, 1890-05-29
On THE NORTH F0kk.
History of the Recent Car
Donate Strike.
LONGEST LEDGE IN THE WORLD
rhe Prospects Were First Dis
covered Several Years Ago
Tho Locations.

tributary to Prlchlrd creek, and per
haps very strange to men not acquainted
with mining, that at this late day the
purest aud most extensive lead deposits
In the great CWur a. Alene mi ing re-
gion should be found at tho very thresh-
Old of the large gold quartz and placer
deposits which abound in ana surround.
ing irichard crcok-thc mother of the
tUur d' Aleno mines. Vet such Is the
fact But the strIugcst part about the
entire matter Is that tho existence of
carbonate ore was known hero In 1881,
before any discoveries were made on the
South FORK at all. For six
years, however, they have lain dor
mnnt, awaiting new blood and
additional discoveries to bring them
into prominence. In the summer OF
1854 Bill Morrell (now at Chloride, Pend
dOcille) and JaCk Fitzgerald lnow OF
Nnrdner) found some carbonate ore
high mp on the mountain from the rc--
cent strike, distant about 2,OcO feet.
They did not say anything about It, ms
gold was uppermost in their minds.
Everybody wanted gold In those days,
and, like DR., Cooper wac virtually
threw away the Bunker Ilill and sulli-
van, they abandoned the location. Dur
Ing the Chloride excitement on Lake
Pend d'Orcillc, two winters ago which
drew hIudrcds at miners from Prichurd
creek, Bill MorrcIl one day told Jack
kncaunOn, vino now lives ON upper
rriChard creek, that he knew Of IA good
carbonate prospect above Murray, and
described the location IN detail. MIR.
kuunnon returned TO Prlchard creek
last summer and immediately hunted
tor tho carbonate claim. lie found II
nhOut trouble, and relocated II IN his
own name. he did little WORK, but
found the claim so high up on the
mountain and difficult OF access, and
being poor In purse. a condition not un-
common with prOspectors, that he sold
the property to W. ii. Douty and George
CHAPMAN for $50 The new owners
sank a shalt to he depth oil thirty feet
on the ledge. found fine carbonate ore
and quit some OF the ore was brought
To Liitlchcld last summer by Mr. Kin.
cannon, tut hc kept the situation OF his
claim secret. 80 uid the purchasers.
They would only say .t was somewhere
near the head OF priuhard creek. George
l.. Cater, who WAS one OF the discoveries
oi the POOrmau mine ut Burke, and WHO
sold his interest IN that claim Tor Sl2,
10, together with ;, Darling, obtained
some Information OF the discovery OF
ca rBOnatc ore on this side, and for near
climbed tho mountain to the Burke di.
vide number OF times and remained
absent several weeks ut time, cropping
through the dense pincrics ami sullcr'
ing innumerablc prlyntions, hut they
could lind nothing The region was
most difficult one To prospect in.
They finally concluded to try
prichard creek, After several weeks
OF care lul search they touud piece OF
noat galenu, below where the recent dis.
Covery was made. This they traced up
a small rnvinO tor about 800 yards where
by littlc labor they found some iron
cfopplnfs. The experience and knowl-
edge OF th9 two prospectors Immediately
told them thc treasure house mad beon
found, They uncovered the Croppings
aud ledge in the ravine for several feet.
They then concluded to run q tunnel "a
fow feet to the west and Hay feet below
TO cross cut ihe ledge. They penetrated
the mountain "A distance OF 100 feet, but
found only seams of galona, the country
rock being intensely hard. They tenn
porarilY abandoned this tunnel ana
began two cuts into the hill several hum
dred feet to the westward, Mr.. Darling
working in one and Mr. Cater In the
other. Here tho strike was really made.
Mr.. Darling's cut, at distance OF about
seven icot from the surface, revealed
ledge Of from seven tn eight feet in
Nlltlt WIFI " llli lobb MtlAt bhN IlhAAA-
cally no hanging wall the ledge being
surmountod by an iron capping and
containing carbonate OF iron and pure
carbonutes mixed with Ralena aud
quartz They then kept on running
cuts every 100 feet or 40 on tho ledge,
ana suue away from 1t, exposing the
vein for a distance Of 1000 feet,
In one cut the vein shows u solid
ledge of the purcst carbonatcs two
feet and four inches In width. This is
near the center of the location. From
this spot a number of assays have been
made. These range from forty TO lSS
ouncesin vi yer, and from 10 To 20 per
cent. lead, n showing that Is everything
that could be desired by the locators or
the people of this camp. There are
eight cuts on the vein in the Loo feet,
and all ot them show carbonate ore, the
ledge being us strong at one edge of the
location as ut the other, so that the ore
body exposed on the surface form por-
hnps one of tho best prospects which
has ever been put forth on dis
covcry claim. Here, therefore, is
a property showing up a ledge for
n length of |, 800 feet, which has m undo
tined width of from four to eight feet, con-
tanning ore that may be shipped to the
railroad at once In wagons at good
prolit. On the extreme western end of
The claim is tunnel being run to cross
tho ledge seventy feet from the surface,
and as Ii shows well ON top II may rea-
sonably be expected to continue 50 In
depth. And II will prove so, for the
ledge formation on tho surface Is well
defined, This claim IL called the Bar
ton and is one of tho best located claims
the writer has ever seen, the center end
stakes being placed on the direct trend
of the ledge, which runs duo cast and
west BY the points of the compass. II
was also surveyed by w. Clayton Miller.
The iocators have also an eastern and
western extension, and their wives have
adjoining claims. all of which show min
crnl, something unusual In mining loca-
tions during an exciting period.
Before the extensions were made two
weeks ago Frank Stevens, Of tho Occi-
don't com pany, was prospecting ON tue
opposite side of the mountain across the
CANYON. The new dump piles of Messrs.
Cater and Darling attracted his attcn-
tion, md he made his way over to them.
He became wild over tho sight that met
his gaze, and when he returned home he
informed his associates of tho strike.
This was on Saturday afternoon, two
weeks ago yesterday, and tho snmc
evening the news spread rapidly that a
big strike OF carbonate ore
had been made up the gulch. Had II
not been for this circumstance the new
discoveries would probably not have
been made known To tho world Tor
weeks, perhaps not for months. The
ascoverers, however. concluded their
locations before the rush came along,
and nrc now perfectly secure from any
possible litigation. They also have q
mill'site on the creek, 800 wards below.
The mine is beautifully located fpr e,,sv