, 1889-10-31
Known Many Years Ago to the
Hudson Bay Company.
A DESCRIPTION OF ITS IMPROVEMENTS.
A Smelter to Be Built to Treat Its
Low Grade Ore--Faot
and Fancy.

the Pacific coast, and the incidents ana
events OF the then far-away and remote
region would furnish the woof and warp
of story as romantic as some OF the
creations of the Imaginative minds, and
IL may be safe to say that judging from
occasional utterances that something OF
the mystic and mythical still fingers
about the premises.
The now famous Blue Bell mine mot
famous for its output of mineral, but for
the mouldy traditions that cluster about
it) was the first discovery and attrac-
ton there. Long before the glittering
gold in California had attracted the
greedy gaze of civilized man, hardy
hunters and trappers of the Hudson Bay
Fur Company had penetrated the sound
less solitudes from the shores of Hudson
bay to those of Kootenai lake and found
what was long called the "Big Mine"
and which was among the first attempts
ut mining and the reduction OF ore in
North America. IL Is said that IL fur
nished the lead used by the Hudson Bay
company, and evidence OF the fact is
still on the ground in the form OF an old
tumbled down, moss covered furnace.
George Heurst of California was the
first practical miner to visit the pros
pect whittier he had been attracted by
fabulous reports of its magnitude and
richness, and some of the vagueness
of facts, and interest manifested, may
be imagined when it is known that he
endured the hardships of trip overland
from Portland, Orr. to the reported
bonanza, by means of pack and saddle
animals, and bark canoes; but he made
no attempt at mining. And 1t may be
said that the same spirit and yagueness
of facts have prevailed to the present
time.
TsLn ,~-e.no,+ J. nc a,o,, ,o;ad a o,raat daoI
of attention of several parties, and passed
through several ownerships, in which
ions long pending ending litigation. 4 spirit Of sad.
ness peryades the premises still. The
tumbled in tunnels and sunken shafts,
tell something of the unreWarded toll
A rude paIing inclosing n solitary grave,
and q sn0des1 slab with tho gruesome
inscription "Assassinated'' show that
tragedy was part of the play where the
moaning waves and the signing trees
were the only mourners, and sung the
only requiem at the lonely burial.
But the innovation of modern mining
has disturbed the place. The prospect
is now the properly of the kootenai
Mining and Smelling Company, with
DIR. Hendryx as general manager, who
thinks that his genius IL stronger for
mines than for medicine. he seems to
have penchant for digging holes Ia the
hills, and has been ndulging very eS-
tensively in the qualification oil IT in
those northern regions, some OF which
have boon amusing in the extreme. His
genius, however, for some time has be en-
Concentrated on the Blue Bell, ON which
he has been working with great deal OF
System" and probably will continue
until the true status of affairs is FULLY de-
ternined and he is satisfied.
The property is situated on the op-
posite side Of the lake from Warm
tending out into the lake. Occupying
its greater extremity is q large mineral
lied lode or zone OF silicious and gran
iteic schists and limestone, well calcu-
lated to mislead the non-practical and
unskillful miner of many decades ago,
or even of to-day. The primary ores
are zinc blende, arsenical pyrites and
some galena of a low tenure of silver
and about one unit of lead per ounce OF
silver. On the surface these primary
ores are greatly desulphurized and OK
idized, discoloring and disintegrating
the gangue stone and country rock,
thus giving 1t the appearance OF NAM
moth affair of an indefinite character.
The greatest efforts seem to have been
made in locating an ore body, which
was done some time ago.. The
principal developments consist of
numerous drifts and shafts, attain
ing q depth in all of about $50 feet. At
the bottom of this shaft there is a drift
eighty y-six feet long said to be all the
way in ore, and directly across the vein,
but no drifts in any other direction have
been run and the position and extent of
the ore body are but poorly determined.
The material taken out evidences very
compact body of mineral of uniform
grade and character. Sulpbide of iron
lat oANt atfaa. IIlS irNa rnl
but large quantities of zinc blende, cop
per, antimony and arsenic are obvious
and contained in but little ganguc stone.
The exact silver and lead contents have
probably never been determined.
Numerous assay, averaged samples,
have given returns varying from hve to
fifteen ounces of silver and about one
unit of lead per ounce of silver. . "A
shipment of several tons was made to
Helena, which the owners admit
did not pay cost of Transports
ton. Despite the discouragipg fact
the doctor is as sanguine as ever and
proposes 10 smelt the ore at the mine.
cess the system will be hailed with de-
light by all owners of low grade mines
and rcbellious ores, which will become
worth more than the average mine.
Somthing like 500, 600 has been ex-
pended by the company, not SO much on
inc HllHt US iuhttclb w
such as the building of wagon roads,
steamboats, and other improvements.
During this summer the doctor has been
operating power drills in driving u long
tunnel. This tunnel IL just above high
water mark, and, when extended to the
ore body, will be 600 feet long and about
thirty-fve feet below the upper Lowell.
The company realize that the ore in its
present state can not be shipped at q
profit and smelter is the only alter
native, the results of which will be
watched with q great deal OF interest by
mining mon.
The early and long; continued reports
of this mine didmuch TO attract pros
pectors TO this region, where have been
found so many promising prospects.
The building of roads and operating OF
steamboat lines did much TOR other
mines and facilitated the development
of the camp.
The doctor does nothing by halves nor
In any haphazard. slipsbod manner, but
according TO the rules of right angles
and perpendiculars. He has no asso-
ciates who hamper his plans, nor expert
ence or prejudices acquired in other
places, but his plans are original and his
own. lie is sanguine, whole-soulcd,
prinoely fellow, who never tires OF tell
ing his friends that his present enter