The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-10-08
According to Experts 1t Is the Best
Found West of the Mississ-
ippi River.
Wide Veins That Can Be Traced
for Miles on the Upper
Ruby.
Big Traffic for n Railroad Which the feo-
nile Are Determined to Have
Before Long.

state. il not In the norhnWest.
The writer has camped for the past
six weeks On the upper Ruby, along the
famous gravel range and on the hne OF the
carbon belt. Taking Badly mountain as
the initial point. the lime formation be-
comes more pronounced until, passing
Sheen mountain, q contact occurs whore
the RUBY river outs the range below the
confluence of Warm Springs creek. Here
the granite and sandstone ranges Jake their
separate courses, forming the boundary
of some Of the most beautiful, park
like and fertile valleys in the Rocky mount
aims. This low hills constitute az thls tinle
the finest stock ranges In MISUNDERSTANDING
fully recupernted from the effects OF over
stocking and received the dement's OF the
two past favorable seasons.
The largest bituminous coal formation Is
continuous from near Sheep mountain, tol-
lowing the valley southerly for sixteen
miles, reaching a point at the summit IN
the direction of RED Rock, and will aver
age two miles in width. Near Warm
Spring Creek County Attorney Clark and j.
II. Davis are running a tunnel with a view
of tapping a two-foot vein. and have also
developed from eight to sixteen inches OF
fine coal in different places. AT this imme-
diats point, however, considerable dis
placement exists in the country rock, and
the exhibit is not as satisfactory as 1t should
be. At Lazy Mans creek. three miles fur
Their up the river, a fine sixteen-lnch vein Is
exposed. Thence on coal appears IN small
streaks wherever the soil has been dis
turbed by slides or rain, and in no place is
there any evidence of prospecting work
until the Three Forks are reached. On the
middle fork, about forty-two miles from
Virginia, a small earth slide exposes thirty
three inches of solid coal of the best quality
west of the Mississippi river, according TO
the authority of Prof. Mills, the Northern
Pacific railroad expert. 1t lays compara-
lively tiat (about twenty-five degrees), has
clean, heavy walls and with no Indications
OF disturbance, or in miners parlance,
everything absolutely in place. tracing
this big vein nearly a mile it is again ex-
posed three feet in thickness. In each in
stance she strata of d~ecomposed, dark slate
matter between the pure coal and hanging
wall would indicate the existence OF at
least four feet in thickness at a slight
depth. In coughing out three feet 1T i'm
mediately improved in weight and bright
ness. 1t burns freely, ID a great success in
the blacksmith's forge, contains a very
small per cent of sulphur and a high per
cent coking. Small veins. a few inches
thick were discovered at intervals of a few
hundred yards, in three places on the hang
ing wall side. On the foot wall side, q dis
lance of nearly two miles up the mesa, a
sixteen-inch vein of the same quality is
shown.
Thu country is open and one can drive in
q buggy over the length and breadth of the
deposit described. Still another coal belt
,a- tIA r~rth ENrl nf Warm
Spring creek, extending over foul miles.
One place was developed near the Carruth-
er's placer diggings and about three tons
extracted below the water level, n Was
subsequently used in the forge. 1t ls equal
to the first named in quality and Is a four
foot vein. but the middle carries about ten
inches of brown slate matter. This is evil
IDENTIFY an independent belt, sincet the lime
formation divides it from that of the Ruby.
While ON the coal subject, the writer's curl
osity was excited by the appearance of a lit
tie light slate colored plant, with a long
succulent top root and a cabbage like head,
about the size of a silver quarter. IL grew
in this particular district only. where coal
existed-not in the coal formation as we'll
and was the means in several instan ces of
coal discovery. The name of this queer lit
tie ~nondescript was not ascertalned.
So much for the coal outlook in Madison
county, without reference TO the four-foot
veins reported on the upper Madison river.
The experts who examined into the matter
five wears since were not cogniZant of the
vast extent. nor of the quality, and it be-
hooves Madison to claim the cake in the
merits of the latter, as the best west of
the Mississippi" until successfully contra
dicted.
A railroad would have a picnic in the
matter Of grade up the Ruby river. But
we are asked by the conservative heads,
srniI &ln aptant re Rnnl Hanau1f Inufifr q
railroedP' 1t can be answered only by an.
other query: In the name of Rip Van Win
kie how much coal does IA railroad expect,
to make it pay? just as we'll question the
present or probable future market for the
commodity. Every spring when the last
snow furry makes the little daisies shiver
our people resolve we shall have a railroad,
and it is whooped up for twenty days at
least. In justice to the more earnest ones,
it is we'll to mentor that next spring will
develop a project that will stick, SO far as
demoustrating the fact that some compan
will have to strike quick to secure the
price 1t 10 proposed that local capital
and labor contribute sufficient to grade
tsp or twenty miles and open negotiations
with the company who will offer the best
inducements. 1t is lmmaterial to the
county whether the Union Pacific system al
Dillon, or the Northern Pacific at White
hall, or Norris, secures the opening. II
will tap the best agricultural districts IL
southei Montana, make a success of in
numerable quartz proposItlons, besides tht
coal and many lesser lite ms of note. 1t IL
here suggested that the earth first be tn nee
for grade mp the Ruby from Sheridan
leaving the direction to either of the great
trunk lines open for the one most liberia
and expeditions. Surely, with the Lropel
showing of our resources, value of present
state of trade with the ground broken
would either of the great railroad corpo u
tiona, or outside capital Interested IN sucf
enterprises, have 10 be hit with the but
end of Bunker Hill monument to take TIN
hint2 Madison is not going to remain al
oyster for another thirty years, satisfied
with mortRageo factories as enterprises, ant
but a limited local market for the most fer
tile valleys in the state.
The existence of an old channel-the 30
called gravel range-extending south from
Old Badly, following the divide between
the Madison and Ruby valleys, is ques
toned by some of our pioneer placer miners
They say there is gravel and heavy waaI
clear through to the Snake river, and ligh
pi aspects of gold everywhere. While thi
Ia true, yet there is logic in the gravel rang
theory. because glacial action IS apparen
for thirty miles or more, and to il can b
attributed the wide spread gravel deposit
which nature has "salted'' promigcuoual
from her great golden reservoir in the oil
channel. In many of the draws of eithe
slope there Is good pay. WlRwam creek o
the Madison side is already an assured sut
cess. Mr.. Crockett's discoveries on a be
near the summit and adjacent to th
range prospecting of q Bozeman synd
cate are we'll worth the attention of an
company. The ground embraced in eiRi
claims, eighty rods wide, will pay from -.
cents to "a per cubic gard. Six feet