Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-22
The Metropolis Of Montana.

trip with the Willard excursionists prom
ised to write up the city of Helena On re-
turn; and as the GLOBE always keeps faith
with its readers, here am again in the
gulch city. Zeigler's bus with four
spanking horses swiftly carried Us over
the mile and quarter intervening between
the depot and the narrow gulch entrance
to the town. As stated before, Helena is
a queer combination of a mining camp, a
stosk raoch town and commercial city.
The mining camp impression is the first
formed, as the road from the depot passes
over many an exhausted placer claim with
its heaps of powders and other debris.
The impression is still sustained By the
numerous quartz peeimens seen in store
windows aud bank cabinets. Should one
dolbt that mineral Is still taken from tbs
earth at Helena, all that is necessary to in
sure conviction is to take one OF Zeigier's
excellent teams, if one does not prefer q
braciug walk OF 10 ile from the Interna-
tional hotel, and Dive down to the en-
trance of what was formerly the gulch
and see the placer mining which is still
carried on with more or less success. If
still skeptical, visit the large and hand
some assay Office erected by the United
States for assaying and the purchase OF
bullion and conviction Will most assuredly
ensue.
Gold bullion only is purchased here or
such bullion as carries largo per cent.
of gold. This is a great boon for the
miner for it saves him the expense of
freightage to the east besides giving him
the privilege of disposing of small quanti
ties as at the assay Office the smallest
quantity as we'll as the heaviest bulk ia
purchased. was informed by the chief
assayer that the Office will have received
By the end of the current year some mil
lion and quarter dollars worth of gold
including the contained silver. Within the
viciDi of Helena is the Drum Lomond
silver mine which is owned by company
of which Lord Ca5tletcn and the Earl of
Latham are large stock owners. These
gentlemen after protracted stay IN Mon
tana and the northwest territory of the
British possessions visited the mine few
days since and it is stated that the result
of their visit IS that stamp mills, concen-
traitors and smelters are to be erected
forthwith. Nearer still to He ena in 10
ked Mountain district and in the vicinity
OF the Gregory camp is a very rich dis
c1very in galena and sulphates and an
Eaglish gentleman who came out with the
EiugardE, or Willard party, IS endeavoring
to torn a company to purchase and
work the lead which consists
of the Little Blanche, the Moose, the Elk,
the Frohner and the SchustGr claims. The
railroad il cOnsbructiou-upon which the
Winston brothers are now laying the rails
-betReen Helena and Week passes very
near tc tho lead.
Bat as a Rancher's town Helena, at the
present time is more important than as
mining camp, although the time Is rapidly
nearing when the mountains around Will
be lively with busy miners. Large herds
OF cattle and focks of sheep and droves of
horses are fed il the valleys and upon the
mountains, for miles around Helena, and
there Is scarcely herGsman in large way
of business who has not his we'll stocked
rancho in the neighborhoOd. The city is
always full of drovers, cattle men, cow boys
and all day and deep into the night, seven
days in the week, the numerous gambling
bells have their many tables surrounded by
motley groups of such as these, intent
upon the chances of faro and ''stud horse
poker" There is nothing perhaps besides
tbs large deposits at the faro banking
houses which shows the amount of cash
in circulation, and the general good
times" prevailing, more than the business
done by these favorites-these fostering
loathsome ulcers upon the commonwealth,
the gambling bells and the amount of
patronage bestowed upon the theatre of
the variety and ''beer jerking" class.
One evening the GLOBE correspondent,
true to his trust of seeing every phase of
life, entered the ACADEMY of Music. !"
Ihs place, which Is q theatre of the type
alluded to, was crowded, the ''bOxes" being
occupied by roistering, noisy crowd, and
1t was astonishing what mint of money
some OF the variety girls made-one young
girl designated IN the play bill as that
fascinating, handsome and charming vo-
cal5t Sybiu Spencer, after one song had
no less thar seventeen silver dollars show
cred upon the stage. One would think the
COW boys and miners, the grocery clerks
and the hod carriers were Vanderbilts and
Goulds by the way they literally showered
money upon the stage after each per
Torrance. Notwithstanding the preva-
lence of the apparently rough element
in Helena the town Is orderly aLd quiet.
This is owing in measure to the good
government. The authorities instead of
trying to suppress that which is unsup-
prassable and in so doing scattering the
dangerous and vicious class into secret
hiding places among the respectable pop
ulat:oD, keep it together in one part of the
city where it is completely under con
troll.
Helena as q commercial centre is i'm
portsnt and shows a vigor and healthiness
quite unsurpassing for its population, it
does not claim more than 5000. Fore
most among the business houses Is that OF
Il. III. Parcher 81 Co, druggists, wholesale
and retail. They carry very large stock
of drugs, oils, paints and stationery and
do a business amounting to 100000 pei
annum. Mr.. Parcher is one of the pIo-
neers of Helena, having been established
in business seventeen years il that city, he
has also branch house at Butte City
doing business of $4,000 per annum
Other large houses are Gass & Klein, Green
hood q Co., land brokers, Fred Gamer
Klein, Schmidt, Wallace, and lPictt q Co,
all doing very extensive business. Helen;
has . custom tailoring establishment eQua
10 any eastern house in style and cheap
ness conducted by Messr
Sheridan and Barker, while th
foundry OF Messrs. Tatem Weisenhour
and Ellis turns out castings Of all kinds
steam engines end milling machinery. L