New-York tribune., 1879-09-30

fFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRrBrsRl
HELENA, Mont, Sept. Tt is an axiom among
good miners that the erection of mills and reduction
works in a newly developed mineral region should
always be postponed until ore enough has been
| found to keep them constantly supplied. believe
II Is true that in almost every mining district in the
country neglect TO observe this rule has been the
cause of pecuniary loss than almost any other
one thing A prospector discovers mine which on
the surface looks well; the body of the ore
to be large and of good grade. The owner. after
sinking his shaft or driving his tunnel a short
distance stops the work Of development and builds
mill smelter at n cost of $4,000, $4,000. OF
even 1000 Hcreasons with himself that as
he is able TO turn his ore into bullion his mine will
begin TO yield an income and will pay for its own
development. Too frequently it has happened that
| when the reduction works have been completed
the mine has turned out be less productive than
was anticipated and that the enterprise can only
be carried on mt loss. If no mill or smeter had
been built the mine would be abandoned when it
ceased to produce ore IN paying quantities unless
there were indications of better ground beyond the
present workings. and the only loss would be the
| labor expended on the mine. But when reduction
! works have been erected it becomes necessary to
| have at that point order To save the money
that has been spent upon them, and there is there
/
search for the lost vein than there would be if less
depended upon finding IT.
| rhe Sit Montana Company Of whose reduction
works at Wickes wrote in my last letter. when
| contemplating resumption of operations. caused
careful Investigation To be made of the ability OF
the surrounding country to produce silver ore, and
the conclusion reached by the experts employed to
make the examination was that there was no ques-
tiOn about the mineral wealth of the district. Dur
ing my recent visit to Wickes examined several of
the best developed mines, both IN the Colorado aud
Boulder Districts. The mines which shall briefly
describe were not selected because they are better
or worse than dozen others, or because they are
chiefly owned by Ncw-York capitalists. but because
more work has been done upon them than upon
Others and an inspection of them conveys better
idea of the general characteristics of the districts in
which they are.
The two principal mines owned by the Alta Mon
tana Company, of which Mr.. W. W. Wickes, Of New
| York, is president, the Alta and North Pacific.
The first ofthese is situated near the top of noun
tain about 1 600 feet above tine company's works,
aud, should think, bali mile distant The sur
face of the mountain is smooth, destitute of timber
and covered with rich bunchgrass to its very top.
which is reached by following up n gulch between
| it and adjoining hill, and then taking zigzag
up its side The country rock OF the mountain Is
granite, but in the Alta and North Pacific Mines a
porphvrv dixie appears above the vein in the latter
aud below IL IN the former, probably filling up the
space between the pay IN the two lodes which
have the same general direction and dip. The Alta
Mine has boon opened by three tunnels. The upper
one $50 feet long, aud is about 20 feet from the
surface at its centre. The average width Of the
vein I'm this tunnel is from to feet, tho walls be-
ing quite irregular wavy. The body Of good ore
I'm tho vein is, of course, thinner. The
middle tunnel Is 3GS feet long, and
Is connected with the upper workings by
an incline so feet in length. The vein In this
tunnel seems to average a little wider than above,
and in a shaft that has been sunk 40 feet below
it "A solid body of paying ore Is feet wide has
been found The first and second tunnels both fol-
low the direction OF the vein. Below both OF them
a third tunnel has been begun at right angles to
the vein. which is expected to strike it at dis
tance Of 100 feet from its mouth. One hundred
feet of this adit have been completed. In addition
TO the workings already mentioned. the company Is
sinking an inclined shaft from the surface. 300 feet
west of the point where the vein was discovered.
| and this intersected the vein at a depth of 20
feet. showing a body of orc about six feet wide.
The lode has been traced by surface openings for
distance of 2. 500 feet.
The general course of the vein Is northeast and
southwest and its dip Is about 40lo to the north
ward. The ore Is principally galena with some car
Donates of lead and traces of copper, antimony
and zinc When freshly broken In the vein. much
OF it has the bright gray metallic lustre which dis
tnguishes galena, but there Is considerable gangue
or waste rock mixed with it. All of the ore con-
toins too much sulphur TO allow IL to be smelted or
milled without first being roasted and when treated
by the former method requires the addition OF iron
ore TO form fux. In speaking of the grade OF the
| ores am of course. obliged to repeat what the
officers of the company tell me. They say that the
600 tons which have heretofore been taken out OF
tbe nine have averaged to Weld about 90 ounces Of
| silver or 500 worth 70 ton, and that 70 per cent
| of the gross weight Of the orc has been lead.
| The other productive mine Of this company is the
| North Pacific formerly known as the Argentine.
The general direction Of this lode and its dip are the
same those Alta ore is of similar character
and grade except that 1t carries a larger percentage
of lead Its development consists OF two tunnels
driven In upon the ven the upper one 20 feet long
| and the lower, 70 feet below. 327 feet. These are
connected by two shafts. and an incline shaft has
been sunk on the vein l69 feet below the lower
tupne AT the bottom of which the richest In the
mine has been tound-assaying 105 ounces Of silver
and 46 per cent lead did not go ito this shaft, as
yvor, is now temporarily suspended upon II and it
| was partially filled with water. About 400 feet OF
levels havo been driven from the lower tunnel The
product of this mine Ras Des9 1oUU
and To T.. Balbach Il Son. Newark, ID.
About three miles from Wickes and twenty-eight
miles southwest from Helena are the Gregory Mines,
also in the Colorado District. The country IN which
these are situated similar ia appearance to that
| .r,;ch I have inst described The mineral hills
themselves are grassy, not wooded steep, and com %
naraTiyely free from loose rock OH the surface Tho
P'.or iodes are lower down on the mountain than
the Alta aud the mine is more easily, accessible.
| M. camp rs a small one containing only an oulce,
hn,r,Iinp house orc-hOuses and few cabns all of
| poi lt a'5 nm old smelter 10 longer In use. The
GTrsorv ConsoIidaed Nine upon which more work
h.s been done than on any other IN the camp, Is
owed tor several years by J. < W. Seliginan. Of