Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-02-20
SNAKE RIVER GOLD
ABOUT $1,000 WORTH OF 1T CAUGHT
DAILY BETWEEN GLHNN,S AND
SALMON FALLS.
Inc Placer Mining Industry Developing
kapidiy-Oyer $50 Claims Taken Up,
But the Best Ground Secured by CIT.
liens OF Haiiey-Etc.

Ferry, on the Snake river, was in Hal
ley to-day, on a brief visit.
Mr.. Glenn has lived at his ferry for
over 70 years, having settled there
when there was not another white man
within so miles. He saw the first
placer mine in that locality located,
has kept track of the expanding in
dustry, and is fully qualified to speak
on the subject.
The distance from his ferry to Sal
mon Falls, Mr.. Glenn says, is 35
miles BY water and a5 by land. The
river banks, on both sides, are CON-
posed of gravel and of the famed
Snake river black sand, lying in slow"
or "high" bars. The low bars are at
an average of Is feet above low
water level, the high bars at rs to 80
feet. During the season of the high
water the low bars are only from five
to 10 feet above water-level.
Up to within Is months ago very
few claims had been taken, owing to
the absence of cheap process of
raising water and saving the "hour"
gold characteristic of the Snake river
placers. But the "burlap" and griz-
zley process having proved compare
lively successful, prospectors focked
there. until probably over $50 claims,
covering about every available bar
between Glenn's and Salmon Falls,
were taken. Most of these lie idle,
but many are exploited, by long toms,
rockers, grizzlies and burlaps, with
total daily output of about $1,000 for
the district. Some 100 men being at
work, the production averages about
80 per man per day.
All do not earn alike, however.
Those who have grizzlies and burlaps
are the bonanza kings of the locality,
and earn as high as $50 per machine
per day, while those who use rockers
earn from 81 to $40 per day. The
liberelity characteristic of the early
placer mining days still prevails along
the Snake river, and anybody that
wants to can go on almost anybody's
claim and work with a long tom or
rocker, for his exclusive benefit, with
out being subjected to any royalty or
onerous condition of any kind. Many
herders and prospectors who wintered
in the locality have made good wages
all winter by working on other peo-
Piles claims. No one objected, be-
cause the quantity of dirt used was
comparatively insignificant.
Last January discovery was made
which rather interferes with Mr..
Glenn's stock business, although he
really does not object to it. f.
NJ. Stamper, of this city, was
camped in Mr.. Glenn's corral. A Mr..
Lovelace, whose stock ranged on this
side Of the Snake, concluded TO take
it across the river. Some days later,
having nothing in particular to do, he
and Mr.. Stamper thought they would
prospect the corral just for the fun of
it. The formation is lava that has
been decomposed by the action of tie
elements, and of the kind hitherto ne,
elected by placer miners as worthless.
Nobody ever found gold in lava
that was we'll known. But shovel
full of it PANIED out gave from 10 to
rs cents worth of gold! They then
began panning, taking the dirt from
various parts of the corral and vicin-
ity, with the uniformly large results
of FIVE to Is cents to the pan. As
with dirt going only 80 or 40 "colors''
to the pan the burlap men clear $50
per burlap per day, this discovery nat.
urally excited Messrs. Lovelace and
Stamper They located claims. Mr.
Glenn followed suit, Others ditto;
and soon 20 or 80 claims wero appro-
priated. Further prospecting wa;
then carried on, by digging holes two
feet deep in various directions. The
results we're astonishing, and finally
| justified the opinion that the very
| richest placer claims ever found in the
world had just been discovered! Ths
original locaters having informed
some of their HALEY friends of thei
find, several went there, and took W
claims, until now they have about 2;
secured, and are planning to begin &C
t:va oparations