The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1884-02-16
THE MINERS MECCA.
Oaur d'Alsne Cullings Interesting
Letter fr. M DR.. Hersey.
Letter From DIR. Herscy.

SPOKANE FALLS, Feb. 5, 1884.
EDITOR HERALD: | reached here
Sunday evening and shall wait a
few days for the return of Garrison,
Zoller and Marks who have gone
into the mines to get their report as
to the condition of the roads, etc.
The slsighing here is excellent,
but the weather is fine, though
somewhat cold. 1t is in marked
contrast to the continual down
pour of rain, and black muddy
streets of the cities of Puget Sound
and Western Oregon, Though the
thermometer runs very much lower
here the cold is not 50 searching as
it is on the wind swept coast OF the
sound, with it's heavy lcaden skies
and dense logs.
There are not many waiting here
as the points east on the line Of ,he
road, much nearer the nIlnes are at
tracing the rush. Eathdrun, Trout
Greek and Brlknap. each are crowd
ed with waiting multitude of
men, which receives a daily acces-
sion to its numbers upon the ar
rival of trains both from east and
west. Trout Creek is thus far the
fa1orite point, as the foot trail
from there is the most practicable
o.e yet found. Many men ar
going into the mines with tobog-
gans, calculated to carry three or
four hundred pounds each.
| saw a party outiittlng here to-
day. They numbered four men, ,and
were provided with two toboggans,
loaded with -four, bacon, bedding
and tools.
The distance from here to Eagle
City Is 20 miles. and coaches are
running about two thirds Of the
distance as far as Evolution twen-
ty-two miles from the camp. Eagle
City Contains 1000 men and is To-
Gated near the junction OF Pritchard
and Eagle Greeks.
TIE famous "Widow 5 c!aim' is a
part or the townsite Of Eag.e City,
ani is being worked by jumpers.
C.ai!.. Jumping is an every dar
occurrence, but men are defending
thcir ground with shot guns. he
air is said to smell strongly OF gun
powder throughout the whole camp.
| met Mr.. Prltchard to-Uav, the
discoverer Of the jigyingS, soon to
be one of the m,'st famous men OF
the day. lie is a quiet, unassuni-
ing sort OF a man, and las little to
say. lie hulIs ground In Eagle
City on Pritc!IarI Creek, but !
be.Ieve it has been jumped.
He says he made the first iscov-
cry in 1880, but did not take out
much gold until 1892. You renlem-
Der the stampede from Montana
which occurred after he wrote a
private letter to a man in BuZenan,
reporting his discovery. The
party, after suffering incre lible
harushlps in crossing the Ceur IL
AIcne mountains, diu not find the
gold and returned, reporting the
mines Il delu.ion. He says they
did not attempt to see bedrock.
Nuggets and dust from the mines
are on exhibition here at sGveral
different places, and fine specimens
Of quartz may also lie seen at the
banks.
Pritchard says the main wealth
oi the camp lies in its quartz veins.
Ii So the union of quartz and
placer deposit, will make rich
and permanent district not exhaust
ed in one or tED seasons as too
many placer camps are.
the whole reg ion surrounding
the mines lies buried under six
feet of snow SO there is no hurry in
coming, as no prospecting can be
done, and of course no work until
it melts off probably two months
from now.
Flour is worth, in Eagle City $50
per barrel: bacon SOC per pound;
rub.er boots Sl2 per pair. Freight
costs from here to Eagle 2lc per
pound, but this cannot last more
than three or four weeks. Mails are
carried on foot in and out of the
camp once each week, the carrier
receiving SOC per letter.
The Pacific coast will send 10000
people to the mines alone, and
everything indicates the coming Of
the widest stampede of which the
mining history Of the country has
anv record.
Will remember you later.
II II,r.,,,r