The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-15
he Gems In tho Vicinity Of Helena
Are Now Attracting the
Worlds Attention.
low the Prediction OF Sapphire
Collins" Has Been Verified
Aftor Many Years.
kxtsnt OF the Finds and Some Of the
Owners-HelenA Mcn who Are Great
Admirers Of the stones.

ldorado bar, ON the Missouri river, twelve
lilies away. He insisted they were Of
alus, and bothered the bankers and every
he else with them. But, az President
[ershGsld, Of the Merchants National
ank, says, everyone was looking for gold,
nd placer gold at that. and no a paid
ny attention to Collins gems. The sub
bct finally was . manis with him. he boz
anne almost, il not quite, dsranRed. and
nally died without having his discover
ppreolated. As the years passed miners
nd others picked up tho prsttiest stones
hey could find in the ~sluicss. and in some
asses they were sent snst and cut. Geo: 81.
'oots took quite an interest in the matter
nd nix or seven years & wrote an article
pr the Century Magazine on the Eldorado
apphirss. Locally the subject attracted
ut little attention. and while some few
eople had the stones cut n set, there
las little demand for them. In the mean
me Gov. Hansen and others interested with
Inn we're mining on Spokane Bar for
old, throwing away with tho tailings
uantitios of the stones every day. In
teosmber, 1887. Geo. 4. Kung, the expert
Tiffany d Co., of New York, in an illus
rated article in Harper's Monthly, entitled
Precious Stones in the United States,"
,ade q most factoring mention Of the Mon
mi sapphires, telling Of their colora and
u~alities.
This article attracted considerable atten-'
ion to the Montana sapphires and among
bose who became interested was +. D.
pratt, q wealthy gentleman from Aichi-
an, who had recently bought q placer
aim on Trout creek, not far from Eldor
DO bar. He washed out q lot Of the stones,
bsted them in various ways. and nnally
included they were gems. Then ne .. began ger
bttlsd on Eldorado bar and entered and
urchassd other property ON other bars
n both sides Of the river. II
ost lots Of money, and while
Q was doing it the old miners
no had lived in the vicinity for years
oldinQs and bpratt continued to buy He
bnt stones to London to be tested, and the
eturns justified him in his belief that they
ere valuable and proved that Sapphire
tollins," in 1865, was not half 90 crazy A.
% was given credit for being. Somsthing
yer : year ago .. x. btreetsr. 2 LONDON
xpsrt. came to Montana and examined the
elds. His report was most favorable. and
a. to the effect that the sapphire finds in
he vicinity of Helena was the most i'm
ortant discovery of modern times. By
mis- time, however. Helena people were be-
inning TO appreeiats the value Of the Rems
nd a large number were being sent east to
. cut. Tho price had also largely
acrsased. and it was no uncommon thing
Dr. stones uncut to bring S5 to $lb, where
ormerly there Was no sale for them what
ver.' Cut stonea were readily sold for
rom $40 to $50, and some as high az 500.
!. b. jaoquemin and the John Steinmetz
n-a1rv NNrNp,nrv haONn tn garry fn0m IN
took, and orders came in right along Tor
ertain settings. Among the handaomest
these was one made by the Steinmetz
ompany fer Mrs. s. 4. Hauser, sapphires
cling set with diamonds:
During this boom in the Montana
apphire business prospeetors and locators
ke1e not idle and the result ia that to-day
or 4 distance of fifteen miles on the Mis-
ouri, from near Hilger's ranch to Aneri-
an bar, there ara claims taken up. said to
ontain sapphires. But it is on Eldorado
Jar they are found in the greatest abun-
ance, while Spokane bar also contains
asst quantities. S
1t was finally decided by the Spratt COM
ANY to dispose of their sapphire interests.
r to form a company in London, work the
elds systematically and get the Montana
roduct on the European market. A pros
ectus was issued, and when the promoters
AID they controlled 1000 acres OF
0RPAAAO 0AN A~SJ - -.
h Montana, near Helena, that the
tones were pronounced genuine BY experts,
he British capitalist began to doubt. So
Incredible did the story seems that Gov.
,oole was appealed to by the English to
erify the statements. Ths foreigners
immense fields of %sapphirss and rubies
hould exist SO near Helena, and yet the
eneral governments did not in some official
kay refer to them. Now, the newspapers
the east and the financial journals have
aiken it up, and at last the Montana sap
Sughly familiar to the world at large.
But while the outside world il learning
omething about the fields and the stones
Helena may as we'll gain 4 little more in
ormation than is now possessed by the
majority. The fields, as said before, are
ocatsd twelve miles from Helena, on both
idss Of the Missouri. The Spratt COM
any owns and controls something over
our thousand acres, the Eldorado has
round being patented, and the rest en-
cred under the mineral laws. The Spo-
kane Bar company, of which Gov. Hauser
Ind other officers Of the First National
bank are members. has . great deal OF pat
ngs are now being worked on shares for
he stones in them. w. n. Mackey and
klbcrt Zsigler have taken mp 1900 acres on
Spokane and American bar; Carl Klein
)chmidt and others at various places have
aiken up 1000 acres. j.. s. Tooker and
ohm b. CIayberg have 100 aoreS on Spo-
Kane bar. Besides these there are numer-
bus parties with claims running from
wenty to sixty acres. Most of the prop
Srty is now under bond. Ii used to be that
he bars were valued for the gold In them;
how no attention is paid to the yellow
metal, but ia conferred on the stones.
Mr.. Spratt, who is now living in Helena,
lad his attention called the other day to
he interest tho operations of his company
was creating in the east n in London,
Ind his reply to a request to allow an IN
DEPENDENT representative TO look over his
ground was one Of hearty accord. A letter
20 Alex Macauley, his representative. was
written, and the wish expressed that the
Plnglishmen would come over and look at
(he property"
Ii is about a two hours drive from
Helena, and Alex Macauley, tho manager,
was found at work on Spokane bar with
Beven men. First we went to where the
non were taking out the gravel which CON
aimed the gems. This particular bar was
hp a steep hill, 100 feet or mors above the
liver. Bed rock In about six feet below the
surface. All Of the dirt to within ak
OF bod rock is thrown TO one side IA
The gravel or dirt from the
Xix inches is passed through two sievep. a
very coarse aud a very fine one The stones
II the first one are thrown away, tho sand
Passes Through tho second one, while the
tmaller stones run down into a box at the
POTION of the frat screen. The smaller
ttonos are then sacked and the sack carried
|lown to the river. There they are caught
u a box. and from ii shoveled into another
box with Il wire bottom. This box aets in