The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-03-06
THE CEUR DALENE DISTRICT.

THE CEUR UALENE DISTRICT.
At Spokane FsIls-Talk Among 1hs1G hour
for tho Mines-The Trails-speculation-;1
Lots ut E.sls City-Local Mining Laws u
the District. - z -
/ SPOKANE FALLS. Wash. Special Correspond
ence, Feb 18.-While waiting here for tn
weather to moderate before making anothc
start toward the mines, there is little to d,
but to listen to the talk of those who are &c.
ing or have been to Eagle City. The hoteJ
| and saloons are daily and nightly thronge:
with these travellers, and acquaintance ar:
| easily made This Is very moral town, witt
no open gambling games, nor other evidence;
OF vice, except such as may be found in . bar
| room with back room for whist There :.
none of the mining camp appearance abor,
it, which characterizes most of the stardni
points to the mines from the railroad Tx
stores are full of goods to be sold and packet
into the Mines and the citizens are maxim:
preparations to secure as much Of the trad!
incident to the excitement as may b.
portunity, and liberal IN expenditure. Thia
morning a sled went up loaded with men
and supplies for the building Of bridges
on the new trail from Jackass Prairie to
easily raised among the business men here;
and they believe that theirs will be the first
way in for freight Whether or not travel
will take this longest road before the water
ways are open is question for the expert
ried along, and a road will follow as fast as
possible, though time will be taken to hunt y
still shorter way. The engineer who went
over the trail, Nh. Hall, told me this morn
camp at Eagle City: He saw no mininG
going forward, but there was speculation in;
town lots, and the houses were going up
with a great clatter and din He said there
was demand for men to haul logs and worS
though idle, prefer to take it easy and draw
on their GRUB" rather than work at anythinH
but gold hunting. The logs are hauled BY
and ban h ~9E 5 G Sausea no
In n the houses there '9 are, here and
there, stoves with stovepipes running up
through the roofs; but this article of furni@
would give $3.50 for good box stove Two
were started from here yesterday by miners
going in They took them apart, and so hope
to get them safely in on their pack animals
The old sawbuck pack-saddle is just now
doing a railroad business in this way.
It is so cold on the roads into the mines
that there are many who have camped on
the trail, and the number arriving at Eagle
City each day will not exceed twenty five.
month ago the arrivals were about fifty .
day. The cold is SO severe that feet are
frozen even when under blankets. Mr.. Hall
said the worst night he spent was in we'll
chinked though abandoned cabin. His party
struck it late at night and they could find no
one they gave up the attempt to sleep, and!
went tramping for wood, which they found
at about 3 o'clock in the morning. Not one!
Of them got over an hours sleep. On an
good fire in the woods, and slept sitting with
feet to the blaze and heads resting against
trees He said he saw no one there who
wanted to come away, or expressed any re-,
greet at having come. Such is expectationf
1t mus be mainly a matter of hope, since
that they will find what they came for. The
town lot business is good. There was an
agreement am told, among a number OF
6rst-comers to the effect that they should lay
off town. and each one who would fence
and otherwise improve a lot should have it,,
and the first bloodshed came of quarrel
over one of these town lots There was
some disputiDg as to what constituted eim-'
provements," and when one of these lots
was Bumped" the jumper was shot. From
these circumstances the story grew until it,
was told that man had been shot dead for
jumping mining claim The man is still
| alive and his iump was small house lot
not I. mining claim
r LOCAL LAWS.
There are many wags of the head and pre-
dctions that there will be shooting and cut
ting and much trouble of all kinds over the
claims; but am told that the men who took
twenty-acre claims fearing this, are unload
ing part, taking partners, or in some way
dividing up, so as to escape the charge Of
being hoggish in the matter. In view of the
amount of talk there has been about posi-
sible troubles in the spring, I have taken
pains to secure copy of the bylaws of the
miners These were adopted early in tho
history of the camp and have, it may be,
been somewhat modified since. am quite
certain they have never been printed In q
daily paper, and they will help your read
ers to understand the preparations and
precautions necessary for the government
of a mining camp:
Local laws Of the Cour d Alene mining district,
located on Pritchard and Eagle creeks Sho-
sLone county, Idaho territory. i
BYLAWS.
Sec l. All locations on lodes or veins Of quartz
to conform with the United States laws Of May
10, 1872, as nearly as practicable, viz. Fifteen
hundred 1900 in length, by six hundred feet
in width. T.,
Sec 2 Placer mining claimants shall be al
lowed twenty acres, to be located SO that the
length shall not exceed eighty rods.
Sec. 3. Each location shall be represented by
the locator or his authorized agent in locating
and recording.
Sec 4. No person will be restricted to one
claim. but may locate one claim in any stream
or gulch where vacant ground may be foundI
But no person snail lie allowed TO locate more
than one claim on the same stream or gulch.
Persons shall not he prohibited from holding
claims acquired by purchase.
Sec 5. Claimants shall have year from
the first OF January succeeding the date of loca-
tion to work their first annual assessment, which
shall be 81 90. Each year thereafter claims shall
be represented by $50 worth of labor each month
after the first of June until the first of NOvem-
Der after the first years assessment Further
more all claims shall be considered laid from
necessary work. such as making roads or trails,
building houses or any improvements in OPEN
ing OF working claim will be allowed SIS per
day as assessment labor.
Sec. 6. Claimants will be required to record
their claims in the district record within fifteen
days from the date of location
= Sec. 7. The oldest first claimants shall
have the first privilege of water, but shall not
prohibit others from using the surplus water.
And all claimants shall be requested to return
the water to the channel of the stream for tho
benefit Of those below.
Sec. 8. Several miners may form company
for the purpose of opening and working mines tn
placer claims, when such claims are contiguous
and the labor performed by said company shall
represent their claims although the amount Of
labor for the convenience Of opening and work
Ing may be done on one claim.
Sec s. Difficulties arising between parties in
the mining district shall be settled by arbitra-
tion. Each disputant to be allowed an equal
number Of arbitrators, and in case of tie on do
cision said arbitrators will have power to call an
Sec 10: All claims located prior to the date
Of the adoption of these bylaws shall be 70
spected just the same as those made after said
Sec. - On the written application of twelve
or more miners, the chairman shall cause three
notices to be posted up in three conspicuous
places, giving ten days notice of a meet
ing. Said notices to specify the OBJ
iect and business to be transacted at such meet
| Ing. To make any changes in the present by
laws between the first of November and the firBt
| Of June the following year shall be illegal
Section Is. These laws to take effect from
this date, and any laws or regulations previously
| enacted that conflict with these laws shall DO
| considered repealed.
Most of those now in the mines are from
| Montana and the Black Hills-Black Hills
men predominant. Those from the west
| coast are holding back for milder weather,
trusting to their chances for successful pros
pectng in the gulches and lodes higher up
! the streams. L s. 81.