The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-05
M|SSOULA COUNTY MINES
Tho Iron Mountain Concentrator Ex-
pscted to Be Crushing Rock
in Twenty Days.
Tho Strike In the keystone Having
q Good Effact on Spring
Gulch Properties.
Work OF the Placer Mines--WyominE
Looks for a Gaod Attendance at tho
Mineral Convention.

MrssouLA, Sept. 4~.-[Special. New
from Surrounding mining camps indicate
a general Improvement and material re
suits in the wsy Of ore shipments. At tn,
Iron Mountain the concentration ID up
preaching completion and in twenty day,
will be crushing ore.
ON Deep creek considerable work Ia be,
ing done. The Gre body encountered II
the cross-cut of tho Little Ansoonda tunne
has improved to such an extent that tn,
company have decided 10 immediately
the construction Of IL wagon
road. The grade of the ore is good and
considerable Is already on the dump. This
strike ia at = depth of 165 feet, and has
been driven on each way. showing that the
GROSS ont penetrated the vein in its narrow
est place.
On the u. 9. Treasury a depth OF ffty-fve
feet has been reached. At this depth the
grade of the ore is much better than that
on the surface. A contract has boon let
for 100 feet on the ledge, from the bottom
of tho shaft.
In Spring gulch the strike on the Key
stone and the subsequent regular ship
ments of ore have had q Stimulating effect
throughout the camp. Sixteen men are now
working on this mine, which shows four
feet of clear orc. Seven car loads of ore
havs been shipped by the ~lessess since the
strike. An old tunnel which was driven on
the ledge some two years since is being con-
tinusd by the ~lessses, and will tap the pres
ent ore chute at a depth of 100 feet, which.
when connected with the shaft, will give
them a large amount of stopping ground.
MI. IL r~a mi EMMA ~, tina XIV AVID
Queen, which was run when that property
was under bono to Dizziness, is now being
cleaned ont and retimbered preparatory to
driving it on to the ledge. which it
now lacks about seventy feet of
cutting. The tunnel is now $50
feet long, and will intersect she King and
Queen vein at a depth of $50 feet. When
work was suspended some two years since
the face of the tunnel was commencing to
show galeng and iron streaks on the shale
formation. The property at that time was
bonded TO Portland parties for 500, 900. An
extension of the bond was asked for and
refused by the owners. The shutting down
of this property at that time had q paralyz-
ing effect on the energies of the camp, from
which it recovered slowly. The present
prosperity of the Damp is based on actual
shipments of pay ore.
During the past two weeks several dis
coveries have been made in Slowey's gulch,
the DfSb IRVINE WeSt from sprung SuicE, ana
which until this summer had been sup
posed to mark the western limits of the
Spring gulch and Iron Mountain mineral
belt. The ore discovered is n high grade
galena, and in character much resembles
that found in the Little Anaconda on Deep
creek.
A. r. Johnston, the merchant at Superior,
was in Missoula this week. He states that
considerable gold dust is coming in from
the various placer camps III the vicinity
and that the gun boot miners are as q rule
doing well. Work on the big drain tunnel
in the bed of Trout creek has been resumed.
This tunnel is now in over 5000 fest. Nu-
merous rich gulches put into Trout creeSf
from each side, the gold found in them be-
ing coarse and mostly on the bedrock. In
the main creek, owing to water, they have
never been able to sink a shaft to bedrock,
which it ia thought must be rich in the
yellow metal. The most skeptical cannot
help but admire the pluck Of the owners of
this property, as they have stuck to it for
fourteen years, and each year have done as
much work on it rs their means permitted.
Thu perpendicular depth now attained is
forty-fve feet. This summers work has
shown q considerable Improvement in the
gravel. Iron rock and black sand are show
ing plentifullv, and occasionally points OF
the rim rock are run over which show fair
prospects. 1t il thought that this seasons
work will reach the main channel.
Recent developments on Nine Mile have
caused something of a stampede to that
section. Missoula parties have bonded for
$4,000 this Baker property. close to Drum
mond. Last fall rich float was discovered
on this property, but it was only about
three weeks since the ledge was discovered.
The surface of the ground on the claim was
covered with detached pieces of ore, and in
the work of prospecting for the ledge
sevsnty-two tons were sacked and shipped
to the smelter, netting over 800 per ton.
The ledge is in a limestone formation and
has been sunk on twenty-five feet showing
good ore the entire distance.