The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-03-24
OUR BLACK HILLS LETTER.
CENTRAL Cry. d. T.. |
March 15, 1873. !

10 the Editor OF The Leader:
SIR: The snow storm just ended wa
by far the most violent the Hills ha
experienced since its settlement b.
white men. The fall continued fou
days, and on the level the depth is esti
mated at four or FIVE feet, but in man!
places the drifts were from ten t.
twenty, completely covering up man!
houses, and in some instances the roof:
of long buildings, saloons, stables, etc.
gave way under the immense weight
During Friday and Saturday the wint
blew a perfect hurricane, dashing tht
snow with such binding fury that il
was actually impossible to go out OF
doors. All telegraphic communication
with Cheyenne was interrupted until
to-day, and this afternoon the first mai
since the Sth has come in. We have
not yet heard of any loss of life, though
there are scores of men out prospecting
within a radius of fifty miles from
here. But western man, with few
days grub" a knife, match and one
blanket in wooded country, can make
a big fight against the elements. There
may be a little loss of stock, but the
greatest loss, and one which will fall
upon the whole community, is the total
suspension of all the mines and mills
for a week. There are fifty mills in
full swing, and the loss of production
to the county cannot be less than
Sl5, 600 per day. Add to this the wages
of 1,500 men at $3.50 per day, and the
weeks stoppage will cause heavy
shrinkage in the amount of money in
circulation. Only two mills-but they
have loug-headed providers-the Hid
den Treasure and George Cassells &
Co.'S, were able to weather the storm
and run the greater part of the time.
may mention in connection with the
latter (Cassellsn mill, that the biggest
quantity of ore was crushed here that
has yet been done in the Black Hills
within 4S hours; the quantity was 90
tons for % stamps; that is nearly two
tons per stamp per day, while mill is
considered well equal to her work that
can put through one and half tons
per stamp in day, and but few accom-
plish that.
While the cement deposit mines,
such as the Hidden Treasure, Pecacho
and others must ''petre out" in the
course of time, most striking develop
ment has taken place in one of them,
the Keets, owned by your townsman,
NJ. E. Post. This is nothing less than
the discovery within the mine of per-
pendicular lead, showing a body of
gold-bearing ore, from which / have
seen specimens containing free gold.
Competent judges are of opinion that
the fissure vein continued from the
Roderick Dhu, has been struck. Should
this be so, the owner has a property
ten times more valuable than his orig
inal purchase, as the ore may extend
to unknown depths and yield a perma-
nent source of wealth for the next
twenty years. The gold is very fine,
and crushing began yesterday at Nc
Laughlin's mill.
The sale of the Caledonia mine for
S75, 900, to western capitalists, has not
been completed owing to some flaw in
the title, believe, but am reminded
by it of the opinion of an interested
party, that had $4,000 more been ex-
pended on its development, the price of
its purchase might have been trebled.
There is another large mining trans
fer in the balance at present, but l can
not name it. The price will be about
$500, 900, and one of Cheyenne's promi-
nent citizens claims sixth or an
eighth interest in the property.
Why should not Cheyenne profit by
the Hills? There are plenty of mines
here in the course of development that
could be judiciously invested in by a
company, and yield handsome and
certain revenue. 1 will instance the
recent sale of the Queen and Grand
Prize, lying beside the Caledonia, with
body of ore paying from S12 to Slt
per ton, almost ineXhaustible, and yet
they were sold for comparative trifle.
Mine and mill spell money, and let il
be remembered that money is always
made Quicket at first in new country.