The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-01-04
The Checkered Existence Of the
Mining Interest in This
Camp.
How the Miners Have Sue
cessfully Struggled With
Poverty.

There have always been skeptics IN montana
who have predicted all sorts of mlsfortunes
to the Silver City, and people outside of the
territory who read in the MINER of the enter
prise and success Of the people and of the
handsome showing which the mines and
mills have been making, were ever ready to
underestimate the Importance of the district
and to charge that we were trying to manu-
facture a boom without the justification OF
our consciences.
But, with the lapse of time has come a
change. Butte to-day is the pride and hope
of Montana. People have come to recog-
nize the fact that the mining interest is to
play an important part towards inducing im-
migration and the flow of capital in thisd irec-
ton. The developments of the past year
have shown that our mines are of a character
to warrant every confidence, and that when
capital comes to Montana it will be satisfied
and will remain.
Butte has suffered from many drawbacks
which long ago would have terminated the
existence of almost any other camp in the
country. Lack of capital is one Of these
drawbacks. Intending investors from the
eastern centres of capital have spent their
means in the development Of comparatively
worthless mines in districts to which they
could travel In palace cars, rather than face the
hardships of a long stage ride, and for less
money become interested in better
properties. The result has been that
the mines of Butte had to be developed
with the money which they yielded from
the surface workings. They were opened
up by the windlass and the within, and re-
ceived none Of the advantages of steam hoist
ing and pumping machinery. But the battle
against poverty was fought and won, and
without the slightest fear Of contradiction
we venture the assertion that in no other
mining district in the world do the mines
possess the indications of permanence and
value in so large a degree as do the proper
ties of Butte, and that in no district at pres
ent known are there so many mines on a
paying basis as are now being developed IN
the vicinity of Butte. For an area Of one
mile surrounding Butte the ground is liter
ally interlaced with lodges, and though they
have not all developed into bonanzas, and
many have not been opened up, we unhesi-
tatingly affirm that there is not a single mine
in the district upon which any considerable
amount of work has been done which has not
shown steady and rapid improvement with
the attainment of depth.
In many districts outside of Montana it is
not aypaptad aynent in rara INSTANCES that q
mine shall pay a profit, or even working ex-
penses, until a considerable amount of money
shall have been expended in It's development,
but for the benefit and ENLIGHTENMENT of dis
tant friends we beg to submit a list of mines
which have been more or less developed in
Butte and which have paid expenses and
a profit from the grass roots. They are the
Bell, Lexington, Grey Rock, Alice, Acquisi,
ton, Moose, Stevens, Anselmo. Star West
Salisbury, Burnett. Celusa, Self Riser,
Gagnon, La Plata, Nettie, Fredonia, Origit
nal, National, Sunnyside, Shonbar and many
of lesser Importance.
The bullion shipments for the year, which
aggregate in round figures one and a half
million dollars, may be exceeded by the out
put OF such camps as Leadville and Virginia
City, but when it is considered that this
amount has been produced from mines which
were developed with the aid of scarcely a
/ dollar OF outside capital, the amount will ap.
| pear as a remarkable evide nee of the richness,
permanence and extent of our mines. And
still there is a wide field for the profitable
, employment of capital in this district. There
are many claims yet undeveloped through
the inability of their owners to purchase
hosting and pumping machinery, Blu
which, there is every reason to believe
will open up into valuable properties will
the expenditure OF some means. The fac
that On no single claim in the district has thu
g bottom of the ledge been found should oper
n ate as some incentive to the investment O
0 capital, for it is not reasonable to suppose tina
n all the best mines in the camp have been dis
n covered.
But one of the best evidences of the yalu,
of the surrounding mines is the unexample,
and almost phenomenal growth of Butte
which, withinthe past five years, has increase,
in population at a rate to cause astonishmen
even among our own citizens. Four wear
age Butte was a played-out placer miuin
camp. To-day, it is the principal city il
Montana, with the greatest population an
n the most rapidly increasing business. 1t
destined to be the metropolis of the northwest
ID During the past year 200 houses have beef
constructed within the city limits of a kin
which is evidence enough that the peopl
have faith in the resources of the camp an
a have come here to stay. We confidently pre-
s dict that within the next three years Butte wi
boast a population of 10000 souls and ths
the bullion output for 1881 will aggregat
S3,0OO,O00.