The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-05-16
MINING MATTERS,
What the Miner Reporter Would
Show the Sojourning Experts
of Our True Fissures and
Mineral Belts.
Immense Bodies Of Ore in the
Aice-Splendid Prospects
Of the Mine.
Steady Development in the Moul-
ton.
The Shonbar Showing Better than
Ever.

There are now sojourning in the
great mining camp Of the northwest
something over a score of mining
) experts, who are here for the purpose
of examining and reporting upon
properties. in the interest of capital
lists abroad. AS a rule these gentle
men confine their investigations to
the levels, slopes and drifts Of specific
mines which they are sent here to
examine, and if these mines happen
to he off the great zones of copper ore
running east and west, of which
there are no less than six we'll de-
fined belts, or if they are located
upon the "feeders" or more properly,
shoots of ore which branch out north
and south from the great true fissure
veins upon which such mines as the
! Lexington, Alice and MOulton are
situated, it is more than likely that
their reports will prove unsatisfactory
to the prospective buyers, and pro.
duce an unfavOrable impression as to
| the real value of this immense miner
al region. Could these experts ac-
company the MINER reporter upon
one of his Saturday rides among the
mines, mills and smelters, he would
show them the copper belt running
northeast and southwest, upon which
are situated such properties as the
Gagnon, Original and Clear Grit;
the great ore chambers of the Ana
conda 900 would give them some idea
of the extent and value of the next
copper zone south: a trip to the Col
usa, aud Montana Copper Co.'s smell
ter producing its 20 tons OF matte and
shipping ten tons Of ore per day to
Europe, would show another great
property. The Parrott smelter rum
ming out ten tons of high grade matte
per day from the lead running east
and west, upon which are located the
Claggett, Ramsdel, Farrell and Par
rstt properties, would present view
of another great mineral belt. The
Colorado and Bell smelters, each pro-
ducing ten tons per day ofmatIe, rich
in silver would be shown, and the
Shonbar and Vulcan, particularly
the former, would exhibit one of the
least developed, perhaps, but min
eral belt which so far bids fair to de-
velop some of the richest ore yet un-
covered in the district. Ii the ex-
perts would like to examine mine
without the inconvenience OF going
below ground, the MINER.man would
take them to the Alice, where the un-
precedented spectacle of mime above
ground might be witnessed; a ledge
Of unknown depth or extent, but
showing in the cuts a well defined
ledgerunning northeast and southeast
Is to 20 feet wide, for distance of $50
feet, from which the ore is shoveled
into wagons and carted off to the |
mills without the trouble of stopping |
or hosting. Many other showings
might be made proving the mex
haustible character of our mineral
deposits but these are sufficient to !
show some of the general character
istics of the camp.
THE ALICE PROPERTIES.
At the Alice, the reporter was 80
fortunate as to meet president J. II.
Walk er, who, while he was rather
averse to subjecting himself to the
ordeal of an interview, impaired some
very interesting information regard
ing the past and future operations of
the company and invited the reporter
to 90 into the mine and see for him.
self the ore bodies from which are
extracted the splendid output of
bullion which the Alice has been
making since the first of the year.
The first point visited was
the remarkable surface development
midway between the Magma
Charta and M. G.. & V. shafts. This
discovery has been heretofore de-
scribed in the MINER. 1t has now
been developed a distance of $50 feet
east and west by five cuts across the
vein, and maintains its true fissure
character from the grass roots down,
the entire distance; showing the vein
to be from Is to 20 feet wide, dipping
to the north and evidently the main
vein from which ore is now being
extracted in the slopes of the Magma
Charta 100 foot southeast drift. The
ore carries IS to 55 ounces Of silver
and the indications are that in this
body alone, the company has enough
ore to supply their eighty stamps for
the next two years. The 700 foot
level of the Alice was the next objec-
tive point, and after getting be-
wildered in the labyrinth of
levels, drifts and cross cuts, Superln-
tendent Hall piloted US to the
winze which is being run from
the west 700 to the 500 foot. With the
aid of a baby hoist, work is being
vigorously on the wlnze'
which has been sunk in ore the en-
tire distance, and is one of the most
important explorations now being
made, as the holding of the vein, and
ofquality with depth in
the winze, is likely to furnish a very
solution of the deep min
ing problem in this camp. A station
will be cut at the 800 and cross-cut-
ting and drifting Immediately com
menced to develop the 800 level, in
which there is now every indication
that a larger and higher grade ore
BODY will be uncovered than has been
discovered in the upper levels. The
specimens exhited at last
years Denver exposition were taken
from the vein upon which
this wlnze is being sunk. We
next ascended to the lOO
foot level and examined the east and
west drifts in which the five foot vein
described in the MINER,
now stands out in bold relief, against
the back ground of granite coun-
try rock, for horizontal distance OF
$50 feet east and west. This ore
body is bonanza in itself. The ore
runs so ounces and upwards, and has
been struck in the 200 also, which
indicates its great dimensions. A
winze is now being sunk from the
100 tn the 200 to further explore and
the vein, but if its extent
should prove no greater than is now
visible, it would be many years be-
fore the Alice would require any
further ore supply than that now in
sight. Having inspected these three
great features Of the Alice, i. e., the
surface discovery of the eMagnaCharta,
which is q mine in itself, the fine
body of ore in course of development
in the 700 and in the winze below J.