronicling some
privale matters, states that the weather
up u that time had been magnificent.
AT Deadwood there was three feet of
snow. He speaks very hopefully Of
the prospects If the country and his
own mining locations, hut does not
advise any one to immigrate to that
section.
Cattle . hieves.