The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-09-21
Editor Butte MINER:

Editor Butte MINER:
your correspondent is not dead nor s,een-
ing. My last communication to The M,Nrp
leI1 me at the Territorial Insane ASYLUM on
Warm Spring creek, and as I do not wisb
your readers to think that a MINER serbia no.
came an inmate of that irst-class institution.
l Will endeavor to give a brief account of nv
wanderings since.
from Warm Springs to Butte and thence
TO Glendale the route is so we'll known and
has been written up so much that an account
would only be tiresome to your readers. 7
visited the great mines of the Hecla companv
on White Lion Hill. As these mines have
so often been noticed in your columns bv
your correspondent at Lion City l shall not |
at'empt TO say anything about them, except
that the output is enormous, with plenty of
ore in sight in the various mines.
In company with Prot. G. E. Bailey, ASSAY
er Tor the Monroe Mining Company, Harry
l.. Award, late editor of the Glendale Alan-
tbs, and Mr.. Fry, a prospector from Butte. I
crossed Lyon mountain aud went down on
the other side to where the Hecla Companv
are running 2 tunnel to tap their mines from
the northwest side of the mountain. The
Hecla Company have water rights, mines and
mill sizes located convenient to the mouth of
the tunnel SO in case 1t should ever be found
necessary to build works at that point they
will have everything required.
Bailey, Award. McBee, Anderson and
others have a number Of mines located in this
section, many of which are promising, though
not yet paying, prospects. Prof. Bailey says
that a good wagon road could be made from
this p9int to Dewey's Flat, on the Big Hole
river, with but little expense. A wagon road
could also be made down Canon creek to the
present stage road, leading from Glendale to
Wunderlich's.
On the return the climbing of the long,
steep trail to the top of White Lion mountain
was about the hardest feat l have had to &C.
complish for some time. As the parties I
took this tramp to interview were not in very
".ush' circumstances, and as my labors were
not remunerated in a financial way, l felt as
l imagine a republican will feel after the No.
vember election.
ARRIVING at the top of the mountain l came
down past the Keokuk mine, where | found
Joe Young Il Co. preparing to put up whim
on this mine. At the Elm Orlu Thos. Lowe
was prospecting.
Passing through the old town of Trapper J.
found it nearly deserted, Lion City having
taken nearly all the inhabitants. At Glen
dale both furnaces are in constant and sue
cessful operation, and from $50 to 100 tons of
ore, with fluXes, are reduced every "a hours.
Teams are almost continually loading with
bullion and matte and bringing in ore from
the mines. The smelling works reminds one
of an immense bee hive. The officers and
men are busy from morn till night and from
night till morn. One is particularly struck
with the constant and many improvements
being made about the works. Tracks are
laid in every direction, and the most of the
work heretofore done with wheelbarrows is
now done with cars, thereby making a great
saving of labor and expense. A large cage
hoists and lowers the cars from one floor to
another. 1t would fill a page of a paper the
size of the MINER to give a fair account Of
the Hecla Company's property and method of
working, and the 'holiday ~ecition" would be
the proper place for such a description.
The Hecla Company procure their iron ore
for fuxing from Little Pine mining district,
about II miles from the works, in Deer Lodge
county. The mines are located in what is
generally known as Soap snlch. The COM
pany have three iron mines in tins gulch,
and employ about 80 miners, who extract
from 20 to 80 tons of ore pei day.
John Nj. Parfet is the resident snperintend-
ent for the company, to whom | am indebted
for much information during my recent visit
to the district.
Henry Strboins has been working a silver
lead in this district for several years. He has
| his ore crushed at Smiths arastra near Dew
! ey's fiat. lie also has ore of sufficiently high
grade to ship east. Mr.. Calvin is working a
gold lead near the above with good results.
| George Pitcher and the McKivett Bios. have
been prospecting in this district for some
time and their labors have been rewarded by
discovering several iron and silver and one
copper lode. The copper lode Is said to be a
fine prospect - feet wide and carrying a high
per cent. of metal. A capitalist with 4 few
thousand spare ducats might fin! it to his ad-
vantage to pay this district Il visit iii the near
future. n.
GLENDALE, Sept. 10, s.
Ssa~u, ns HE Conner SmPltcr