The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-07-07
OUR TRAVELLING CORES
PONDHNT.
The Ancient Capital Of the Terri
tory-A New Impetus in
the Mining Industry.

4A0 AAOA0AV SoQAS~A VI VA~ AOAAA
tory-A New Impetus in
the Mining Industry.
A Concentration Being Built.-The
Madison Valley and It's
Industries and People.
Virginia City. the ancient capital
Of Montana, is looking up u little and
her merchants r locking forward
to q bright future, as they think.
There have been discovered during
the year in the vicinity several very
rich Lodges, which are attracting con-
siderable attention, not only at home
bat from abroad. One of the best
mines is called the Prospect, owned
by Messrs. G. w. Layton, of Virginia
City, and S. B. Rice, of your city.
Through the courtesy of MI. Layton,
your correspondent visited this mine.
It has a shaft IS feet deep, from the
bottom of which is a level 22O feet,
the ore along the ledge assaying 50
o.. in silver. Still below 10 q tunnel
in 200 fest, the ore assaying about the
same ~ in the upper level; and
still below this is another tunnel, in
400 feet, which assays 40 o.. The
width of the vein where it has been
struck in all the tunnels and levels is
from ten to twelve feet. One hun
dred and sixty feet from the mouth
of the lower level starts IN incline,
which is down thirty-fve feet. The
mine has paid its way for the work
done upon it, several tons of ore hav-
ing been shipped to Butte and Glen
dale for reduction, and there are be-
sides several thousand tons of ore,
with scarcely any waste, on the
dumps. Planning the crevice dirt
and decompesed matter on the dump
shows considerable free gold, and the
lucky owners of this property will
undoubtedly have a good mine when
it is well developed.
Further up Alder Gulch is another
mine called the Bell, owned by L. B.
Bell & Co., which is showing up
splendidly. The ledge has been
tapped with two tunnels, one of
which is in over 400 feet. The aver.
age width of the vein is fifteen feet,
and the rock assays 40 OF. silver, with
considerable gold. It is thought that
this mine will be fully as coed as the
enc before mentioned when the ledge
has been uncovered to the same ex-
tent. There are a number of other
promising prospects, which I had
neither time to visit MOI you proba-
bly, space for a detailed account of.
There is being built in Virginia City,
by the Virginia Concentrating Com
pany, a concentrator of 100 tons ca
pacity per day. 1t is to be built after
the pattern of Mr.. Knippenberg's
concentrator at Glendale, and for the
purpose Of testing the ores in the inn
mediate neighborhood. If it should
prove a success, as it undoubtedly
will, then will more extensive works
follow; in which ase the business
men are confident that the old camp
will be struch with a boom similar to
that of 1854. The prospects are SO
INVITING as to make the present in
habitants happy and good-natured.
The leading business men of Vir-
ginia City at present are Richard
o. Hickman, s. r. Buford, J. II.
Baker, I. III. Hatfield, F. Kramer, OF
a somewhat esthetic turn, Z. J. Far
rel, who is out in this country to &C
commodate, J. G. Smith, proprietor
of the Madisonian House and
prince Of landlords, and Henry
Worker, grocer, who has a fondness
for taking in a stranger and newspa-
per men. To make his own health
robust he insists on the newspaper
man drinking to his health until the
drinkers health is liable to become
impaired.
The farmers of Madison valley
have fine crops of grain and produce
this season. Vim. Ennis, who lives
at Madison Bridge, has a~boutseventy-
five acres Of grain which is hard to be
beat. Mr.. Ennis was one of the first
settlers Of the valley, and the post
office, which he keeps in connection
with a store for general merchandise,
is named for him, Ennis. Next
co,nes a jolly bachelor, Joe Evans.
Just think of it, girls! He has a farm
of 200 acres, one of the finest houses
in the valley, and an orchard in
which several trees are bearing
nicely, and no one but himself to en-.
ioy it. G. W. Burns, another bach.
elor rancher, has beautiful place,
which looks to a ~disinterested specta'
tor as just the thing fer some home
less female. M. d. Jeffries has also
a fine place; and there are many 9th
ers, too, in the valley of whom !
would like to speak, but must con
tent myself by saying that the i'm
provements in this region indicate
intelligence, thrift and an excellent
class Of people, to whom I return my
hearty thanks for kindnesses shown
while in their midst.
Meadow creek is devoted to 2
little of everything-mining, farm
ing, stockraising and the manufacture
of lumber. Messrs. Higbee and
Hawkins have a saw and planning
mill and another saw mill nearing
| completion, the capacity of which
will be Is, 900 feet of lumber pay day
The farming at Meadow Creek il
mostly confined to gardening. but
some of the old settlers are largely in
gagged in stock raising, the largest
herds being owned by Chris. Ricto1
and X. A. NJ. Berry. Mr.. Berry is
| Meadow Creeks postmaster and he il
a good one, too. Here [ met w. L
Williams, an extensive horse man
whose band ranges toward Red Bluffs
He had with him one of his three
year-olds, a little fellow weighing
only 1,400 pounds.
Further notes of the trip must b
deferred until my next. PILLS.