The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-10-21
MINING ITEMS
From Several of the Mines
in This Vicinity.
WORK.
The Prospector Observation-Disclosures
Work on Small Locatlons---Im-
provements Being Made.

| search Of the precious metals, and enduring
| all manner OF hardships and pri~vatlons,
gathers up his prospecting outfit and comes
to the city and takes up a winters resi-
dence. We do not mean to say that all
prospectors do this. only those whose mines
have not been sum- deep enough and OF
which the excavations are not sufficient TO
/ protect them from the severity OF the WIN
ter weather. If there is one man more
than another, who deserves the kind con-
sideration and good will OF all classes OF
| citizens, it is the prospector: There Is not
a mining camp in America but yves It's
| existence to the men, who. leaving the usual
/ haunts of men, their families. friends and
| civilization, and taking up the weapons OF
their warfare-the pick, hammer, drill and
| shovel, and strapping a side OF bacon a
sick of luur and a few potatoes to a bony
| looking horse or mule, he goes away into
the mountains and trackless desert, and
for months, and sometimes years. he
| suffers all kinds of hardships.
and often. very often ne dles
in some lonely spot, the only attendants
at the diving bed being the wild game OF the
| hills, 4 faithful dog and his old horse.
| Very often. however, the prospector meets
with better success, for after being on his
trip in the mountains but a short time he
r%cturnes laden down with pay rock, and
rejoices over the discovery Of a ledge, that
| in a short time makes its locator rich and
| results in the building up OF a city and the
maintainance Of thousands OF human
beings.
mento Bee tell, something about T. j.
Bradley, OF Carson, Nevada, who is un-
doubtedlv one OF the most lucky men OF
| this age. ''Tom," as he is familiarly called,
is known to hundreds OF men in this dis
! trict, and the following from the Bee will be
appreciated: ..
Last winter and spring there resided in
| Carson a prospector named I. j. Bradley.
When he came here he had somem money and
he spent it lavishly. He owned a mine
near Hawthorne, Esmeralda county, and
when his money was gone he went out to
do his annual assessment work. He gave
to Messrs. Knapp & Laws and John
| Forbes, of Hawthorne, 800 feet OF the l 5OO
which constituted the mine, for a "grub
| stake" In a short time he uncovered a
very rich ledge. Last Tuesday H. II. Yer
%rington, superintendent OF the Virginia and
Truckee and Carson and Colorado railroads,
visited the mine and gave him $4,000 for
500 feet, and the next day Archie Faring-
ton, the principal owner OF the rich and
productive mines of Garfield, gave him
S25. 900 for the remaining 5OOfeet. Several
experts have visited the property. and
they all pronounce it the richest gold dis
covery ever made in Nevada. An
old and respected resident of Esmeralda
county tells me that in a little more than
six years Bradley has sold mines in that
county for various sums a~ggregating $780,
OOO. He il really one of the luckiest pros
pectors in the world. All that he has to
do, apparently, when he gets broke, is to
go out in the hills and strike a mine that
brings him from $4,000 to $4,000. Ac-
cording to my informant, he differs some
what from the general run OF prospectors,
in that he possesses a little bit OF frugality.
1t is said that whenever he sells a mine he
aends the bulk OF the money to his mother
in Ireland, holding out a Thousand or so
for a big time with the boys. He paints
everything in sight red until his purse is
empty, and then runs in debt for as much
more as he ~pleases. When he thinks it time
to brace up, he shoulders his prospecting
tools and starts out in the mountains, and
nothing more is heard OF him until he has a
valuable mine"
ASSESSMENT r
The MINER is informed that assessment
work has been begun earlier and greater
zeal manifested in it than heretofore. Own
ers are not inclined to j%eopardize their titles
by neglecting annual labor and delaying it
until deep SHOWS prevent the prosecution of
work at their respective locations. Active
assessment work always is an index to the
faith owners nave in the respective merits
of their property, and when this is very
generally being attended to early in the
Fall, it shows conclusively that such prop
critics are reserved for more carefuleXplora-
ton in the future. Mines are few in
number, but prospects are ie-
gion, and hence when the
latter are given the full legal work, the
camps areevelJ and the miners jubilant.
A compilation of the amount Of money al
ready spent in Silver Bow county, in honest
assessment labor, would %astonish most
persons, and goes to how the faith of our
mining people in the mineral resources of
this section. 1t is quite probable nat 1885
will be the last year, in which assessments,
as such, will be given scores of these proper
ties, because hereafter they will rank as
shippers OF pay mineral. 1t is u wise pre-
caution to perform annual assessment
labor before the snow flies. 1t is
a well known fact that many poor men
nave lost fortunes by neglecting to perform
the annual assessment work OF their loca-
lions as prescribed by law. By neglecting
to comply with the law in this respect, they
relinquish all claim to the prospect, when
it is relocated by a second party, who Eer-
forms the necessary work. and in a short
time, as the result u the expenditure of a
little labor and a small amount OF capital.
Il good mine i opened up that returns
handsome profits to it's owner. The own
ers of prospects in this country, however
small and insignificant they may appear to
be, are not liable to undervalue the import
ance OF their properties, and as a cOnse
quence the first OF next year will bring
small comfort to the jumping" fiend.
The lodges OF this district are very valua-
Bile, and the hundreds OF locations in them
are eagerly sought after by the little army
of miners in this camp that are scattered
all over the district, working on the tribute
or lease plan. There are hundreds of men
working in this way in this district. All of
them are making fair wages, while a great
many are doing remarkably well. The
mines in Deadwood gulch, those in the Vi
entity OF the Wild Bill and other properties,
and those at Burlington, are proving to be
bOnanzas to the men who are working
them on lease and to their respective own
erS.
THE GENERAL SHERIDAN.
Messrs. Moore T. Smith, the lessees OF the
General Sheridan mine, are just now work
ing very hard and are more than enthusi-
astic over their prospects. Yesterday they
exhibited to The MINER the reports of
three assays made by Mayer. The first
was made October 9Th. almost at grass
roots, and assayed 1880 ounces; the Sec
Ond was maze OcCODer l3Ch, at a depth OF
6 feet, where the vein was 6 inches, and
assayed 556.19 ounces, and the third was
on October 18th, at a depth of 8 feet, where
the vein had widened to Is inches, and the
assay shows 4,92S.O4 ounces. The ~lessees
claim to ave taken out ten sacks of this
ore yesterday. 1t is horn and chloride.
THE WILD BILL.
The Buos Bros. & Co. are determined to
place the Wild Bill mine in the front rank
OF ore-producing properties. A new hoist
ing works is being erected that will be COM
pleted in a few days. When the hosting
works is up the work OF sinking the main
shaft an additional so feet will be COM
menced. The work OF prospecting and ex-
tracing ore from the several parts OF the
mine is going on in q vigorous manner No
better class Of men than those working
this mine can be found. They are allhard-
working. practical miners, and deserve the
success they are meeting with.
MINING ITEMS
The Late Acquisition mine, which is To-
Gated on Montana street, is worked by
Messrs. Ed. Rodda & Co.. These gentlemen
have performed an amazing amount of
warl. m thia mipn and tho roan1fr ho va