, 1890-04-17
THE CHINESE WENT.
How Phil O'Rourke and His Part
ners Located a Number of
Rich Plaoers.
Thoy Have Started for tho Scene
OF Operations, and Will Use
Snowshoes.
A One Hundred and Fifty Ton
Conoentrator for the Custer
Mine.

Phil O'Rourko, the well-known
mining man who helped locate the
famous Bunker Hin and Sullivan
at Wardner, accompanied by his
partners in tho Elk City placers,
Messrs. L. NJ. Russell and Jack
Lacey Of Mullan, left yesterday for
the scene of operations.
They will go by train TO Union
town, thence to Lewiston, ten miles,
by stage, and from there II stage will
convey them TO Mount Idaho.
1--WE expect to have soventy-five
miles Of snow-shoeing from Mount
Idaho TO our placcrs," said Mr.. Rus
sell to REVIEW representative.
eve have organized the Ceur
dAlene Mining Company, and be-
sides tho three men who will leave
to-day, the property IL shared by
Messrs. Flynn, McEntee and Muir
ray"
care the placers rich?"
"We believe we have one of the
biggest things In Idaho. We have
pay gravel 100 feet deep and IL Is
wonderfully rich. From time to
time W. have been sending men In
there and now we have about twenty
miners ON our ground.n
"Thesc pluccrs are on Moose creek,
In Ellison gulch. For many years
they had been worked by Chinese
who held the ground without title.
Eor sixteen years before we went In
there not u white man had set foot
ON their ground.n
these placers?"
''That Is "a long and interesting
story" said Mr.. Russell, with u
laugh. Last summer Angus Mac
Donald and Charles Mcleod came
out of the Shcepeater country, be-
yond Warren's camp, and started u
big stampede with their wild stories
about rich placeS they had discov-
cred. Some of us went In after the
rush, and when we reached Mount
Idaho we found about 5000 dis
gusted men. They had been into
the Sheepeater country, and had
come back as mad as hornets over
the way they bud been fooled. II
they had caught Macdonald and
Mcleod there would have been a
lynching sure.
"Of course we changed our plans,
and concluded to 20 up north to
Elk City. Then we got on TO the
fact that the Cinnamon had no title
to this rich ground, and we got In
and jumped IL. We went to the
records at Mount Idaho, and found
that not single location had been
recorded.
"Wilor Il Wax, merchants at
Mount Idaho hadb selling goods
to the Cinnamon, who were In their
debt about 5000. They had cashed
$50, 900 worth of gold for the China
men. When Mr.. Wilor heard
that we had located the ground, he
came to us and declared we had
taken all our pains for nothing.
you've been foollng away your
time, boys he said. 'The placers
belong to the Chinese
1--WE took Mr.. Wilor TO the
recorders office and he was dunn
founded.
"'Well, boys, you've got 'em,' he
said. Now the Chinese owe me
about 5000, and I'll tell you what
I'll do. They have supplies in
there worth that sum, II not, their
iron pipe and fumes will bc worth
1t. hold mortgage on all this,
and If you will assume the debt
III forcclose on them
'We agreed to the proposition,
and the sheriff putus In possession
"Dld the Chinese cut UP much
over losing the placers?"
"Oh, yes; they .iabbercd around
at n lively rate, and fired of few
guns to scare us, but we took their
guns away from them"
How do you propose 10 develop
and work your propcrty"'
90 BY fumes and pipe lines. The
Chinese have had two pipe lines;
we shall work four. The longest
the Cinnamon have ever worked
these placers I'm one senson has been
six weeks, but we shall do better
than that, and can work some of
our ground for four months.
"HOw were these Cinnamon per-
mitted TO retain possession so long?"
at seems they We're induced to
give n man named Whitman several
thousand dollars for the claims. He
located four or five, but failed to
record them. Nobody knows his
whereabouts to-day, but the China
men would like To find him