The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-03-15

trail is still the most travelled, from
50 to $50 persons passing over it every
day. The Th mpson Falls trail l.
rapidly ccming into favor and there
is already considerable travel ovel
that route. A number Of horses have
passed over it and it is believed q
practical pack trail will be estab'
lished. The day left Belknap (las'
Friday the first party had just passed
over the foot trail from that poin,
and there was tax of putting tobog-
gans on at once. The abandonment ol
operations on the Wagon road and
reduction Of transportation facilities
to q mere foot trail was a great disap-
pointment to thousands who were
waiting for the completion of the
road to get their goods into the mines,
On the west side of the range Spo-
kane and Ratndrum are active and
are struggling valiantiy with the
road problem, but apparently with
no better sue ess than the east side
spoints of debarkation and the opin.
ions of those best informed seem to
havesettled down to the belief that
mo wagon road wilt be available from
any point this widter and that the
best means of transportation to be
hoped for will be Oh the hurricance
deck of a cayuse. This being the
case Thompson Falls will have de-
cided advant .gs over other trails, as
it IL built over an old Indian trail
aud the old Mullen road and will be
more easily travelled by pack ami
mails than other trails"
R-"How many people are there
at Eagle City now?"
Mr.. Bit is difficult to say.
They are scattered along Pritchard
and Eagle Creeks in a number of
towns, including Eagle City, Raven
vile, Murrayvil:e, Lansing, Ham
mills, Osborne aud Carey City. 1
estimated from S 5.03o to 7,c00 people
in the entire gulch."
R.-"Which will be the principal
town"
Mr.. B.~-"I think without doubt
Eagle City will be the central point,
but Raveavilie, being the terminus
of the Thompson and Belknap trails,
will be an important place."
R. "Are they working the
mines?'
Mr.. Bob, no; nothing is being
done in the mines. There Is too much
snow there since the storm and
freeze-up of last month. The people,
however, are very busy building and
preparing for the spriug rush."
R.-"How much snow is there?"
Mr.. B.-"Well, four or i've feet in
some places, and two or three in 9th
ers. The deep snow stories should
generally be largely discounted. Two
or three feet of snow looks like seven
or eight to the ten ierfeet, who send
out most of the reports"
R.. Ills business lively in the
camp?"
Mr.. B.--"Comparatively so. though
as yet no one is scarcely prepared to
do business. Merchants are waiting
for transportati IN. Those that are
there must eat and lodge, and the
restaurant and lodging house busi-
ness is good, which in turn makes a
very fair local trade In provisions.
One hundred and fifty head of sheep
were driven In from Trout G eek the
other day. and were gobbled up at
fancy prices"
R.-"What do the people think of
the stampede?
Mr.. B.-"Well, most Of the mi.
ners there have been through White
Pine, Salmen River, Frazer River or
st.me other excitement and they
know what q stampede is. They
have confidence in the placers and
in the quartz ledges but they exi .ect
to see the usual crowd who rush In
to mske money easy and
60 out dead broke and disgusted."
R,-"Are there any new develop
ments in the mines 2"
Mr.. B.-'No sir. But little more
is now known of the mines than was
known last fall. though several prom
ising surface indications have been
struck for quartz leads and during
the thaw last month some little work
was done on placer ground"
R'-"Do you think there is enough
ground for the people that will rush
infa
Mr.B.-'No sir, but the vast min
eeA belt which. extsrds from the
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