The Helena independent., 1891-09-07
|OR7H FORK COUNTRY,
hat Portion Of the ceur d'Alenes to
Which the First Rush
Was Made.
operations or Some OF the Big
Companies Interested on
Pritchard Crock
Section which Has Producsd Four Mil
Hons In Gold siRcs Its First DIlcov-
cry Eight YoRrs Ago.

+ @
cry Eight YoRrs Ago.
II WARDNER, Idaho Sept. 6.-[Special. IT,
Linz INDEPENDENT correspondent has just
|seturnsd from visit to Murray, the old
lamp that has boosted that it was on the
hold belt, or as is known hers, on the
Eaaorth side" Here the first horde of
|Ininsrs, adventursrs, etc., rushed in late IN
lass and In 1884, expecting TO find an Alder
III Dendwood gulch. All who remember the
Flistory OF that country will recall the black
Eve IL received az result of that stampede.
IA vast throng Of mon came In on the varions
rails, on snow ten to twenty feet deep, and
shs crowd was obliged to 90 out again.
|9rhey could not produce sufficient to pro-
vide their own substance. Some remained
from choice, others were compelled to do 30
because they were too hard up to provide
expenses. Every one OF the prom
|anent producing mines Of this whole section
were located BY those who came with this
arst stampede. As placer camp, however,
it has disappointed its founders. II was
at an early time that the great
|depth Of bsd rock. large body Of water, and
|great width of the Rulch, it being ons-half
mile and more in places, rendered it diff
|foult to work. Another difficulty is the
Hight grade Of the guloh, rendering dump
agen difficult. During the eight interven-
ing years the main channel heS not been
L worked, and its treasure on bedrock is AZ
much conjecture as the dsx A. j. Pritch-
ard drst ret foot on the ground. Oper-
8ations have been pushed on the veins and
ths hill diRginRs.
Among the discoveries Of the first in
lroaders was body of gravel lying above
the level Of Pritchard creek, locally known
as the "Old Wash" Many persons ac-
|count for IL a. ths channel OF an ancient
water course, while some vsrsed in geology
assert 1t to be the track Of amorain glacier.
/ In support Of this theory the following
features are cited: 1t has becn traced
from point near the summit of the Bitter
/ Root mountains on the east to point
northwest of the north fork Of the Occur
/ d'Alene river, on q direct line to Lake
/ Pom d. Oreille, distance Of about twenty
miles. If it has served az the bed of
/ q water course. the whole system
/ Of the country'a drainage has been changed.
The gravel, rocks, etc., are smooth, but in
| condition suggestive of attrition, not Of
washing. Similar indications are observed
in chs Amer portions, and In the sediment,
tho conditions differing from those found
| whore moisture is present. The straight
course, free from Irregularities, of water
courses, The great depth Ct gravel known aos TO
psarancs Of a lateral force pushing, con-
frm the glacial theory.
The gigantic operations Of the Ceur
d'Alsns Gold Mining company and tbs
Spokane Hydraulic company are on this
gravel bed, the former on Fancy guloh, a
tributary of Eagle creek, and about five
miles northwest from Murray, Sydenham
Mills. the able manager, being in charge.
Mr.. Mills has q good water supply. taken
from, East Eagle creek. He is using one
big and small giant. with p essure OF 300
feet, capable of tearing down and washing
three cubic yards per minute. He is em-
ploying thirty men, and while he does not
give the result of his operations to the pub
lie, his payments are always prompt, and it
il supposed the result is satisfactory to his
company.
The company was organized under the
laws of Kentucky. They have ground suf-
icient for twenty years or more and their
gravel prospects, up to S1.2h per cubic yard
The Spokane Hydraulic company is OPP
Grating on this wash, on Dream gulch,
about one mile up from Pritohard creek
and at an elevation Of about 200 feet above
Dream guloh. App; oaching the works
toward the face one sees q bank of gravel
and rocks towering eighty to one hundred
feet above bedrock. Two giants are play
ing on this high breast. great masses Of it
nre tumbled down to be washed down into
the fumes. One of these giants has nozzle
three and half inches in diameter, tho
other four inches. This pit has been
worked sixty feet wide and the end is not
yet. Deep cuts have been blasted in the
bedrock to give tho fumes good grade to
carry off the gravel and rocks. These are
limited In size to the size of the fumes, tn
dumpaQe being unlimited they run every
thing through. Rocks that exceed the ca
pacity OF the fume are reduced by sledges.
At the best stage of water the pressure is
the water being delivered by a 22-inch steel
pipe. taken from Pritchard and tributary
creeks, ten miles up that creek. The bed
rock ut this pit is variety of quartzite,
slate and deoomposed granite. Jesse Coul-
ton is manager of this company.
witnessed break in the hume at point
of lowest depression below Murray. A
joint was separated, no doubt by the expan-
of the steel due to the high temperature.
Water WAS forced eighty feet high and 1OC
feet on each side. The great pressure at
that point, 700 feet, forced the water with
terrific momentum, tearing everything in
its path.
Other works Of less magnitude are being
pushed 81 the wash. Little il being done,
however, in the gulch. The we'll known
Widow claim is being worked on the vein
and Frank Grove is digging for his annual
crop of nuggets on his ground below town.
Cashier johnson, Of the bank o. North
Idaho, estimates the product of placer gold
at $25O,00O for the season. or about that ol
last season. Tho total yield of the camp in
the eight seasons work IL probably $4,000,
600. Much Of this has gone to the m lint al
Helena.
The Wood brothers have lease on the
Goldon King mine and mill.
John Conmerilk has lease on the Colder
Chest mine. Hs is running the mill, work.
ing .wenty-four mon, and the results are
satisfactory.
The Stevens brothers are making prepar-
tions to start the Idaho mine and mill
These three properties were placed and
companies organized at Louisville, Ky
During the early months of their life they
were operated by the several companies
Sinoo those failures they have been leased
to various individuals, the Idaho excepted
Ophir Hill. one mile above Murray, on
the south side Of Pritohnrd creek, is the
home Of the Mother Lode Oooi dent, Treas.
ure BOX and other locations. The former