The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-10-24
4 DAY IN THE SADDLE.
Ffen Gsseman to The Lead Ninas Of
Montana.
fhosa he Exxaai,,a Micronesia.

months ago promised the Wisconsin :
description Of some Of the Montana mines
not because Of the need Of it's readers to
b enlightened IN the subject, but for
s,sake 81 furnishing comparison with tho
lid mines more familiar to jewellers in
the mining districts Of Wisconsin, ILL
nois ond lows.
Taught in the text books that precious
. minerals Of all kinds form similarly, one
naturally looks back at the lead mines Of
4 Wisconsin and the picture Of the round
shat through the clay and f1int-the
"crevice" and "cap rock" and finally the
Opening" in the "ochre" Of which the
galena has lain waiting for the miners
pick through thousands, perhaps millions
Of years, comes up on the mind's mirror.
But one docs find similarity in your
mines and these. Our "Fabcr" is strong
and able-bodled; the sun over the snow
caps ON the east is bright and. warm;
you've had a good breakfast and enjoyed
TO the full your juicy, gamey elk-steak.
Jump astride the pencil with me and we
zee will a mining camp in Montana for our
selves. We HE away down the valley to
the north along the crystal rivers where
We see thousands of brook-trout tanning
themselves in the ice-cold water on the
pebbles. or springing like streaks OF
golden light clear from the water at the
fies skimming over the surface. Past
ranch after ranch with their white, neat
houses and granaries, the fields of shock
ed grain with steam threshers here and
there dotted through them till, fifteen
miles away, we reach their outskirts.
From here on for ten miles we fly over
the rolling prairie Of the valley that only
awaits the touch of the magic pillow to
turn paler under its new wealth Of forty
TO sixty bushels of wheat to the acre.
Twenty-Five miles away we turn alb
ruptly to the east up Dry Creek 10 called
because it never goes dry. Here the
cottonwoods and balm of Gileads line the
stream, and rising from it the mountains
tower above our heads embodied in their
evergreen cloaks If fir and pine. Leav-.
ing this creek we rise to the ridge of the
mountains and are away to the north
again ~ the crow flies. We skim over
two flocks of sheep numbering about
1000 each. and then strike the middle
fork of Sixtcen-mile creek. AWAY to the
east again for seven miles we speed.
Just q we turn north again through the
canyon four noble elk dash past us and
disappear in the copse near by. It is
only the life Of a moment, but it gives
sest to the next half hour in which we
climb through the canyon.
For the past ten miles you have noted
that the lime and slate Of the mountains
have been showing brighter and brighter
tints Of green, blue, purple, red and
mauve, and you wender at it. The mines
We are going to are probably the strongest
copper lodes in the world and these
colors come from the metals 80 the old
mountaineers tell us.
Again we turn to the east around
point studded thick with lordly pines,
and before us is q mountain whose crest
il straight line ridge running away
three miles to the southeast. Not tree
adorns its rugged sides. The grass is
scant, but the slope toward us is picture
in itself Line after line in blue shading
into green and that into red, then purple
and deep mauve. extends regularly the
length of the mountain-the colors as
bright and deity shaded, the line as true
and regular a. though some giant had
tested thereon The skill of his accurate
eye. Along these various lines we see
little mounds of earth and as our pencil
responds to the spur we note that this
scratching on top of the ground is pros
pect shaft about two feet deep. But see.
That red rock 30 firm. close-textured and
heavy must be the red hematite-iron
ore. We have seen that before in north |
ern Michigan. We follow along the
mountain and, two miles beyond, a shaft |
house attracts us.
Here is shaft thirty feet deep, 5x6 in
size and timbered like log corn crib.
The ladder runs to the bottom and down |
we 60. The shovel clears the sides and
bottom ofdebris and-you may we'll start
back. The Wisconsin mines never
showed you anything like that. Four
feet ofsolid galena runs down the side of
The shaft and fills the bottom. The walls
are slate and limerick, and run vertical
" true to the plumb-line showing us
this is true fissure-vein and a strong
one that may be sunk thousand feet
md still show the ore going down solid.
You break piece from the crock" or ore
y you say and up we 60.
Now for your scales, blow-pipe and
:rucible. The portable forge of the
miners is handy. and we have brushed
,p our chemistry. A little chloride Of
odium. boax and lime, and we start the
ire ON the mixture covering the rock.
SelBe. the owner of the mine,-the EN-
us out and we weigh our but
on. Eighty per cent. lead. Good! Now
I0r the small crucible and hotter fire.
lee the lead separate from that other lit
lc button. A little zinc has been added
md this we clear away with the lead
mother button. Test it; and now
weigh it. What? Silver? Yes, l16
,unces 20 the ton.
The sun has swung round to lunch
lime, but We skip across to another
trong range near by and drop down the
HAT Of the ELK" lead, only ten feet
rom the surface. Here we find eight
Get of lead ore, solid, going down be-
;ween the walls, and the "outcrop" on
he surface is traced for three miles. Two
niles further on and noble slope overa
nile up makes us pant in sympathy with
'ur tired steed. But the top is gained
md here is the king mine of the sixteen
nile distnct-the "Copperopolis." The
HAT, 6xlO feet, is sixty.five feet deep.
The vein IL seven feet wide and the
pnrk II rclnrod M u-;tl, thu BRIGHT |