The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-01-04
CLEAR GRIT.

Ter, who worked it for only six months dur
ing the year. The developments on the
Clear Grit are not extensive, for the reason
that the owners have attempted to work their
own ore in an a~rastra, some distance north Of
Meaderville, the capacity of which is very &
limited. A shaft has been sunk to the water (
line and the ledge was found to possess indi-
cations of permanence and to be of consider /
able richness. From the drifts and slopes
for the six months during which the mine
was in operation, the ore production of the l.
mine was 400 tons, the average assay value of
which per ton was 46 ounces in silver and 81 F
in gold. The arastra produced bullion valued (
at $4,000, ten per cent. of the value being /
gold. Within the past two months, Professor 1
Smiths half interest has been sold to eastern
parties for $4,000, Mr.. Kessler retaining his
interest. The latter will work the property
during the comirg season for the company /
and will develop the ledge to a considerable
depth below the water line. There is little
doubt that a fine property will be opened up.
NoRTH STAR.
This is a mine adjoining the Salisbury on
the east. 1t is developed by a shaft 63 feet
deep from the bottom of which drifts have
been run for a total length of about 100 feet.
The ledge though wide possesses all needed
indications of permanencea and in some places
some high assays have been had. The walls
are about four feet apart, but contain con-
siderable worthless ledge matter so that the
pay ore body is not more than two feet wide. /
The property is being actively worked, how
ever, and considerable ore is being produced
from the slopes east and west, which is being |
sent to the Clipper mill for reduction. 1t is
considered certain that the North Star and
Salisbury are on the same ledge, but the diff
ference in its width in the two claims, tendsto
render the theory doubtful. The North Star
is owned by Jas. A. Murray, ct al.
CoLUs
The Colusa is, with the single exception of
the Mountain, the only exclusively copper
mine in the district which has been worked
to any considerable extent. 1t is located di-
rectly over the hill and on a line east with
the Bell and is owned by the Montana Cop
per Company of New York. 1t is developed
by a vertical shaft 100 feet deep, from the
bottom of which a level has been run west
100 feet and east $40 feet. The ledge is we'll
defined, the walls being smooth and hard, and
is one of the largest and most regular in the
camp. The average width between the walls
is IS feet and in the east drift the ore has
been extracted across the entire width.
Stopping is now being prosecuted and from
35 to so tons of ore per diem is extracted.
The ore, as may be imagined, is not all of
f~irst-class quality, but is nevertheless all of a
workable grade. The better class lays in
large pockets and is exceedingly rich in cop
per, much of the product assaying from so to
Is per cent. of that metal. That which car
ries over 80 per cent. is considered valuable
enough for shipment east, where the company
has works for its reduction and refinement
Many hundred tons have been transported
during the past season. The ore of a W
grade is sent over the tramway to the smeiter,
where it is concentrated by means Of jiggers
and v~anners, desulpurized and converted in
to copper matte as explained elsewhere. The
company is so we'll satisfied with the showing
made by the mine during the past season that
a main shaft has been started, through which
the ledge hereafter will be worked. This shaft
contains three compartments and has already
attained a depth of 100 feet. A crosscut run
ming north from the bottom has made connec-
ton with the east drift of the old work
ings. 1t will be continued to a depth of 500
feet as rapidly as circumstances will permit.
A large and substantial shaft house has been
constructed and expensive hosting and pump
ing machinery has been imported during the
past season with which the work will be car
ried on. Tie gallows frame in the hiosting
works, when completed, will be the largest i'll
the territory. in which respect it will be in
perfect keeping with the magnitude of the
mine, which, as a copper producer, o~utrivals
anything in the western territories.
The Mountain mine, owned by the same
company, is located east of the we'll known
Burnet, is another mammoth copper ledge,
which in the early part of the year produced
very largely of high grade copper ore, but
which is now closed. as the Colusa, at present
is yielding more than the smelter can reduce.
FOURTH Of July.
About midsummer last. great excitement
was G2uSeu Ill Dllte ny tle lcpolteu ulsCoNeTy
on the summit of the main range of the
Rocky Mountains, several miles east of this
CITY. of numerous and %fabulously rich quartz
leads which were said to be cropping out all
over the country. As a natural consequence,
many prospectors stampeded to the scence of
excitement. The country, over a small area,
was we'll prospected and quite a number of
claims were staked out. Whether the ma
jority of them are good, bad or Indifferent, is
vet to be ascertained. or, may never be ascer-