The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-07-02
OUR "ARTIST" ABROAD.
Graphic Pencil Sketches OF
Montana.

l ~ CiihuD tuc ulsu pcahs anu Flugct ana 10 QeeCG
into the deep, dark gorees ana canyons, presents
the mind views the sublImest in nature The mot
utincer is Allied with unrest the moment he 10,
sight Of of his grand rugged rough friends and son
thing is lost in his awakening to view only the Ia
plain, however green its verduro or beautiful
landscape. Accustomed to live among the sotus
OF the grandest forms in nature, they grow irto
daily life like old friends, and he can conceive of
tie fine in natural scenery without them. This 70
ing 10 akin to that of the sailor who, although
may live quietly on the land in his old age, alws
kindles into enthusiasm at the recollection OF !
wild grandeur of the ocean, he has seen il VIII
raging in its widest and most dangerous moods a
from which he has escaped with his life. He alws
returns TO view it with delight and 80 IL Ia with n
of the mountains when they have been long out
sight. Hs..- @s @
The prospector who has spent his youth in delvt
on the sides and among the dark ravines of b
mountains, and who leaves them to live In cities orb
fertile plains, whether he has found the wealthe
has sought or not often returns to spend the bala
| Of his days in the sight of their glories.
| The above were some of my thoughts and ser
| ments as left Helena and commenced the ascent
| the mountains towards Vestel. win not detain VI
farther In this vein nor trespass your time aga
with my dreamy thoughts-but, to business.
| HELENA.
| More buildings in number and cost and fine I'M
chiectural beauty are being constructed this suTer
than ever before in any year of the towns hipry
Business is not active, for the freghts have N yet
arrived, yet faith an hope and unceasing woi are
the creed of the people and win herafeter as eto-
fore secure them success both In fortune and 1.-THE
building up OF their city. "
STOCK RAIsERs AND FARMERS.
| Crops in the valley are backward, but II grain
which up looks green and vigorous andwith a
| couple OF months of sunshine will be abundst.
This is the roundup week In the Pridy Pear
Valley, and on many other ranges. Helena Is much
money invested in large herds of cattle and locks of
sheep, and many are out to witness thsDrand-
| ing or the shearng, The annual income fro these
sources of wealth and In horse raising is argtand is
increasing year by year, and next to mininais the
| greatest source of wealth in our Territory.
On my trip passed the great horse farmf Gov.
Potts, about four miles from Helena, Fifth hun
dred are enclosed by substantial post I'd wire
fence. This is becoming of the largest al finest
horse breeding establishments in Montana. My fine
animals are there now and stock men arc day visit
ors. ''
1 SILVER CREEK.
| In early days, before Helena was a camp, De pa-
! GERS Of Silver Creek gave employment and odt to
| many people. The discovery OF Last Cham gulch
eclipsed IL and vas the commencement of thcty of
Helena. Three Mile, Seven Mile and IN Mile
| get their names from being those distances bm Sill
City and not Helena. Silver Creek, up TO blmont,
has been nearly worked ont and very thorouhly yet
a bedrock hume the whole distance under &c man
agenient would pay. ..... s- ..... ..
| BELMONT. MOUNT PLEASANT AND yEsEL.
At the head of Silver Creek the nountansise to a
heighth of 5000 feet and the gold in the pcers OF
Silver Creek has been furnished from the leas in the
| mountains above. Accordingly here nume,us rich
and very large gold leads have been discoered. |
shall describe those connected with mills an which
are being actively worked
The first in ascending the creek ID. the fama
| Z/,~t- E%x GaMoSH ZIe,>.~~~o D,
Silver mine, owned entirely by Mr., Thomas tuse, an
industrious, pleasant man, who has voted his
claim on Silver Creek for ten or twelve yers past
The vein carries silver and yet the bullion cotains
good per cent of gold. Mr.. Cruise has spent several
winters in prospecting 1t, and by his own bor has
tunnel 400 feet long. which strikes the vein OF
quartz Mt a depth OF 100 feet from the ,o of the
shaft. lie Is now sinking the shaft to stike the
tunnel The end of the tunnel into forty feet Of
solid quartz, about half way the losi. The
shaft is sunk entirely in quartz. The width of tbip
lead Is at fifty feet from the outer crop seventy feet
and its value is beyond any estimate that woald be
believed. The ore is uniformly rich wherever found,
and Is free from base metal. From one cleanup
which saw from the Ave stamps, the yield Is about
81 600 per day, as asI could Judge. From the
small development already made, consider IL the
best and richest single mine In Montana. An oGF "
bond for half million dollars has been refused nc
II Ii not for SALE A tunnel into the noun tair
from the foot at the m would strike the vein LOO
feet from the outcrop and need be about 800 feet In
length. Pumping water and hosting are unnec-
essary. -ey come out through the tnunel, thus
wing more han half the expense of working the
mine. The vein runs lengthwise with the side of the
mountain and the creek at the base and viii be work
ed entirely through tunnels running In at the base &c
the rein. Mr.. Cruise owns the extension, which
seems to be as good as the original. This mine
could furnish for hundred stamps indefinitely.
THE BELMONT MINE
Is on the right of the gulch, half mile above me
Ben Lomond The ore is worked by a twenty-stamo
mill. IL Is the property of Messrs. Vestel Frue ami
Trent. Like the Ben Lomond, 1t is worked aud
drained through S0O-feet tunnel, thus saving tie
expense of pumping and hosting. The mine has six
tunnels at different levels aggregating 2224 fea in
length. The main winze is $50 feet deep, connecs all
the levels and the from 1t Is passed down through
1t to the lowest level into the and out the
tramway, which carries 1t to the mill, 1850 feet d
tant The tramway is double. The cars are run bya
wire rope around huge drum, the descending loaded
cars drawing up the empty ones. The main and 9TH
er wines thoroughly ventilate the mine. -Four men
stopping keep the twenty stamps fully supplied with
ore. &c. you can see the mine is worked with little
expense and great energy There are thirteen slopes
from which lie obtained and the in sight wiz
keep the twenty stamps running for a number
years.
Owing to recent discovery I'm the mine of vile
ledge by Mr. Trent, the Superintendent, the capacity
of the mill is to be doubled Immediately.
Six months ago the prospects Of this were yeryd dis
couraging. A vast amount of money had been ex-
pended in running tunnels and in sinking shafts.
The in sight was estimated at but $50 tons. The
The main tunnel, 800 feet in length, had struck no
ore body. 1t run by the side of the vein. The out
look was gloomy, and there was some thought Of
closing the NINE But Mr.. Trent believed crosscnt
would strike the vein at least prove the character
of the mine. So on his own responsibility he CON-
monced cross,utting at the end Of the sOOfeet
mel At the distance of 81 feet to the right he struck
a magnificent vein twelve feet in width, as he had
hoped but contrary to the advice of some Others Els
judgment was fully indicated and his co-owners sat
isfed perfectly. The vein has been struck in the
other tunnels above. The length of the vein already
developed in the tunnels 500 feet and upward
to the surface, $50 feet. The width Of the vein is
from six to thirteen feet wherever found This will
give over 5000o tons OF In sight, which
ages about $40 per ton in the working. Discourage
mept has now vanished like an ugly dream, and the
future is bright Sense pluck and perseverance have
overcome all obstacles, and have worked wonderful
change in the value and prospects of this mine.
Six months ago the ore supply was nearly exhaust
cd. The cost of trying 70 find new bodies great
The expenses were over $1,000 per month and the
debts were growing. Since the discovery Of the
vein the yield Is s12 600 and the expenses Of all kinds
mining and milling, but $4,000 per month. The mine
ID now spendidly developed and the expense of ex-
porng stopped. 1t Is now demonstrated that the ore
runs the full length OF the mine, 1900 feet and it's
depth is indefinite. There other consider
able veins In the mine which win be developed in due
time. The prospects of Belmont as permanent mi
ming camp were never better than now.
Messrs Jurgens & Price have general supply store
and the postcfice. They also run q tri-weekly ex-
press and passenger line and regular freight train
from Heena to vestei via Belmont. IE
Messrs. Conrad q Muth keep a supply of groceries
and clothing and have fine billiard hall adjoining
their store.