The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1889-04-18
AMONG THE LEDGES.
A HISTORY OF THE HOPE MIN
ING COMPANY.
Interesting Items Regarding the
Worlds Mines West Granite
Granite Output-Etc.

[The following readable history Of the
Hope mine was written by that prince of
writer's on mining matters, Frank d.
Brown. Tie article will be concluded
in next weeks issue
The past history Of this mining company
in Montana is most Interesting and
instructive one. In the earliest history Of
quartz mining for silver, the metal bear
ing rocks of every district in this great
territory have passed through the hands
of this great incorporation, and from the
reports, based upon expert examination,
properties that to-day have national
reputation were purchased and reduction
works built to reduce their ores.
In looking over the mines that at one
time have been the property of the in
corporation, outside Of the Flint Creek
mining district, he-a refer to the Gre
CORY, Of the Boulder mining district, and
the various lead properties upon which
were erected the smelling works at
Argenta, in the Argenta mining district,
Jefferson county. Thousands of dollars
were spent by the st. Louis company,
Jas the present company was then
known in treating silver ore and pur-
chasing silver and copper mines, and
those entrusted with the responsible
duty Of investing the large sums SO freely
disbursed were lavish in their praises
of the selection of mines made by the ex-
perts, and the most f1lsome reports were
published, N the early sixties, OF the
productiyeness Of the Montana pur-
chases. OF all the earlier investments of
tie St. Louis company none are known
OF to-day save those lying within this
district In referring to the operations
Of the company il Deer Lodge county,
it would be we'll to state that they cover
period Of time dating back to the DIS
covery Of the first mine in this camp.
The road up Flint Creek canyon was
built by them in '6j, and the first silver
mill ever erected in the territory con-
str11cted in that, and the ensuing year.
1t is estimated that since the construc-
tion Of the Hope mill, 1000 tons of
quicksilver and 5000 carboys of acid
have been used in amalgamation, while
the amount of salt consumed in the same
length of time has been so enormous that
no two men can agree within hundreds
of tons of the probable consumption. It
should be remembered, in considering
the difficulty and expense attending
early milling, that all supplies had to be
transported at great cost, and ores assay
ing under 100 ozs were not worth haul
ing to the mill.
AS the history of the st. Louis COM
pany in this district is to be treated upon
in this paper it would be we'll to consider
in detail, in their chronological order,
such incidents sufficiently meritorioas to
be worthy of mention in connection
Herewith.
The ores of Hope hill are essentially
free milling and therefore susceptible OF
treatment bY pan amalgamatlon. The
Hope mine has largely furnished the SUP
ply used up to '76. Since that year the
| Emma, Potosi and Porter have con
I. t,ibuted their quota, the latter property
now being actively developed and show
ing large reserves OF excellently graded
rock. The mineral deposits of the hill
occur in immense beds and are of the
type known as "blanket VEINS The
chambers are often Of immense extent
furnishing every grade Of ore, from speci-
men rock assaying in the thousands) to
large bodies of low grade quartz that will
never justify treatment. The enclosing
country is Of the secondary formation,
the older lines constituting the foot wall
The strike of the veins are nearly north
and south with a variable dip to the N.
w. while the outcrop is boldly pre-
nounced and, in many instances, masses
OF high grade rock.
The present 1O-stamp mill Of the COM
pany is one OF the most perfect and COM
plete wet crushing plants ever erected In
the western territories. 1t is built OF
stone and wood, the main building being
SOx7O feet. It contains ten 85O-lb
stamps. six combination pans. having a
capacity of one and a quarter tons per
charge, three settlers, and three aglta-
,ors in which the shines drawn from the
settlers are st:.ii longer kept suspended
in water until the loss OF quicksilver is
reduced! to the minimum. AS the ore Is
free milling it is crushed wet, passed into
vats, thence into pans, where it is cheml-
cally treated, thence into settlers from
which the quicksilver is drawn charged
with the extracted metals. About 20
tons per day represent the amount OF
ores now treated, the per cent. of saving
approximating II to 81 1O0ths OF the bat
terry assay.
To give detail description of the
mines of the company, in this district,
would consume much valuable space III
the columns of a newspaper, this the
reader will realize when state that tie
'corpe ration own 26 lode claims covered
by patent with sundry others held by