The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-01-06

The richest Of these IS the morning star.
This mine has three shafts. The main or
west shaft Is down about 95 feet, and is sunk
upon what appears to be the western extrem-
ity of a rich ore chute. Drifts have been run
from this shaft, IS5 feet east following a mar
row streak of rich ore at no place wider than
p feet. West of this shaft no drifts of any
importance have been run the middle shaft
is down 60 feet following from the surface the
same rich streak of ore encountered IN the
west shaft. From the bottom of this shaft a
drift was run east some W feet, the face OF
which is mostly in granite with narrow steaks
of ore running through it. Still further east
(about $50 feet) a shaft was started south OF
the groupings and sunk verticlly 30 feet when
the ledge was cut, and although narrow,
found to be very rich they are still sinking
in this body of ore and there is every reason
to hope that it will prove as rich and extern
sive as the chute between the main and mid
die shafts from which large quantities OF ore
were extracted, which milled very high. In
one Slope for sometime ore was taken out
which worked AS ounces silver and $125 a
ton in gold.
The Stevens mine, about 700 feet west of
the Morning Star has proved to be a small
&C Bonanza" for its owner. Although not
deeper than go feet many thousand dollars
worth of ore has been taken out, and there is
still appearantly a very large quantity in
sight.
'The Neptune which adjoins the Stevens on
the west is almost identical with it in charac-
ter, the ledge being rich and small To
wards the western end of thisc claim the ledge
seems to break up and although considerable
work has been done it cannot be found. 1t
crops again further west and there arc many
locations Oh it, or upwards of a mile and
a half, little work, however, has been done
west of the Neptue, the ore on the surface
west of that claim not being sufficiently rich
to pay.
Still going north Butte City is passed
through and foundt to be literally honeycombed
with narrow streaks of minerai-bearing
quartz. Many locations have beenmade in the
town itself, though none have yet been found
which will pay.
The Original lode is then reached this
lode lies just north of the town, and it has
most productive in the camp. The eastern
end Of it is heavy copper ore containing
sometimes a large quantity of silver. When
wei arrive at the Original mine, where all
of the ore above the water level is found to
be free, changing, however, at that point to
copper, a great deal of which is also enor-
mously rich in silver.
The Parrot mine, which lies on the eastern
end of the lode, has been prospected to a
depth of more than 12O feet following a heavy
body of ore which is very base and carries a
heavy percentage of copper from the surface.
Drifts have been run east and west from the
shaft, and large quantities of ore extracted,
all of which was shipped East for reduction,
it is consequently impossible to arrive at any
reliable conclusion as to its value.
Next to the Parrot on the west, lies the
Original there has been no work done on
this mine for some time; it is prospected
thoroughly to water level and there has been
a large quantity of rich ore extracted from the
works above that point. OF the width OF the
ledge and its appearance in the bottom OF the
shaft l know nothing about never having been
in the mine.
Adjoining the Original on the west is a
mine which has proven one of the most pro-
ductive in the camp : the Gagnon. The main
shaft is down nearly 200 feet and levels have
been I'LL east and west at a depth of so, 100,
and $50 feet. From the 50-foot level sufficient
free milling ore has been extracted to keep
Thornton's mill Go stamps) running since its
erection, besides this large quantities OF ore
which it was afterwards discovered asSayed
very high were worked in Davis's mill; this
ore was sold at a comparatively nominal fig
ure. There is still a large quantity Of ore in
sight in the slopes above this level. From
the 100 foot level also a great deal OF free ore
was taken. At this depth, however, and in
fact for some distance above il, the greater
part of the ore had turned base, and the free
mill ng Ole was found to be much narrower
than above below the 10O-foot level the ore
is all base.
1t is impossible to arrive at a conclusion as
to the extent Of the ore body on the 15O-foot
level, the ledge never having been crOsscut al
this point. The work here has been confined
to running Il drift west in an exceedingly ricl
| 81 raaly pFn,.. {, o,.o,t Iaal pf &y-bio1, is nf a arN
high grade.
Eighteen feet west of the main shaft all.
other shaft is down 100 feet ; from the bottom
of this the .1OO-fOot level makes connection
with the main shaft.
New hosting works, consisting of Il hoistins
engine, a stationary Knowles pump and
Nod Dixon pump has lately been put i!
place, and the work of sinking and prospect
ing the ledge below the 2OO-foot level will be
vigorously prosecuted.
West of the Gagnon lies the National. The
main shaft on this mine is down about 1S
feet levels have been run at short
intervals not more than from 30 to 40 fee
separating them. The base and free ore here
seem to lie in different, streaks a granite hors
separating them. A large amount of boil
baseand free milling ore has been extracted
and the Grove Gulch mill is at present run
ningOn ore from this mine.
West Of the National lies the Calado nj
which has produced a great deal of good or
but the water proving troublesome work wa
suspended and the mine Is now idle. Thi
ledge can be traced west to the I" Big Butte,
a mountain OF porphyry which lies abou
three. fourths of a mile west of town and i
which no mineral has yet been discovered. ]
cuts the lodges all off and they are foun
again to the west of it holding their origina
course. [ will leave a description of this Dc