The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-01-06
SILVER-CREEK DISTRICT.
A Good Showing of Excellent
I'll Mining Property.
Record of the Progress and Capacity Of the Mines
H ... and Mills,
By Randall H. Kemp. !

.... By Randall II. Keinp.l
To give q thorough and detailed report of
all the mines in this section, known as the
Silver Creek country, would require more
space than has been allotted me in your col
umns. The figures give have been taken
from the books and returns OF the different
companies.
In the Penobscot mine from November 1. 1878,
to November l, 1879. one thousand nine hundred
feet of levels were run, also 495 feet of sinking
was done, including shafts and winzes.
On November 1, 1873, ten stamps and three
astra beds comprised all the reducing power the
company had. Nov. 20, 1878, ten more stamps
were started. Ten more We're started April 20,
1919. and thelast ten stamps began crushing on
Seven additional arastra tubs were started May
20, 70; making from the last date a reducing ca
gacity of forty stamps and ten arastra beds
The arastra, however, has not averaged more
than half time, us the engine power was not
sufficient until the present engine was put in
place. .
In the year ending November 1, 1879, II ,222 tons
of ore were treated, which averaged $18.42 per
provements mentioned in my former letters
were made. The company now employs 100
men: The main shaft is 26S feet deep and car
ries body Of pay ore 20 feet wide. There is
enough ore in reserve in the slopes to keep the
forty stamp mill employed for two years; and
yet thequantity continues to increase as sink
ing Of the main shaft progresses.
The Leopard mine: situated about four hun
CTcU 1eeC DelOW Tile PenODSCOt, mas q Slaft SUNK
50 feet, and carries four-foot vein Of ore of fair
grade Messrs Hicks, Snow and Keefe, of
W this mine for six months
extract, paying no royalty. The owners are
The Black Hawk, an eastern extension of the
Penobscot, has several shafts sunk on it, but in
none nc, of them has the vein proved SO good as on
the Penobscot ground w. &. Prueitt & Co., Of
mence operations next spring OH a larger scale
and find pay ore If it can be found.
Ahrt1fD -hal In that
ohscot is the Bald Butte lode and several other
locations owned by Chumasero, Chadwick, Ia
mined to unearth a Bonanza Rich ore was
struck on the Bald Butte lode last summer, and
four men are now working on vein about four
About onehalf mile east of the Penobscot in
Lewis and Clark county, is the Sandford lode.
| shaft has been sunk 60 feet, and levels run both
ways, showing vein from three to five feet
wide. A number of tons was milled, which re-
turned about $50 per ton to the owners, who are
Messrs; Sanford, Woods & Shannon.
On the same vein farther east are the Blue
175 feet. number of levels have been run on
these two lodes, and over 100000 worth of gold
years @ ss ago w Messrs T5a Coter op and HieKey the
owners OF this property, bought from Mr.. Milo
Courtright his five-stamp mill about one year
| ago. On account of the boiler giving ont they
were compelled to stop the mill last August ul-
| til a new boiler could come from the States In
| mill and began crushing on December5 !, running
| five stamps on their own ore and five stamps on
ore from the sandford lode above described. The
ore from the Blue Bird and Hickey mine has
averaged S35 per ton, making the richest mines
yet worked in this section. The vein is from
mine and mill is all the force they employ. The
Mount Pleasant lode, owned by Sandford Bros.
Wilson. This lead carries both gold and silver,
and is treated for both in Maygers mill below
nelmont, with what results we are otinformed
The Black Bear, Long Tom and Emma Miller
| are promising mines, which have been resting
| on their laurels for some time, nothing but the
representation work being done on them for
The Belmont Company in the past year have
made many E substantial improvements to theil
property. The mine is worked by running tun-
nels in on the vein. The operations for the past
year have been confined to their tunnels. In the
800 feet. A winze connecting number one with
number three, following the dip of the vein, is
tons We're treated IN the past twelve months
| which averaged S11 .25 per ton 1t can't be said
that this company have made any money since
they begun operations as they have done a great
deal of prospecting, looking more to the future
than present economy. The mine is now devcl
oped sufficiently to justify the addition of more
Work on this lead is now done on the contract
system. the miners taking the levels and Slopes
at a certain price per foot or fathom as the case
may be. By this system the mining OF the ore
is done at much less cost to the company thar
Messrs. Vestal, Frau, McDermott, Trent and
Muth are the owners Mr. l.. C. Trent is genera
manager ana MI. w m. MUM Is secretary anO
cashier. The company have added to theil
| tWenty-stamp mill, two iron pans for amalga
mating the concentrates saved by the Frut
vanncrS.
This company is now in Il fair way to declare
handsome dividends.
The Drum Lummond lode situated near Bel
mont, is developed by shaft sunk forty-five
feet on the vein. CrOsscuts run to each wal
rrove the vein to be about SO feet in width
| Rich streaks of ore, carrying gold, silver ant
carbonates of copper are found all through the
wien. A crosscnt tunnel 800 feet in length cuts
| the vein 1876 feet in depth. The tunnel has per
forated the ledge oni iy about ten feet and i
| shows the same characteristics as in the shat
| and crOSScutS above
gold and silver from this lode, treated 2o4 ton
from certain portion of the vein, and as th'
give them Average gold per tom $40; aver
age silver per ton, S49l; total yield per ton
the ore viii have to be assorted to make it pay
Thomas Cruise is the owner of this mine; an'
has it covered by Umted States patent, t., Nea s
| Last Hope and many other lodes which at SOM
future day may have some notoriety.
have only treated 800 tons in their ten,staml
mill the ore averaged S12 ~ per ton. The mil
has not been running G steadily: i & the main shai mar
are employed on development besides a part
who are working portion of the lead on tri
butte Nestal and Leahey, owners.
The Gloster a fve-stainp mill started up OF
December 10 have not run enough to test tn
s Of in ,ns the ne F1e Stamps
Will be put in this winter The mine show
from four to nine feet vein, which carries gol
all the way across Mitchell, Powers l. Co. al
the owners.
In this exhibit of the mining industry of thi
locality. i have aimed to give the facts as
have gotten them from the books OF the difteren
companies. and from personal observation. On
year hence expect to see the quantity of OF
miled nearly doubled, and mines producin
that have never yet been heard of in the outsid
world.
--~-
Judge: You must admit that the proc
against you is overwhelming" Thief
Your honor, do not perceive il in thos
lamps. The witnesses were not sure the
recognized me, and l hid away the stole
articles where they could not be found by th