The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-01
MINES OVER THE RANGE.
The Capacity Of the Anaconda Smell
ter to Be Largely
Increased.
The Butte Mining Camp Now
Undergoing It's Annual
Water Famine
Improvements Going on In tho Alice
Mine-The Magns Charta
and Blue Wing.

BUTTE, Aug. 3O.-[Special.] -One of the
chief topics of conversation among the
miners of this camp during the past week
has been the final extinguishment Of the
fire in the st. Lawrence and Anaconda
mines. When these mines were reopened
some time since and the water pumped out
that had been used to drown the great fire
of last fall, the management were puzzled
by the constant presence of gas on the
lower levels. 1t became 81 strong that it
was only after the most heroic efforts that
the bodies in the stump were recovered, and
those efforts came near costing additional
lives. On the sixteenth of this month it
was discovered that fire was smoldering
beween the 400 and 500 of the st. Lawrence
and that it was the cause of all the trouble.
Steps were at once taken to put this fire out
past half-year to fall back upon, no
mistakes were made. The hose at
tached to tho pump on the GOO was
first brought into play. Pipes were then
run down the pump shafts which were con-
neoted with the tank ON the surface and in
this way an abundant supply of water was
constantly on hand and the subjugation of
the fire was only question of time. The
chief difficulty encountered was the gas
which continued to make the work one of
no little danger but the men were deter
efforts. Last Wednesday morning it was
announced that the fire was ont and it was
hoped no further trouble would be OK
perienced. This means great deal to the
district and to the city as 1t means the
speedy reopening Of one Of the greatest COP
~ thu vunrlN Annfhor nj
most equally important announcement was
that the improvements on the cOmpany's
smelters in Anaconda were progressing
rapidly and would be completed by the hol-
idays. This will go increase their working
cs1peseoity that they viii be able to handle
all that can be produced from
the extensive mines that will
be ready to supply them by
that time. II will add no less than $50
miners to the working force of the camp in
one body TO say nothing of the small army
attendant upon the shipping and reduction
of the rock.
Speaking of the force Of men employed
in working the mines of this district q
short trip to a few of the more prominent
properties in and about Butte this last
week revealed the fact that they had no less
than 2, 800 men actively employed. This
was making no count of the hundreds of
small properties in the district working all
the way from two to ten mon and some
many more and the leasers who have grown
to be an army of themselves since the rise
in copper and silver. These two depart
ments of the work alone would more than
double that number while there would still
be the hosts of smelter and reduction work
ers, teamsters and others connected with
the production of the precious metals.
Another fact worthy of note is that the
srA h. .s~A rsv,s>,
we'll as in other lines of business, and that
good many of the properties visited were
only working repairing forces, being tenn
porarily shut down for the making of
needed improvements.
The rise in silver is beginning to at
work which has been neglected for some
time past, and that is the reduction of the
free milling ore in which this camp abounds.
When the camp was first opened up it was
solely for the reduction of this rock, but as
the wonderful deposits of copper and silver
down the original rock was discovered. It
is estimated that there is enough of this
rock in sight to require years for its reduc-
tion and that most of it will now pay. Some
of the best posted miners in the district are
giving the matter their attention. and pres
emit indications are that they will soon en-
ter upon it on large scale.
The camp is now undergoing its annual
water famine. though its effects this year
are much less plainly felt than formerly.
Taught by past experience, most of those
who could be crippled by a scarcity of that
fluid have made provision Tor just such a
time as this, and are working as though
nothing had happened. Only a very few
have been obliged to shut down, and these
are taking advantage of the lay off to make
repairs and improvements that would ne
oessitate stoppage at some other time in
r. - H. l..
by the shut down, and on the whole the
camp will be all the better for it.
The Alice has been taken with the general
improvement epidemic and has laid off
number of its men for a time. while this
work is being done. The shaft from the 600
tention, and will be retimbered for
that entire distance. The material is
not all on the ground, but work will COM
is Thought that SaA''t this Improvement At
means deep development by this company,
discoveries made on the ], 500 of the Living
ston. So far as this portion of the plan is
concerned, however, they are dumb, and
everything is left to conjecture. The Magma
Charta and Bluewing both belonging to the
same company have been kept running at
their full capacity and will furnish sufti-
clent ore to keep the immense mills of the
company in operation while the main shaft
is being repaired
Reports of most favorable nature come
in from the Emma Nevada. One mining
expert who recently visited this property
states that its prospects are even better than
when the first load of ore was shipped
bringing return of 5000 almost without
outlay. The raise from the lower level to
the 5O-foot station has been completed and
stopping is being carried on wholly in ore.
The rock now being taken out will be
shipped in about 10 days and is expected to
return at least 200 ounces per ton,
Turkish Palace.