The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1888-10-03
RED BLUFF DISTRICT.
The Situation Of Affairs as Regards Min
ing and Milling.
The Walker-Carter Mill Described in De-
tail. Results Obtained and Tests
made to Prove its claims.

The Walker Garter Mill Described in De-
tail. Results Obtained and Tests
made to Prove its claims.
RED BLUFF, Montana, Sept. "a. 1888.
EDITOR CHRONICLE:
The mining records of Madison county
at Virginia City (the county seat show
1877 locations as being made in Lower
Hot Spring mining district. The alpha
bet was liberally used to furnish the
initial letters for their various names. l
think have shown in previous articles
that more than ten per cent of these loca-
tions have sufficient development to
prove their claim to be called mines,
and probably double that percentage will
pass as being good prospects, well worthy
the judicious investment Of capital. To
the casual observer it seems strange, that
80 many mines with considerable bodies
of ore already run around" and 80 many
really promising prospects should be
standing idle. OF course there are good
and sufficient reasons for this state Of
inactivity, which have tried to lay be-
fore your readers.
I shall endeavor in this letter to dis
cuss more pointedly than heretofore
the situation of affairs as regards mining
and milling in this section with view
of showing "why" not only this especial
district under consideration, but so many
others are languishing and dormant.
This brings me to repetition of state
ments made before, that the miner has
only two wavs of disposing of the product
of his mine namely : Shipping the ore
to some smelter, either at Wickes, Toston,
Butte or Omaha, or having the ore treat
ed in the arastra or stamp mill. ship
ping ORE" in order to pay, must sample
and assay over $40 90 per ton; as the ex-
pense of sacking, hauling, railroad
freight and smelter charges will cost
nearly, If not quite. forty dollars. There
are but few mines IN this district, that
produce shipping ore" because the
value is so evenly distributed through
the "pay streak" that asserting is an i'm
possibility. In producing shipping ORE
another very important item of expense
is scarcely ever mentioned, and that is
mining and asserting. Sometimes a great
many tons have to be mined and handled
before ton of shipping ore" is sacked
OF course the intention is to make each
ton as high grade as possible. A notable
instance of the idea here advanced is the
Grubstake mine. that only shipped 65:
tons out Of IL 900. The average sample
and assay per ton of these 652 tons, wa
$4,000; the principal value being il
gold. This is Undoubtedly most re-
markable yield, and shows conclusivel,
the mine must be one of greal merit. II
this connection l desire especially to cal
attention to the fact, that gold orr
Easeraging $4,000 per ton, is considered |
& very good grade /; and that it is remark
able in district to have, say twent.
mines within its borders, that can pro
, duce ores in quantity that will sampl
and assay much higher. l. must be ad
mitted then that comparatively speakin
there are but very few mines in thi
section, that can now or have produces
much shipping ore" above water leve
In the past, as in the present, the princi
pal source of revenue from ores is tn
arastra and stamp mill. These tw
primative, metallurgical processes, hav
indeed been good friends to the miner
especially, those veniursome and DARN
prospectors of the days of Bill Clin
and 49," Unfortunately, these tw
methods can unly successfully an
profitably treat certain class Of ore
namely: Surface or oxidized ores. A
this class of ore was easily obtained, an
very cheaply treated, it was most sougf
after and hence was first exhauste'
leaving the "base" that would not yiel
q profit, by the two methods above r.
ferred to. Except in few special il
stances. notably the Boaz and Appall
chan ores of this class cannot be ha
. hence this source of revenue or incon
is practically "cut off," From all IL
, foregoing it is apparant. 'why" SO mai
mines are idle. l asserted in my Ia
! letter, and repeat the same in this, tn
: this district can produce 200 tons of O
d lily under proper stimulus, that W
y sample and assay $4,000 gold per ton.
!" There are three mines that can pl
- duce daily nearly half of that amount
ore now-the Golconda, Grubstake a
Tippecanoe. With development
pe one wear iu the way of pushing the p
y. sent tunnels ahead on their veins, it
be- reasonable to expect double the amor
M above stated could be daily extract
The values contained in the $1,000
E1s above referred te cannot be extracted
we q profit to the miner and mill man
va the arastra and stamp mill, because tn
Wis ores will not yield their gold and sill
''p contents by those systems. As alre'
r. shown they are entirely too low grad'
. ship. What can the miner do? II
is the Golconda, with ample deve
III ment, showing in her "stopes" and le
N as estimated, $500, ,n00.0 90 gross valu,
.:s. ore sin sight; abuve or north lies
40 "Tip," with at least 3 900 tons Sin sig
: .ss., g; to the south lies the Grubstake, '
Z eis, Il probably 10000 tons standing and re
,sss. .Gs. to be broke down; to the southeast
sSs% sssa the Greaser, showing good ore in
Lii 1iS shafts; to the northwest the Bessie
isSt May Queen join, both showing OF
= ss fair grade. Why are all these IN
eas: idle? Simply hecanse they cannot
ou6s pose of or profitably treat their ore
.Ia On the old system. With home mark
ISHSs s,ss dispose of the grade of nre above reie
IN \ .,ss g to at a reasonable price, this dis
AHs- would very soon become the scene
verv active and important industr,
G would also adjacent camps.
The great want is a market for ,
= ores, 80 that the miner can re
nn suffi icient to enable him to prosecute
Nv" development of his property.
above statements are the result of /
labor and careful study of the su
otel l desire to say in addition that thi
trict possesses many advantages 70
Lao cheap treatment Of ores in large qr
ties. The Madison river already