Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-11
THE BELL MINE.
A Producing Property Near Thompson
Falls-The Ores to Come to Butte for
Reduction.

A Producing Property Near Thompson
Falls-The Ores to Como to Butte for
Reduction.
The Missoulian OF the 9Th has the fol-
lowing about the Bell mine: 1.-THE Bell
mining property is looking up notwith-
standing the fact that Smith and Gamble,
the gentlemen that bonded the mine for
500, 900, have quit on the claim. The
terms of the bond were that if the mine
laid idle for thirty days the property re-
verted to the original Bell Mining Compa-
ny. MIR. VIM. H. Douty, it seems, became
interested in the work OF development and
put up about all the money that has been
used since the mine was bonded and shipped
eighteen tons OF the ore to Butte, and Mr..
w. A. Clark was induced to look into the
merits of the claim. He was 80 well
pleased with the prospects that Mr.. VIM.
Thompson, Superintendent of the Butte
Reduction Works, was sent to Missoula to
lease the property. A lease for five years
was effected-the Bell Mining Company to
get $3.50 a ION for all the ore shipped from
the min as long as copper is worth IL cents
a pound, and Sc a ton when it is worth
less; copper is o worth IT cents.
The parties now taking hold expect to be
able by the LIST of April to ship two car
loads OF ore a week, and the income to the
Bell Mining Co., it is thought, at that rate
will be about $275 a week. There are a
good many of our citizens about town who
hold more or less shares in the Bell Mining
Co., and it will he good news to them to
know that the outlook ia so encouraging.
People acquainted with the history OF the
mine say there is thought to be a mountain
OF the rock there and very get-at-able. It
is now in order that the claims for extern
sions should be represented OF jumped in
this glad New Year."
The above property consisted originally
OF the Bell Stowe and Matte Stowe lode
claims, which were discovered in the spring |
OF 1884, a few miles from the settlement
bhob hod juot otortod up at T~Lomp1Un
falls. H. c. Bell was then Roadmaster on /
the Rocky Mountain Division OF the North
ern Pacific, and in the fall of the year be
was transferred to the Cascade Division.
When he went he brought with him some
samples fsom the four foot body of ore
that had been opened on the Bell Stowe
claim. It was very rich in %sulphurets, and
assayed up to 700 ounces of silver per ton.
to sink a shaft 100 feet for half the ore he |
would take ont of it, but Bell hung on |
with a few men developing, and
did not accept any offers chat were
made him. By the spring of 1885 the de-
had further confirmed the value
of the mine, and Bell received several
tempting offers from manager Buckley of
the Northern Pacific and others, Tor inter-
ests in the property. Bell was satisfied he
had a good thing, however. and no $4,000
offer would induce him to dispose of q half
He resigned his railroad job and
his entire attention to the mine.
Stoves interest became split up among a
OF people, vas finally turned
the Bell Mining Company, when Bell
his in for $4,000 in stock. The
ore ran into copper, and the low price of
commodity the last two years re-
tarded operations on the property until
but the present indications are
that Thompson Falls will become an i'm
p~ortant mining camp.