The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-10-14
BUILD TO BUTTE.
| Contributor Make Some Sound Sag
gestIons as to Developing New Ter
rItOry.
tst. PAM Dispatch.)

CSt. Paul Dispateh.)
The great discoveries made by the
st. Paul Jobbers on their recent western
! tour over the Northern Pacific will have
tendency to awaken the business men
Of st. Paul and Minneapolis to full re-
alization of the importance of looking
after the western tributary territory
which naturally belongs TO those great
inland cities. They without doubt made
the discovery that the Northern Pacific
has been completed without tapping a
single mining camp, Except Wickes AMI
it is reached by branch line.) When
we speak of tapping mining camp we
mean that road to flourish must be
built to such camps so that all classes of
ores can be handled without the long
and expensive wagon hauls that consume
all the profits. 1t is the low grade ores
that are profitable to the business and
jobbing world, and that gives great ton
mage TO railroad Large quantities of
ore must be handled; expensive and
|
elaborate machinery employed great
numbers of m N are necessary required
and large quantities of supplies of every
description to keep everything in motion.
The reason that Butte is so prosperous is
because it is low grade camp, and
where four thousand tons of ore per day
is handled and reduced the enormous
nav roll of six hundred thousand dollars
per month excites little wounder. The
business men of st. Paul seem to have
made the discovery that Montana, by its
geographical location ought to be tribu-
tary to st. Paul 1t is a fortunate and
timely discovery and the sooner she
makes herself master of the situation,
the easier it can be done. The import
ance of direct railroad communication
with Butte seems to be the absorbing
topic of the hour. To secure this connec-
tion road must be built from some point
on the Northern Pacific to Butte and in
constructing such line several very i'm
portant questions must be considered.
The road should be built by the most
practicable route due consideration being
given 10 the amount of new business that
would be developed to build from Gar
rison the distance would be about fifty
miles the business of Butte and Anaconda
being all that could be acquired by that
extension; from Gallatin City via the
Pipestone pass the distance being seventy
two miles the mines on the Little Pipes
tone would be alone benefited while to
build this road from Bozeman the fuel
question for Butte would be forever SOL
we'd and she would secure cheap coal, and
the cost of treat ing her ores would be
reduced fully one half. The road would
have an immense fuel traffic.
In addition to this the rich mining
districts of Cherry Creek, Elk Creak and
Spanish Greek wo,.ld be reached in fif-
teen and twenty miles and larger quanti-
ties of ore at once moved to some noint
for reduction. where cheap fuel could be
secured.
Ten miles frrther on the old and rich
mining camD of Red Bluff is reached;
many of the mines in this camp are we'll
developed there are six quartz mills and
a number of arastas on Warm Spring
Creek and vicinity. The ores are too
base, however to be worked by the ordin-
ary milling process and it is now conced-
ed that they can only be successfully
worked by smelling. There is now up
wards of one hundred Thousand tons ofore
on tie dumps without this district none
of which would require moving over
three or four miles to be placed upon
the cars should road be built by this
route. There alec have been taken
from these mines and stored by the
owners great amounts of high grade ship
ping ores that would pay to ship to
Omaha for reduction. How rich the ore
must be will be seen when it is under
stood that the average cost of mining is
about $1.50 per ton, wagon transportation
to Bozeman 50 ter ton, the railroad
freight from Bozeman to Omaha $3.50
per ton and the cost ofreduction at the
Omaha works s17.O0 per ton making
a total of $43.10 per ton expense. Still
there is considerable ore being shipped
and good profit made even under
these unfavorable conditions but the low
grade ores must wait for cheap railroad
transportation, the large mine owners, and
ore producers of this camp SAYS that if a
a road was assured BY this route. that
one million tons of ore would be mined
and ready to move tc cheap fuel before
the road could eeach that camp. Eight
miles futher the Richmond Flat and
Meadow Creek mines are situated. In
this camp mining is carried on quite ex-
tsnsively and some very rich shipping
ore produced. About six miles further
the camp Of Poney is reached, where
there are three quartz mill only one of
which is in operation.
Large quantities Of low garde ores are
stored for future shipments only the
high grade and face milling ores being
now workable BY the means at hand.
Then comes the Willow Creek and South
Boulder mines with abundance of low
grade ores that can only be made availa
Bile BY the construction of railroad; the
road would also pass near the SilverstAr
Irondall, and Pipestone mines the dis
tance from Bozeman to Butte would be
ninety miles the route direct. The road
bed would pass directly oyer for long
distance the largest iron deposit in the
whole territory. Commencing about fif-
teen miles from Bozeman it would also
pass near the Middle creek and West Gal
latin coal deposits and give Butte new
source Of lumber supply from the aban-
ance and inexhaustable forest of the
West Gallatin and Spanish Creek. This
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