Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-05
THE CGUR D'ALENE COUNTRY.
A Correspondent Gives a Good Ac.
count of the Gold Mines There.

The character OF the mines cannot be
questioned, for it is established long since
on paying basis. Prichard creek, from
the summit to the mouth, is occupied and
developed'an wherever worked to advant-
age has in all cases paid well. Murray,
the chief town, is large place, and proba-
bly, every house will eventually have to be
moved that the ground may be worked.
On Main street, in the business center, is
located the Pacific claim, and is now being
worked. The first week l was there the
owners sank pit some fifteen by twelve
feet, with four feet stripping, and took
out twenty-five ounces, $400. Yet the
work on this pit was very bad both as re-
CARDS judgment, time, skill and economy.
So on all down the creek, even where
many obstacles to good and effectual
work exist at present, the same result
will be found by the honest inquirer
enormous pay for the amount of ground
worked. The great wants for good min
ing work on Prichard creek are more
water to wash with and a bedrock drain
ditch. On the high bars on the sides the
pay, almost in every case, is enormous
for the amount of ground washed, but
the deep channel in the center of the
creek, although proved to be rich wher-
ever prospected, cannot be worked like
similar diggings in all other places, from
the great flow of saltwater. To remedy this
evil, party of New York capitalists are
now in Murray, looking into the practi-
cability of cutting such drain ditch from
the North Fork of Coeur d'Alene river.
The estimated cost is 100000, but it
must be remembered the ditch. if prop
erly worked, will be paying investment
from the start. If that ditch is well con-
structed, Prchard creek, in Ceur d'Alene,
will excel Williams creek, in Cariboo,
and the latter, when not worked ont at
the time the writer visited it, had paid
$2,500,000 in two miles length. Last
year on Prichard creek the Porter Hend-
erson claimed yielded $50, 900 for the sea-
son. From this claim the large nuggets
of pure gold on exhibition still in the
Murray Bank were taken, ranging down
at all figures from nineteen to five ounces
TO the nugget. This season some of the
local difficulties have stood in the wav OF
the claim being worked, and only about
$4,000 have been taken out, but Mr.. |
Henderson recently told the writer he |
expected to take out quite sum before |
the season closed, if the property did not |
pass into the hands If New York capital !
lists.
Turning to the numerous. and large
side gulches running into Prichard, the !
same result is found-immense pay for
the amount of ground washed. Yet, if |
we except the bedrock flume of the |
Alder Creek Mining Company, the |
hydraulic rig of Treglone & Co., on Dry |
Gulch, the long flume of the Webfoot |
Company on Dream Gulch, few, if any,
Of the claims are worked to real advant- |
age. The results of hydraulicing on Dry |
Gulch l did not learn, not being able to
see the owners before leaving, but / can |
speak positively of others. The Webfoo' !
on Dream Gulch, in two sue
cessive weeks took out twenty pounds of
gold each wash-up, or, in other words, at
FIG an ounce, which is less than paid by
The bank, 81 $50 for the fortnight. To
AXE out this large sum there were really
only four days washing to the week, and
-he expense would be about $3.50 a week.
The writer saw both these clean-ups.
Again, the Alder Greek Mining Com
oany, with eight men working, took out
eight pounds of gold the first week they
struck pay dirt, some of the nuggets
$50. This, also, the writer
Jaw personally. The result was pound
If gold, or about 5000 to the man for the
week. could instance numberless other
,ases OF claims paying, we'll say from five,
en-, twelve to fifteen ounces week to
our or five men; but these / shall omit,
Is | desire to speak of other points. |
hink have said enough of Prichard
creek and its tributaries to prove their
ichness and reliability when properly
Yorked.-POrtland News, I'd.