The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-09
A cGuR D'ALENE MINER.
He Visits Helena and His Baggage
Consists Of Two Plain Can
vas Sacks.
They We're Filled, But He Was In
different About Their
Contents.
Thrown ON the Floor and Kicked BY Many
People-A Hotel Mans
Surprise..

Among Tuesdays arrivals from the west
was an elderly gentleman who might easily
be mistaken for farmer from the rural
districts. He made no pretensions to 1--we
up to the style, in his dress. He wore gray
flannel shirt and weather beaten hat and
a suit of store clothes. He registered at the
Cosmopolitan, I'D. H. Wilson. Murray
Idaho" His only baggage consisted OF two
canvas bags. They were carelessly thrown
behind the Office counter, under the frame
which contains the room keys and where
tho guests mail is placed. During day a
hundred or more persons step inside the
rail, either to leave their key in the pigeon
hole frame or see if there is any mail.
Nearly everybody Who went behind there
Tuesday night and yesterday morning up to
noon gave these bags kick accidentally or
purposely. They were just ordinary bags,
and probably contained samples of quartz
very common occurrence in Helena hotels.
The guest who left the bags retired for
the night unconcerned about his baggage,
He picked them mp Yesterday about y
O'Clock; they were quite heavy. He was di-
rected to the United States assay Office.
Later in the afternoon he appeared in the
hotel and produced certificate signed by
Mr.. w. ID. Wheeler, the assayer in charge,
and it showed that Mr.. Wilson had depos-
tied at the government assay office gold OF
''Great scottv' exclaimed Ed thinner
man.
''And that's what you had in those bags7''
calculated Sam Schwab.
"Well, that takes the cake" continued
Sam, running his hand down the back Of
his neck and pinching his pantaloons. II
don't see why you didn't have it put in the
safe" Visions of what might have been
fitted through Sans mind and he breathed
easier in knowing that everything was all
right.
An INDEPENDENT reporter edged up to the
gentleman from Idaho, who again produced
the certificate. He said the two bags con-
on Pritcher creek, in the Occur d'Alenes.
The retort has since been cast into bar,
and Nh. Wilson received q check on the
United States treasury for the amount the
certificate called for.
It was learned from Mr.. Wilson that this
gold was the result of forty-threo days
run in fve-stamp mill, on ore from the
that time were $500.
THE mill has only been running. since
last December" said Mr.. Wilson, "but in
that time has produced $48,OO0. and we ex-
pect to clean up enough by the time the
mill has been in operation one year to make
UQ0 pIOOUCGlOu $OU,VuWs
MI. Wilson is the general manager of the
Mother Lode company. Il is owned by
four men, his share or holding being q i've
twelfths interest. He says he never
saw a mine until two years age
when he wandered to the Coeul
d'Alenes from Missouri, whore be
was engaged in farming. He met the own.
their claim, and for a small consideration
he was given an interest in the property
He became greatly interested and soon
adapted himself to the mining business
A Tacoma banker who owns one-third Of
the mine, refused to "pnt up. any money
two associates bought and erected the Ave
stamp mill which il steadily enriching it,
owners and pounding away on the gold
Mr.. Wilson has proven success as a
miner and q manager. Asked the average
assay value Of the Mother Lode ore. he re-
piled: IT really don't know. We don't
rock, know it's there and work it. Assay.
ing il an expensive business anyhow, and
We get along without it"
Mr.. Wilson then produced ono Of the
prettiest specimens of gold quartz, from
his mine, that person would care to look
at. It was variegated white, black and
bright yellow metal.
The Mother L ode is cheaply worked
through two tunnels run into the side of a
hill. The ore runs in pockets, varying In
width from five inches to five feet. Thus
far the pockets have been regular, and
seem to lie in chain, tapering from mar
row streak to o wide body in the center,
then narrowing down again only to start in
fresh in the next blast. The Mother Lode is
one of the first quartz discoveries of the
Coeur d'Alene region, having been located
during the great placer mining excitement
Of 1854.