The Helena independent., 1889-06-19
IN THE KOOTENAI.
A Country Abundantly Supplied with
Mineral. but Comparatively
Undeveloped.
instructions for the Guidance OF Pros
pectors Who May Visit that
New Mining 6egion.
Bot Little Attention Paid 10 Placer Mining
Protection Assured to All Mine
Owners.

SPOKANE FALLS. W ASH. June 10
Especial correspondence of the Independ-
entI-Having returned from the Kootenai
country, it might be we'll to give few
hilts for the guidance Of those who con-
template trip TO that interesting country.
II a person goes there for the purpose of
prospecting or mining. il is necessary TO
secure a free miners license from the min
eTal recorder of the district This license
costs 50 per year, and must be taken out by
all who expect 10 hold mineral land.
whether they are native BORN or not To
make a location on that side the line il is
not necessary 10 find mineral in place:
location can be made on the snow where
the ground Il not visible. A claim of LOO
in length by 600 feet IN width Is allowed,
the same as n the United States. Ii is
only necessary 10 set three stakes, one at
discovery and one in the center of the claim
at each end. A certificate of the location is
filed with the recorder and the number OF
the minrr's license noted thereon IL costs
50 80 10 file said certificate. One hundred
dollars worth of labor and improvements
must be done during the first six months
and a certificate filed TO that effect, and at
the end of the year the claim must be re-
recorded, which places so more to the
credit OF her royal maJesty's province. Be
sides these expenses per capita provincial
tax of SS is collected from all male citizens
above the age of q years.
The expenses above enumerated, and the
eternal slowness in making any advance
ment or progress by the powers that
be, are what may be termed drawbacks;
but on the other hand, Americans have
many advantages on that side of the line.
One OF the greatest is that Jumping of
claims is entirely done away with. The
locator OF purchaser of a mine has far bet
ter protection in British Columbia than in
the United States. All disputes of min
eral claims is settled by the gold commits
sIoner. He hears the evidence, tnen goes
on the ground and settles the question.
There is one appeal. however, from his
decision, and that is 70 the court at Vic
toria-
Placer claims can only be taken up 200
feet in length along a gulch which is con-
sidered too small a claim for an American,
hence there is not much doing in that in
dustry, although 1 am of the opinion that
some very good placer ground exists IN
some localities. Generally speaking of the
mines discovered and now claimed in the
KOOtenai country, would say that there is
no extensive development work yet done.
The Blue Bell mine, owned by the Koo-
tenaI Mining and Smelling company of
depth of 126 feet At this level a
crOss-cut WAS run across the ledge
and il was found to be eighty-six feet, nine
inches IN width. The ore is galena, low
grade in silver, the ore body being prac-
cept iron and little lime gangue. This
mine is located on the east side of the lake,
opposite the Warm Spring district, distance
by water three and one-half miles. AT
Warm Springs, as far as traced, the min
eral belt is four miles in length and three
in width. How much further each di-
rection IL extends Is not yet determined.
There are some fine prospects In this dis
trict, and probably 200 locations have been
made, nearly all carrying pay ore from the
surface down as far as they have been
worked. Qnite a quantity Of ore Is con
tinually being shipped from here which
yields a handsome profit, although IL costs
SO per ton from yome II the mines TO
transport the oke-t6 the Northern Pacific At
kooteDai station, Idaho. The ores consist
of galena a ld carbOnates, carrying consid-
erable silver. The formation is lime and
sehist prin sipally for distance of three
miles back from the lake; then comes
| granite.
The camp of Nelson is situated on the
outlet of thu lake, distant from Warm
| Springs thirty miles. This is the head
| quarters of tha district and where the gold
Commissioner and mineral recorder have
their Offices The immense copper silver
mines of Hell brothers are located on Toad
mountain, six miles from the river. Their
ores are extraordinarily rich. All told
they have shipped but fifty tons, but one
batch of twenty-five tons yielded net
| profit over all expenses of $1,000 The
mountain on which these claims are situ-
AttQ Is a perfect utIWOTk OF veins, bearing
the same character of ore as the Hall bro
TIERS claims.
Gold quartz in considerable Quanty is
| found surrounding Nelson, and q number
of very promising claims have been taken
up, some of which are fairly developed.
Galena, high g-ade in silver, also exists
and the prospects that | visited looked fine.
/ There a number of features favorable 10
/ British Columbia as a mining country.
Everything there stands on ITS merits;
there is no townsite bOOms or wild specula-
tion- The rOunder and tin horn element
are conspicuous by their absence; roughs
or tOughs shun the country; the firing of a
gun in threatening manner is liable TO
send the offender to prison for a term of
seven years, while the taking of a human
life means death by hanging. There is no
bulldOZIng of the courts or monkey busi-
ness with the strict course OF the law on
that side of the border, hence the rough
element that intest American mining
camps stand no show over there.
MOntanians are plenty. They can be
seen on all sides, and many of them are the
pOssessOrs of valuable mining interests.
K II. X.