The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-03-23
OUR BELMONT LErTER.


Ii a pool excuse Id better than none, nay
excuse formy long silence can be laid 70 the
weather. Such blizzardy, cold disagreeable
weather has never been experienced in these
parts before. That ubiquitous parsonage s'the
oil dest inhabitant'' can't by scratching his head
| or knitting his brows, remember when winter
| began so early and kept it up SO late. Pros
pecting and nearly all outside work is sus-
pended. Bonanza King and bull whacker,
woodchopper and whisky singer, laborer and
loafer all congregate about the warmest stove
in town, and unite in one grand petition for
better weather SO as to pursue their different
avocations. The business and mining out
look for this section the coming season is very
tlattering. The Penobscot has reached a
depth Of nearly 400 feet, the ore body still
holds cut, and the stamp mill runs steadily
along.
David Gilmore is working a small force of
men on the Bald Butte and Black Douglas
lodes, situated one half mile south of the
Penobscot. Mr.. Gilmore informed me
recently that his partners Messrs. Tatem,
Chumasero and Chadwick of Helena, have a
stamp mill on the way which will be set up
Oh the property as soon as possible. These
gentlemen have a fine body of pay ore some
of which is very high grade running as high
as $1,000 per ton. The Leopard mine at
Vestel has been worked on lease for some
time; the rock was crushed at the Cotter d
Hickey mill at Mount Pleasant until the
weather became too bad to haul the quartz
across the range. The Sanford mine near
the top OF the range, and just inside of Lewis
Il Clarke. county keep five stamps of the e. &
H. mill busy. l am informed that the ore
from both these mines turns out we'll. The
Blue Bird and Hickey mines have not been
worked for about three months. Tie owners
prefer to work up a portion of the ore already
mined, than run their mill on custom rock
for the benefit of other mine owners. There
has been a force of men working the Whip
porwill for development all winter. The ten
stamp mill has been completely overhauled
and put in thorough good order, and now
like many other enterprises is only waiting
for good weather to get ore from the mine to
the mill, when the stamps will be set in
motion. Several properties are worked under
lease near this last mentioned mill and
arrangements are made whereby the rock
will be crushed, even if more stamps have to
be added. The Gloster Co. are doing well
The rock averages in assay value $27 per ton.
The mill capacity will be doubled this spring
Mr.. D. B. McKillican of Butte, has charge
of the mill. In this connection 1 will add tina,
Mr.. McKilllcan is the lucky owner of the
Sooner lode a promising find that he made
while building the Gloster mill. To develop
and unearth a big bonanza is the reason why
he would ''sooner" re main over here in thi.
snow bound country than inthe more favored
sunny Butte. Thomas Cruise, the owner O
the great Drum Lommond mine ha!
purchased VIM Mayors five stamp mill, ane
will soon start on ore from his VEN.
The Drum Lommond is developed by q Il
foot shaft from the bottom of which cross cut
are run to each wall showing a vein over G.
feet wide and carrying over so feet of pay ore
a cross cut tunnel 800 feet in length cuts tn.
vein at a depth of nearly POO feet from thu
surface, where it is proved that depth add
greatly to the richness of the mine. Nj
: Cruise is a very ~recitent, unassuming, har,
working man, which accounts for his imlnens,
mine not obtaining the world wide reputation
it will soon undoubtedly have. For five year
Mr.. z. has quietly and unostentatiously beef
working and developing his lode, and nov
values it at a round half million of dollars,
figure which l have no doubt he could ge
with more added to it were some monte,
l mining men to inspect what is now in sight
l There are a number of new discoveries
r some of which look very tlattering, mad
during the winter, and of these 1 shall speal
in some subsequent letter.
Messrs. Jurgens 4 Price are now runnin
a stage and express line in opposition to G. F
Wieser who bought the Negus q Whitehea
!, line. Messrs. Conrad Il Wirth, merchants
intend building a large addition to their stor
to keep up with their increasing trade.
, Trusting Mr. Editor that by the time this
y in print the weather will be warmer, l am
MUTATo NoMINE.
n BELMONT, March 10th, 1880.