The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-09-20
OUR BONANZA LETTER.
The Mountains and Mines Near Boz
mountaineering Mining
Letter from Our Lady
Correspondent.
BONANZA, l. T.. Sept. -, 1881

lime continues 10 speech swiftly I'LL IL way,
little needing in its flight the disappointment
of those who, a few months ago, INDUCED in
the hope of seeing this a f1ourisiling mining
camp and of reaping a golden harvest. But
as The season is so far advanced without any
marked changes, l fear many will have to
look forward still another year for the trui-
ton of their dreams of wealth and prosperity.
ilNothing of unusual interest has TRANSFERRED
sine l last wrote you. No mines have been
sold, no mills erected, no weddings, and no
new slrikt that l have heard of. The will
low and aspen are changing their summer
green for the gaudy hueS of autumn, and a
veil OF u pie enshrouds the hills and dlIns
the valleys; ali of which admonishes us that
stern old Winter Graweth on apace, and ere
long our beautiful and picturesque noun
talns will be tucked mp in their big beds Of
snow, and sweet, gentle Summer, with all her
virtues, will be dead and buried, and the
mouruers will go about the streets on u.ly
suow-shoes. AIas. those things we love
most fade soonest. Blu it was ever thus; for
the Scriptures say, "all green things shall
witller and decay, and that we all do fade as
a leaf " no ,withslaudins the sale Of "Blooln
Of \ onth goes steadily on.
scarcely know how to ..eutertain you and
YOU readers with my pen at this lime. There
never was SO little Of interest to write about.
Of course you want no gossip. Every town
has no III of its own without drawing from
the outside. A letter from a mining caup is
expecte 10 be full and overlooking of lew
st Ike bullion rep )rts, mining sales, etc,
otherwise It s taken that the place is losing
sroun" or playing Qui.
Yankee Fork is dull superlatively dull
llerc Is 30 Gen, ing that; duIIer, lhey say,
than Was ever known since The discovery Of
the uuaiIz mines here. Some of TIE business
men, aud man OF the different professions,
nave lieu them TO other fields, and the new
mining camps at Saw Tooth and Wood River
have drawn in that direction all the unim-
plsyed labor of the district. The mines, hOw-
ever, never looked better than they do AZ this
tine, AMI the yield Of rich ore ami bullion
for the year, it is estimated, will nOt be short
ofS1 100000. The Custer Company's mill is
cleaning up on an average about 100000 Of
fine button per month. The ore worked Is
not sorted, but is miIled Just a. it comes
from lie mine, and yielis from $40 to $40
per ton. The twenty stamps crush 70 to 70
tons per day. At this rate the ore exposed
above the surface will last, it is estimated by
miners, three years and possibly longer. Ho"
dep the CT body extends below the surface:
has not yet been determin I'd, Tut it is hot
reasonable to suppose that a ledge Of such
huge proportions is set up edgeways Oh toy
of the around without roots prOportionally
large. The company has beeI offered s.,
100000 for the mine and mill, but as that il
less Than the amount in sight the proposition
met with no favor. Captain GeYer, formerly
Of Montana, is alnaIgamator and superinten.
,lent Of tie Custer mill, and his experience
enables him to work the ore up TO within d
fraction of its value and turn out bullion OF
superior %tineness. Tho Unknown mine, ad
joining II e Custer, and owned in part by the
same company, Las out about 1000 tons OF
$3.50 ore. Work has been suspended unit
loistiHg " orks can be erected.
S.nte We have good roads and trails to tile
principal mines III the district, the ladies
make frequent visits to item, and beside the
pleasure OF horseback riding they get a gooc
insight into the manner of extracting the
ores, and at the same time gain a knowledge
OF mines and the characteristic Of the veins
Accompanied by Mrs. 4. L. Strahorn, who
spent a few weeks with me this summer,
have vi .ited all the prominent mines, an
some of them a numher of times, and cal
a always see something new and intere sting.
A visit to the Montana mine is ever one 0
pleasure, and We soe ut four days there a
guests of MesSrs. Hooper, Franklin and Cam
eron, who welcomed us in their genial hos
pitable manner, and devoted their time to Ell
tertaining us, and showing us the heautie
and wonders of Mount Estes. This noun
tain is 10000 feet high, and on the SUNNI
they have erected a monument and estab
lished the initial point for,the u 5. minera
surveys. From the mine to this ~point-9O
feet-the tail is steep and OF rough slid
rock. but the scene at every step is one c
grandeur and sublimity, and when the heigh
is at last attained, the panorama unfoided t
the eye is one of exquisite beauty and finish
ON every side as for rs the vision extend
are range after range OF mountains raisln
their exalted heads, until ia the distsnc
they seem to pierce the deeprblue sky, VIII;
mere and there eau be seen a lake, or the 81
very stream of a tiny streamlet quivering an
dancing III the sunlight. The lofty kings {
The forast lift IN and wave their iaafy baI
ners of green. while the soft zephyts aud tn
loud winds piping through the bough
breathe an anthem grand and sweet. Stan6
ing on these mountain heights and viewin
this landscana. our thoughts are instinctiYel