The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-20
Al ma sapphire and Ruby Ground
as well ns Water Rights
Acquired.
Eight Thousand Acres Of Land and
Two thousand Inches Of Water
Change Hands.
Active Operations, Employing q
Good Many Mem, TO Begin
Immediately.
Favorable Report of the Directors-His-
tory OF the Fie!ds-The Men who
Mako Up the Company.

After a series Of negotiations which have
extended over a period OF nearly three
years, the property known as tho spFas'
aapphire ground, on the Missouri river,
twelve miles from Helena, has CHANGED
owners. II now belongs to the Sapphire
ana RUBY company of Montana. a corpora
&ion which has among its directors and
shareholders some of the most prominent
men in England. The deal was practically
contaminated Nov. 9, when the subscrlp-
tion 70 the stock closed in London. with
enough Of the shares taken to guarantee the
success Of the undertaking. 1t was neces-
sary. however, before any portion OF the
money was paid to the owners, that some
~ tha directors should visit the property
ana report on it. About three weeks ago
Edwin w, Streoter and H. Mallaby Deehey,
directors Of tho company. accompanied BY
others interested, arrived in Helena. Every
day for nearly two weeks they were on the
land the company Was about to purchase,
exploring, prospecting, and in other ways
outing the claims OF the owners to the
test. As a result of all this a cablegram to
London announced that the claims OF the
.wners had been moro than justified.
ana q portion OF the purchase money
Has been paid. The price agreed on for the
Ground ID G4O0, 900. or 5 100000; one-half OF
which ia to,be in cash and the balance IN fully
raid up shares. The company Is stocked
for g45O, 400, in shares of 81 each. Two
hundred and Twenty-Five thousand shares
have been taken, besides 400 founders
shares. Tho property which originally
figured in the negotiations comprised about
1900 acres, but this is just about half
of what the contaminated deal includes
Eldorado bar. containing 1855 acres of
patsnted land, the most thoroughly pros
pected Of all tho gem land was the nucleus.
and to it has been added gem bearing
rround. making a total of 5000 acres,
On both sides Of the Missouri river,
and extending a distance of twelve
81 fifteen miles. In addition
the company has acquired by lease or pur-
chase ali the water rights in tho district,
including those Of Beaver, Trail and Soap
creeks, about $500 inches in oil. For two
years or more the Sprattl Brothers have had
al the land from the Gate of the Mountains
up the river, q distance Of forty miles, pros
pected, and they bonded a good deal of
rem-bearing land. The result was that
when tho time came for a consolidation of
all the gem bearing ground, they were able
to do it, and at the same time secured all
the water rights in the country. The
money received by the Spratt Brothers has
gone or will 40 to the purchase of the lands
and water rights last secured. Among
these are included the Spokane bar proper
ties Of Ex-Gov. Hauser, and also
water rights in which he was largely
interested. There are other Hell
ena people who will receive
direct monetary benefit from the recent
purchases of the spratt brothers. 1t is
more thar probable that a number of prom
inent Helena psople will become share
holders in the company. While ali OF the
cem-bsaring ground has not been pur-
chased outright, nor have all the water
rights. those which have not been bought
have been leased for a long term of years.
The plans of the company are pretty we'll
matured,. and active operations Wlll CON-
mence within sixty days. A. b. Wood, of
Detroit. the eminent engineer, will be the
general manager of the company and have
charge of the work. All the water will be
concentrated ON Eldorado bar, where min
ing will be carried on for the first year or
so. During this winter the method fol-
lowed will be drift mining. While this is
being done workmen will be engaged in ex-
tending the fumes from Trout creek to Eli
dorado bar. 30 that in spring the work of
hydraulicinq will be commenced. Instead
of the gems being the main product. gold
will occupy that place, and the sapphires
and rubies will be considered the by-pro-
duct. Both the gold and the gems will be
mined by the hydraulic process, the latter
being caught and saved in the undercur-
rent.
Thu work contemplated this winter will
necessitate the employment of a large num-
Der Of men and the expenditure of a great
deal of money. 1t will be the policy of the
to out and offer for sale only the
of tho stones. Heretofore there have
been but a very few rood Montana stones
for sale and fewer still ave bsen
properly cut. 1t was for the reason that the
gems can be more economically cut in Lon
don and better work done, that the COM
pany was tioated in England. There is an
idea that the property was offered by the
in New York. This is not SO, as
capitalists were never given a
chance at it.
Messrs. Cullen, Sanders q Shelton are
at work examining the titles to ths va
rious properties acquired, and as soon as
this is completed the papers will be sent to
London and the transfer completed.
THE DIRECTORS OPINIONS.
Thew Find the Claims of the Ownors nroro