The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-05-11
1.-THE ATLANTIC CABLE, /"
Reopened After Years OF 1dleness, and New
Being Vigorously Worked.
A Good Mine to Have an Interest In.

Reopened After Years OF 1dieness, and Now
Being vigorously Worked.
A Good Mine to Have an Interest In.
| In 1868 Montana heard great deal OF the
| Atlantic Cable" lode, a wonderfully rich
/ gold-bearing vein of quartz, struck In the
! southern part OF this county, about forty
miles distant from Deer Lodge. The lead
was discovered by three prospectors whs had
formerly been sailors and were on the Great
Eastern when she laid the first Atlantic tele-
| graph cable. So, when Gus Pierson, Alex.
Aiken and Jonas Slough discovered this
lode they named it the "Atlantic Cable"
Its discovery created an excitement, rs the
lode was WIDE and the ore very rich. 1t Is
stated the discoveries pounded 1000 out OF
the groupings, and the finest gold ore speci-
mems ever found in Montana were extracted
from it. The strike soon attracted the atten-
ton of William Nowlan, then of the firm of
Nowlan & Weary, bankers, Helena, who be-
came interested in 1t anu built ten-stamp
| mill, there costing $4,000, under a mortgage
| contract with the owners to deliver him ten
thousand tons Of ore to crush, the net pro-
ceeds to 20 toward satisfaction Of the mort
gage. The mill was completed, although 1t
| crippled Nowlan g. Weary, and 1t is believed
| s4Oo, 900 were then taken out Of the mine in a
few months. This product was squandered
in some way. The mine caved In, the bank
broke, and the Atlantic Cable mine got into
litigation and became n cause cetebre in the
courts of Deer Lodge county. Another mill,
which had been built there, also closed down;
the camp, which had attained prominence
and population, began to dwindle and for a
good portion of the next ten years Salton
Cameron, who had a considerable interest
and unfiinching faith in the lead, stood watch
and ward over the property on the mountain
while the best legal talent of the Territory
wrangled over the titles in the valley.
Matters ran on this way until 1876, when
Mr.. j. G. Slavery, a gentleman hitherto en-
gagged in real estate business in pes M0ines,
Iowa, and possessed of considerable means,
came to Montana to extricate from the wreck
Of litigation and confusion, if possible, his
brother-in-law, Mr.. Nowlan.. Judge n. NJ.
Hubbard, of Cedar Rapids, formerly District
Judge but then practicing law, accompanied
him. They found the titles almost hopeless
ly complicated, but their investigations
awakened interest in the property itself and
after much negotiation the old mortgage OF
10000, running against third interest In
the mine, was purchased of l.. II. Hershfeld
& Bro, which, with the two-thirds previous
ly acq uired, made them sole owners Of the
property with clear title.
They then, in 1879, took in other partners
and after partially pumping out and examin-
ing the mine, concluded to develop it by q
tunnel, both on account of the more eeonom-
ical working and to drain the lead, it having
required sixty days work with hoist Of
over 10000 gallons day to pump out the old
workings. This tunnel was begun in 1879. 1t
was then anticipated it would be 1000 feet
long and strike the lead 800 feet below the
surface. Instead, the tunnel had to be run in
200 feet, in some places through iron ore
and rock so hard blast would hardly throw
out hatful of debris. Two men were en-
ployed constantly pumping air to the miners,
and so oppressive was 1t toward the last that
men could only remain in three hours. Final
ly, an air shaft was stopped to the surface, an
excellent draught secured, the lead struck
ing cost about 100000. But 1t struck the
lead at 800 feet and it showed up there,
wherever cut forty feet wide, encased in solid
granite walls. The vein matter is about one
half free milling gold ore, and the balance Is
limestone, spar, pyritss, and iron. The en-
tire body Of ore averages about $50 to the ton.
The richest ore is the two feet next the foot
wall, just as at the surface, and many nuggets
and spars of pure gold are found there. The
lead which at the surface had an inclination
of about So with the trend NE. and SW. is
found nearly vertical at 300 feet, and the tun.
mel workings are now extending back under
the old shaft workings. 1t Is the intention Of
Mr.. Slavery soon to commence an extensive
and systematic timbering of these old work
ings from the tunnel and mining for ore and
operation Of the mill will be suspended q
couple of months while that work is in
progress.
Pending the running of the tunnel the
company, now reorganized as "Cable Co.,"
operated for some months the old Nowlan
mill and also erected a new and complete
thirty stamp mill at q cost of s65, 600, built by
Frazer & Chalmers, Chicago. tits equipped
with an S0-horse power Corliss engine, and
has three boilers, one Of which is used In
COMPRISING air to operate the Ingersoll
drilling machines used in the mine. The mill
is built at the mouth Of the tunnel and the
ore runs directly into it and is supplied to
the stamps by Automatic Feeders. Up to
the present time only fifteen stamps have
been employed owing to scarcity Of water.
These are crushing forty tons of ore per day,
six men only being employed in the
mill and from fifteen to thirty in the mine.
The mill has run continuously since in was
started up In November, 1882, and saves a
very high percentage ofthe gold.
The above facts we derive from q CONVEX
sation this week with j. @. Slavery, Esq, who
instead of looking after this interest a month
or two, as originally intended, has located at
Cable and devoted almost five years of labor
to it. The figures we have given are suf-
ficient to show the magnificent character of
the mine, and we congratulate the owners on
their excellent fortune. The mill produced
sufficient bullion in the first sixty days of its
operation to pay for itself The Company
does not owe a dollar and none of the in
serests are for sale at any price. There have
been in the past few months wild reports
about "strikes in the cable" We said to Mr..
Slavery, who owns controlling interest in the
mine that IL he was now ready and not indis-
posed to give us the facts we would be pleased
TO publish them as a matter Of general
interest concerning an important enterprise
being conducted in the county, and the above
is the result as we recollect.
Gable has now q population Of about loo
people, mostly connected with the workings
Of the Cable mine or mill. The company
carries an 5000 or $4,000 stock Of goods,
and commodious hotel and boarding house
win soon be erected. Some two or three
months ago some black sheep" got into the
Gable mining crew and robbed the mine of
about $4,000 Of specimen quartz. Only
about 81 zoo was recovered, and the depre-
dators fed the country.
Over the hill from Cable Is Cameron's five
stamp mill crushing Pyrenes ore, and in the
vicinity Of Georgetown Is another promising
lead or two the ore showing many Of the
characteristics of the Gable. II looks that
the prosperity of that section Is assured.
EoR EXCURSION TRAINS EsrILL,s DEER |
IL Lodge Transfer Company will. un II further |
notice carry all passengers 1t Half Rates for the
Round Trip. All the ransporta ion available In |
Estiirs Stables will meet return trains at the |