Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1879-10-23
MINING IN MONTANA.
Treasures OF the Silver Creek and Stem
pie Districts.

[From e. L. Whites Letter in n Y. Tribune, Oct T.
; The Penobscot Company owns 5000 fee
: on the vein, and it is the intention of the sup
erintendent to continue his main shaft dow1
100 feet further as soon as large pump now
on the ground can be put in place. The mine
is connected with the mill by means of an in
clined tramway, which is, should think, al
least half mile long and is built most of the
way on trestlework. The cars starting from
the top of shaft run by the force of gravity
} to the mill, and can deliver the ore at least
twice as fast as the mill can crush it. The
mill at present contains 40 stamps and "a
more are about to be added. 1t crushes, On
al average, one ton to each stamp in "a hours
The rock has to be broken much finer in this
mill than in any other gold mine ever visit
ed. The precious meta in the rocks is in re-
markably tine particles, which escape in the
taIlings unless tie utmost care is exercised to
preserve them. While III the black hills not
more than 10 per cent of the gold in the ore
Is lost, although the rock Is put through the
mills at the rate of q tons to a stamp in "a
| hours, and the taillngs are made to pass over
only one copper plate covered with quicksil-
yer, and that is cleaned only twice month,
at the PenobscOt the lowest estimate of loss,
l have heard, is Is percent. and some put it
as high as 40 per cent, although the tailings
are passed over at least two plates that are
cleaned every day, and afterward passed
through vanning machine, which also saves
considerable of the gold and silver that es-
capes from the amalgam.
The superintendent of the mine informed
me that be saved from $18 to $27 worth of
| gold out of every ton OF ore run through the
| mill Cab ,ut 40 tons day at presently, and
| that he soft, rich ores, of which seven or
eight ions are reduced in day by means of
an arastra, produce from $50 to 800 a ton.
am told by bankers in Helena that the mine
is now producing about $4,000 a month,
| which shows that the average grade of the
| ore is n, arer the lower than the higher of
| these estimates.
Half mile down on the eastern slope of
the ridge is group of gold mines, only one
of which had time to examine. This is the
Hickey and Blue Bird, owned by two old
prospectors, Messrs. Cotter and Hickey,
whose patience and industry have at last been
rewarded. The shaft on this mine is down
only 120 feet and the drifts on the Veins are
not long, but these two men have already
taken out of their property more than $780,,
900 worth IF gold, have paid all expenses in
cident to their enterprise, bought small five
stamp mill and have handsome balance to
their credit in the bank. The Hickey Mine
has many of the characteristics of the Penob-
scot; the walls of the vein are remarkably
well defined the vein is from 81 to feet
wide; but the ore is of different character,
being very hard, white quartz, which in
most mines would be very barren. The ore
is remarkably rich, producing about $40
ton. saw at the United States Assay Of
flee in this city to-day the Hickey brick for
the last two weeks of August, and it was
worth between $4,000 and $5, 900. The
monthly product of the mine is about $o, O0O. |
The second mine in importance in the |
Stemple or Silver Creek District is the Bel
mont, about 900 feet below the Penobscot, |
and two miles distant. This mine is chiefly |
owned by Messrs. Frue and Vestel, who
ought it in May of last year. The forma-
ton of the mountain here is the same as that
in which the Penobscot is-granite, capped
with slate. All of the workings of the origi-
nal owners of the mine were In the slate, but
the present company has driven its tunnels
into the granite, and has found the gold bear
ing quartz vein in that. The Belmont mine
has been opened by means of five tunnels
piercing the mountain, which is very steep at
that point, one tunnel being directly above
the other As the vein is some distance in
from the face of the mountain, this method
of opening has been quite expensive, but now
that it is nearly completed the mine can be
managed very economically, since the water
will run out of the adits and will not have to
be raised with pumps. In the second and
third tunnels from the bottom I saw fine
|
from one to the other and will probably be
struck by the lower tunnel when it is driven
q little further. The ore is hard, white quartz
sometimes stained with oxide of iron and
manganese, and produces from $14 to $19 to
q ton. The particles of gold in this ore, like
those of the Penobscot, are exceedingly line.
and. although every known device for saving
it is employed. from 20 to 40 per cent of it
escapes. The product of the mine with 20
stamp mill is about $4,000 month.
There are several other mines of good re-
pute in the Stemple District which did not
have time to visit during my two days stay
there Among these the best known are the
Whippoorwill and Drum Lummon, the latter
new discovery, in which it is said q body OF
ore nearly sixty feet wide has been
found. The former is an old location. DOW
producing about 5000 q month. +
The cost of mining and reducing the ores
of this district is from 81 to 81 ton: Com
mon laborers are paid So day at the Pen
obscot and skilled miners, engineers. etc.,
1927. Table board for workingmen cost
Sc week. and they may build their own
cabins in which to live, or hire of those who
own them. Timber is plenty, both for fuel
and use in the mines, but water Is rather
scarce.
I believe that the Stemple District will be-