Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1880-12-04
SATURDAY, DECEMBER q, 1880.
WHY WE HAVE FAITH.

M kiih AN hilhAiS " VI WV
Southern Hills has passed the stage Of
uncertainty which always at first ham
pers a new mining section, and has be-
come an assured fact, only awaiting the
erection ofmachinerywhich will econom-
ically treat our ores; it will be of interest
to those who have mining properly to
hear something about the LIKELIHOOD
Of our having greatly reduced flcights
within a short time.
There is at present not much differ
ence In the cost of transportation from
what was paid three years ago, but there
is good reason to believe that the pres
ent haul of two hundred and eighty
miles from Sidney to the Hills will be
greatly shortened within a year or
eighteen months at the outside. The
Chicago and Northwestern is already at
Fort Pierre and the Milwaukee and st.
Paul will within a few weeks reach the
Missouri river at "a point some sixty
miles down the river from Pierre. Both
lines desire to reach the Hills as speed
lily as possible, but that fact alone would
not necessarily bring us Il railroad dur
ing the next year or two. But another
fact not so generally known, gives rs an
almost positive assurance of seeing one
and probably both roads running into
the Hills within the time mentioned. 1t
is this, that some few years ago the Mil
.o.Io, ..,I O. DBL rn,l v1o1n "a a, AZ
rangement with a Scottish syndicate of
bankers, by which they are enabled to
place $4,000 Of their bonds with the
syndicate at pr, for every mile Of road
tina, they build and equip. This contract
will expire within two years, and as the
average expense tothe railroad company
to build and equip their roads has been
only S1l 900 per mile, thus giving them
a clear profit of $4,000 per mile, it is easy
to see that they will build every mile of
road during the continuance of this con-
tract that they can, with anything like a
chance to make il profitable afterwards.
The result will be that they will most
likely build through to the Hills during
1881. 1t is important that they do this
in order to successfully compete with
the Northwestern road, whose terminus
is now some eighty or ninety miles near
or the Hills than they are. 1t has been
stated by n of their prominent men
that ii is more than likely that during
ing the coming summer they will have
men at work at one time on every mile
To be graded between American Crow
creek-their Missouri river crossing
and some point near the south end of
the Hills. This would give the Hills Il
direct route to Chicago and would leave
us here in Custer county with but a few
miles, if any, to freight by bull trains.
This would DE a great saving over pres
ent rates.
That our town is not to be left out in
the cold by the railroad companies is
certain, although neither Of the great
trunk lines are likely to come into Gus
ter City. There is Il good prospect that
the Covington Columbus and Black Hills
railroad will within two or three years
be extended to the Hills, in which case
it is understood to be their intention to
stiike for the south end ofthe Hills and
run up through them. In this manner
the John l. Blair road, AZ it is called,
would control all the freight Of Custer
and Pennington counties, the richest
portion of the Hills, and would have a
very important item in the shipment of
cattle from the Cheyenne river and
pine lumber from the Hills to points
east Of the Missouri river in Southeast
ern Dakota and Northern Nebraska.
With these strong probabi tiles of rail
roads into the very midst of our quartz
mines it would seem to insure the build
ing up of a mining industry here in The
Southern portion of the Hills that will
be wonderful in point Of magnitude.
We have any amount Of ore which can
be worked at a good profit even under
the heavy cost of transportation now,
but with these anticipated reductions in
the first outlay there can be no question
about the ultimate result.
Now il the time for those seeking a
safe and sure investment to look at the
remarkable inducements that are offered
TO the capitalists in Custer county. With
Ike adve;s: ofsP-islg te confidently an
ticipate a far larger influx of capital
inte the Hills than we have had in any
previous year. Investors have got over
their Leadyiile craze and are o will
ing to listen to a man who offers them Il
mine of $500 rock, and do not at once
bluff him with stories Of $4,000 ore
which they can get in Leadvilie. The
turning out of bullion by the
Homestake has added greatly to the at
of the low grade ores OF the
Black Hills.
During the past season the excitement
attending upon a presidential election
has kept capitalists away from US, but
.x1.r xl.t tha-, 10 N lonuar any rotlSe