Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-08-08
HAVE STRUCK PAY DIRT.
Valuable Mineral Discoveries in
Northern Wisconsin.
ASSAYS OF EAU CLAIRE QUARTZ.
Ores Taken From the Newly discovered
Mines That are Kemarlkab Rich in
Gold and Silver-Where the
Property is LO-
Gated.

EAU CLAIRE, Wis, Aug. Ten or
twelve miles up the Eau Claire River
from this city, at Big Falls, is the scene
of mining operations of which a good
deal is likely to be heard during the
next few weeks. The place is wild and
picturesque, and the striking PECULIAR
ties of the scenery are evidently due to
some great upheaval of nature in the
remote past.
About two years ago gentlemen of this
city purchased tract, lying close to the
river, under the belief that iron would
be found there in paying quantities.
Active operations were carried on last
summer with this object in view, and
several thousand dollars were expended
in labor and machinery. The results as
to iron were not very salts actory, and
although the assays showed gold and
silver enough to encourage the opera
tors to further expenditure, the
work had been carried on
in a somewhat desultory and spasmodic
fashion until few days ago, when the
new finds came to light. The previous
operations had consisted of drifting
straight into the side of bluff The
new finds are two veins lying ten or
fifteen feet below the surface and con-
sisting otquartz apparently rich enough
to warrant the most sanguine expecta-
tons. Two crews of men have been put
at work, and the veins are found to hold
out we'll as the miners 90 down.
The previous assays from the old
drifts into the bluffs showed as high as
500 to the ton Of gold and silver, but ore
from the new finds, just assayed in st.
Paul for silver, is twenty times as rich
IN silver. The two assays made show $50
and $406 to the ton respectively. Opera
tons will now be vigorously pushed,
| and it will soon be positively known
whether or not the find is as big thing
| as the owners confidently believe. Ii
anything, it is an immensely valuable
| find of silver. There is gold there, but
80 little is expected now in the way of
gold that no assays are being made for
Several hundred acres of property
| around Big Falls are owned by three
syndicates. One consists Of John Hun
| ner, George Ritzinger AMI julius Steen-
back, of this city; another of John s.
Owen, F. Z. Kinds, the Messrs. Rust,
| w. A. Teal and others, also of this
city; and the third of George
Swartz, J. A. Jellison and others,
of Wabasha, Mimi. Among the owners
are several heavy capitalists, and
they are ready to put in all
the money necessary to develop the
properties. There is not much excite
| ment among the people over the matter,
but this is due entirely to the fact that
the ridiculous collapse OF the est. Croix
range" iron boom year ago
last spring planted firmly in the
public mind skepticism in regard
to discoveries of mineral which
has now become inveterate. Nothing
but the view of solid edge of silver dol
lars at Big Falls would convince the av-
erage citizen just now. But assays GER
tainly cannot lie, and the only questions
are, first, whether the veins continue to
| broaden or pinch out, and, second,
| whether the quartz can be handled and
| the silver materialized at a sufficiently
small expense to make it pay. These
| questions can soon be answered.