Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1888-01-11
WOOD RIVER.
CONCLUDING ARTICLE UPON THIS
IMPORTANT DISTRICT,
Ketehnm's Wide Influence With
Surrounding Camps-The PhiIadel.
vhia L. Idaho Company's Snelter anu
Mines-The Gold Belt.

fo0IdUauu1uS C0WVS-luc IulIuUels
vbia L. Idaho Company's Smelter anu
Mines-The Gold Belt.
Written for The Oregonian by Herbert Langl
SAWToOTU DISTRICT
Has seen many permutations of
fortune, periods of the alternate ebb
aud flow Of prosperity, and in the
winter Of 1878 low tide is at hand.
The heavy Eastern capitalists who in
the palmy speculative days of the
early eighties built the Vienna mill for
x25O.OOO, a 2O-stamp aft ,ir, costly as
the builders and freighters could make
II, to work the rich ores of the Vienna
claim, worth hundreds Of dollars per
ton, but not of long continuance.
The mines, Of which there were the
Mountain King, on large vein trace
able for mile, the Emma, Solace
dough: by Haggin for 100000, Mel
lie, and Others, b" didn't 60 down." or
at least, if they went do wn, they went
down where nobody could find them.
The Pilgrim has history. Some
"tende:foot" boys fresh from the land
OF the rising sun, found it, did a
weeks work upon il, and sold it for
$4,000 to people who ran tunnels,
sunk shafts, and, finding much ore,
raised the price to half a million, and
still hold 1t. There are dozens of
claims carrying ore, mainly sulphur
cts OF silver, ruby AMI antimonial sill
YER, that IS worth 800 per ton, with
endless amounts worth $50, $40, and
$50 per ton. But if We are in he
land CT rich ores, we are also in that
of high prices. At this altitude, where
wagon roads cost as much as railroads
do in local districts, aud where trans
portation is mainly effected by pack
trains, nothing worth less than 800
per ton will, as rule, pay to handle
IN any way. There are districts in
these mountain wilJs where not a
pound of ore which assays less than
300 has ever been moved. 1t costs,
for example, just that sum to bring
ore from Sheep Mountain, district
of which we will hereafter speak, and
pay the smelling charges end the
sampllng, after which nothing is left
for the miner. OF course, silver mil
ling, even roasting milling, the proper
treatment for the Sawtooth orc, costs
less; but it costs over $50 to the ont
side miner, who desires his rock treat
ed in the Vienna mill, and the charge
Is understood to be the charge c, tho
Custer mill, Oh Yankee Fork.
All the rich mines which gave activi-
ty and reputation to the Sawt>oth are
now quiescent, or are worked only in
a smai! way, and there is little for the
mills 10 do. The Vienna Company
have seemingly "lost their grip" The
news of to-day never mentions them:
their place i'll the public estimation is
filled by such comparatively unimpor-
iAnt claims as the Biuehird and the
Silver King, which occasionally make
shipment Of ore. The old mines arc
still held by the original companies,
who, not desiring to give away all the
proceeds OF their rich ores for the
pleasure of having them extracted and
worked, have concluded to remain
dormant until the time of cheaper
working and milling arrives. That
time will come with the iron horse.
TIE TAHoMA NINE,
Atlanta, Idaho, is one of the most
noted OF the gold and silver camps of
tho Territory, an not outstanding u
strongly accentua,el depression in
mining which exists there, is very like
ly to renew its former successful ca.
reer. Speaking generally, Atlanta is
for sale--body, boots and panta-
loons--and has been so for some
Yeas. There is one "lve" company,
the TaEoma, which is operating in an
active way, with bright future pros
poets. There are some twenty men
employed. apd the ore, which was
formerly treated by wet crushing and
pa, anal gama,ion MS if "free," is now
crushed and concentrated instead
The mining costs 81 per ton, hauling
to the mill costs IS cents, and the mill
ing costs 81 per ton. 1t is thought
that sl2 rock will yield profit. The
concentrates, sometimes assaying
several hundred dollars per ton, are
shipped and sold to the ketchum
smslt-r. The mill has ten stamps,
and fnur OF those perfect machines
The Frue vanners are used. The in.
tention is expressed Of putting in an
nd iitlon of twenty stamps and eight
NOR" vann"rs, in the spring. a new
organic .tion. the Simpson Mining
Company, headquarters in Baltimore,
is now operating near Atlanta.
NULDoON REJUvENATED.
Some four or iivo years ago the
mining camp Of Muldoon. ON Little
Wool river east of II .ilev, WAS the
scene of cons. ,arable activity in min
T. t.. l.