The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-05-06
HAVE STRUCK BED ROCK.
Good News for the Men Who Have
Had Confidence in i Placer
Proposition.
After Spending q Hundred Thou
sand Dollars They Receive
Their Reward.
A Bitter Root Ditch scheme That win
Aid Miners and Eanchmen--Con-
iidence In the Cnrlcw.

M1ssouLA, May 5.-[Speoial. IA few
days sinae A. T. johnson received a tele-
gram that bedrock had been struck in the
big drain in Trout creek. Mr.. johnson is
a large owner in this property and has
been expanding monoy on it for seventeen
years The eulohss emptying into Trout
creek were many of them rich, and in a few
places where bedrock could be reached on
the high bars of the main creek they proved
rich In placer gold. The dust was very
coarse and contained many nuggets. Tho
greater part was always found on the bod
rock. The bedrock in the main channel of
the stream was never before reached. Sew
enteen years ago MIR. Johnson and several
others obtained title to a large tract of
land on this stream and commenced run
ming a drain tunnel to oatch the
bedrock, previous efforts to find it by sink
ing shafts having proved futile through the
large amount Of water coming through the
loose gravel. For seventeen years men have
been working on this tunnel. Some OF the
original owners have died and others took
their places. Mr.. johnson says it broke
him three times and the drain has cost over
800, 900 and two or three lives. But they
never lO6L COAAAEASC ~ ~ us -
suits if the bedrock could be reached.
Year after year each man put into the
scheme what he could spare over and above
his living expenses, and though otter rldl-
culod, they continued the work whene yer
thora was money enough among them to
pay the grub bills. The final result was
announced in the telegram to Mr.. johnson,
who for some time has been running Q store
At Superior. 1t was: 1--WE have struck bed
rock and it is rich. The tannel is now
shout 2,4Oo feet long, and the face is about
forty-seven feet below the suFfaca.'
One of the enterprises which promises to
be of Importance to the agricultural as we'll
a. mining interests OF the Bitter Root val
lsy is that of the Bitter Root Canal and
Mining ompany This company proposes
to dig a ditch from Rock creek to cover the
high bars in Three Mile and Eight Mile
creeks in the Bitter Root valley. Here
there are thousands of sores OF placer
ground, a very small portion Of which has
bsen worked, where a little water could be
obtained in the wet season. The gravel is
fine, containing few very large boulders,
and bedrock is from six to forty feet deep.
Lack of water has always prevented this
ground from being worked. Thu proposed
ditch is to be twenty miles long and will
deliver at the placer ground 5000 miners
inches Of water. Below the bars are a
great many acres Of good agricultural land.
on which, after being used in mining, the
water can be utilized for irrigation. The
preliminary work on the ditch has been
commenced.
The recently declared dividend By the
Helena & Victor Mining company has
given q stronger feeling among local in
vestors here. There are a humble Of Mis-
eoula people who have pus small amounts
into this stock, not as q speculation, but for
an interest bearing Investment, and most
of them could not we'll afford to loose.
The Curlew being one Of the first dividend
paying mines Of the county, its record is
closely scaned by would-be investors in the
mines of the vicinity, and other Missoula
county stocks are more or less affected by
depressions in the stock Of the company
owning that mine.
Rumors of an important strike in the
40O-foot level have been in circulation for
the past two weeks, but cannot be con-
frmed. Only officials of the company and
employees had access to the lower workings,
and These gay nothing regarding the show
ing in those levels.