The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-16
Just IN FROM SLOGAN
Fred Franks, Of Wardner, Tells
About the Bonanzas in the
British Kootenai.
A Camp Which In It's Infancy
Boats the First Showing Made
In Other Districts.
big Boom Predicted Next Summation
ner's Ferry to Re the outitting
Point From the East.

Fred Franks, the well-known mining man
ID in Helena. Mr.. Franks has just returned
from the nuoh-talked-about kaslo-S SLOGAN
country in the British Kootenai, and con-
firms all tho reports hitherto published OF
the richness of that section. He is one of
the most experienced mining nen in the
northwest, has operated all over the west
ern country. and was among the firstto roc
ognize the richness Of this Coeur d'Alens
country, in which ho is largely Interested.
He brought with him six samples of ore,
taken from the surface of the Washington,
!. g. and Montezuma claims. which he has
under bond. He had them assayed yestsr-
day, and the returns were about as good as
any ono could ask. The first went SOL
ounces in silver to the ton; the second, 266
ounces in silver and 70 per cent. load; third,
322 ounces silver; fourth, 81 ounces silver;
fifth, 482 ounces silver. The above samples
were all from the Washington and l. G.
The sixth was from the Montezuma and
went 76 ounces in silver and 70 per cent. in
lead. But two of the samples were assayed
for lead, but all the Kaslo quartz, which
is . solid galsna, runs from Is to So
per cent. in lead. The vein on the Monte
zuma is sixteen feet in width. with seven
feet OF solid ore. The best feature about
the Kaslo ore is that it is all high grade
mi will not require concentration. But
Mr.. Franks, in his own way, tells the best
story of the country. He said: 1.-THE
Kaslo-blocaa find is, / firmly believe. the
greatest mineral discovery of the century.
u beats tbs first finds at Leadvillo, at
Butte, in this Ceur d'Alsnes and every
whore slse of which ! have over heard or
seen. Though it was late in the fall when
the first finds were made, already it has
been demonstrated that thers is a rich ore
body eight miles long and from three to
such a country-ore running up into the
hundreds of ounces on the surface. There
has not been a foot of development work
done. but all the assays have been made
from rock found on the surface. The or
, la14, dis ns were tive w. pr Ssp
around Ainsworth until they could no
longer get anything to eat. They started
to go they knew not where, and n day
ran across the quartz which has since
created so much talk.
II sec the Spokane Review says" Mr..
Franks continued, that a man named Kin
ney has enjoined the owners from selling to
me their interest in the Washington claim,
which I have bonded. ! do not know what
MIR. Kinney has done, hut / do know | have
bonded ANYTHING which he can %enjoin.
Kinney was given by one ct the owners in
the Washington q sixth interest in his
share. l have under bond thirtoen-twenty-
fourths of that claim, a controlling interest
and in which Mr.. Kinney has not now or
ever did have the slightest clam. Ny
bond on this controlling interest is abso-
Lutte and Kinney annot affect it in any
way.
The trip to the new fields ID a rough
one. II took me four days to 20 from Spo-
kane, but Notwithstanding I I'm persuaded
that next summer there will be 20, 200 peo-
Y1n in tho X au1r Nrnf Alraol, ., %~r,- =
site has been surveyed, and lots ara held at
$500. The route to the GANG from the east l
will be by way of Bonner's Ferry, distant
from Kaslo about 1855 miles. FROM the
west it will be by way Of Nelson, +. C. All
the ore will come out by way of Bonne.'s 7
Ferry, making that town boom next year. /
1t will be inadvisable to attempt the trip
before May or June next, as the country is a
rough and broken and the snowfalis are :,
heavy. vi course after tracks arc out and .
roads made it will he all right. Anyway, u
the kaslo-Slocan country will boom next p
year as never a mining country did before"