The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-08-15
Millions Have Boon Taken Out
and Other Millions Are
Yst Untouched.
In Early Days Only tho Richest
Bars Were Worked for tho
Yellow Metal.
Something About The Geological FormA-
tion Which Goes to Provs That
Madison 10 all Right.

vestigate beyond the pale of electric light
or = Pullman parlor car. The great raj
road towns and cities absorb all interes
and 1t would really seem that there il mol
hesitancy in penetrating our treasure hill
forty miles from railroad nowadays thai
inthe case Of the pioneer who punched bulls
over the plains for passage money thlrt
years ago. This ia not intended in natur
of complaint of negligence. but simply
summation in sizing MP In comparison Wit
the interest manifested within ear shot o
the locomotive whistle, whilst the countr
capable of attracting and holding the at
tention OF pioneers is shelved a. already ex
hausted. Let us take the old placer grount
of Alder euloh as an illustration. with tn
aid of sufficient patience. to wade through
few statistical facts. and if it does no
astonish oven some of tho old residents. !
will certainly furnish food for reflection
amongst our more progressive n%eighbors:
From we'll known shipments per Wells
Fargo & Co.. estimates of local banks. al
shown BY their books. and other old-tims
firms $50, 900, 600 ia considered a very con-
ssrvative estimate of the yield OF placer
gold. II is more frequently given at about
ono hundred million from Alder gulch
alone. The all absorbing question At pres
emit il the amount of gold remaining in
Alder gulch after all these years OF crude
working.
A careful computation of the cubic con-
tents of the ground once drifted and being
worked over by sluieing with limited water;
the virgin ground between tho old drifts.
md the bars-partially worked OK wholly
strate a valuation of about twenty million
dollars yet remaing. No one a. yet has
been able to estimate the lowest figure less
than eighteen million dollars. Included in
this amount, about five million dollars
should be credited to the bars. which have
never been worked on account of the gulch
~monopoliZing the limited water supply.
The Rulch is worked for sixteen miles.
Eight miles below Virginia City the grade
averages 100 feat to the mile. Eight above
this point the grade reaches an elevation of
1900 feet higher than the town. The high
est grade for q bedrock hume would exceed
Q inches to the box. l. g., twelve feet.
a few places that would notdrop moro than
two inches for a short distance. In ono or
two instances ono and ons-half inches is
shown, but a long bedrock fume would
regulate that. The average width OF Alder
Ruloh is about two hundred feet OF over.
The claim owners were conRregatsd in
q close proximity to each other ss to
admit OF little or no dump privileges, and
during the time tho gravel was worked
(better say disturbed) by drifting, the
wages we're $40 per day. Now they are
from s. to $3.50 per day. Drifting timbers
cost 81 q p%ieos-eight feet lengths. Lum-
Der could now be delivered at about $40
PER 1000 feet. In most Of the little dis
tricts the local mining Law liked the
boundary line exactly in the center of the
Rulch, and 100 feet was allowed for = claim
with the privileges only of purchasing 100
feet Lore by ths same owner. Here they
drifted and handled the debris over and
over again in the small pits, or upon de-
mand of the neiRhborina claim.
Ground that would not pay at least one
ounce ($18) to the man per shift was con-
sidered too poor to work with profit. Only
the coarse gold and richest pay streaks
were sought. On the lower bars water had
to be purchased. costing from rs cents to
81 per miners inch. 1t required an expert
workman who could put in two sets of
timbers per day-aset occupying about four
feet square. Six dollars per cubic yard
was not c%onsidered above an average yield.
Water was valuable, and nearly all of the
stripping was o by hand, with shovel
and wheelbarrow,
Although the property holders are more
concentrated, the limited water supply will
only admit of the same crude and e1pen-
sivs manner of sluioing the old drifts and
neglected spots. The water supply will
average less than $50 miners inches and is
husbacded In numerous reservoirs. Since
the halcyon days, for the past fifteen years,
the annual yield shows an average $500 900.
In Oft seasons this amount has been as low
as $2OO.OOO. or in some instances a trifle
less. The net profits amoun to 60 per
cent, as the local books exhibit, and when
we take into consideration the obstacles to
contend with these fRut es are certainly
phenomenal. There are now about 200 men
en- ployed in the Rulch.
There is nothing peculiar in the general
conformation OF the country. granite or
wash gravel. The gravel is rather coarse.
easily handled and scarcely any large
boulders to contend with. The present
channel and a number of low bars contain
the gold DEPOSITS. The entire distance
from Badly mountain is through an argen-
formation, but from the east banks the en-
tire country ls covered by a heavy lava
overflow. Two bedrock formations exist
in places, but the lower one has never been
prosreoted. At certain spots gold has been
cleaned from q lava bedrock, showing a
little water action: The gravel deposit is
traced southwark toward its source almost
into and under Badly mountain. The same
character of gold is found on the opposite
side. whore the prospects ct present are
very t1attering. Prospects in drifts from
the Alder Rulch side show enormously rich
results. but the flow of water interrupted
that mode OF working. Gold and silver
bearing quartz strata are distributed in
nearly every hillock, mountain. ridge or
ravlne bordering Alder guloh. Deposits of
low grade free gold quartz occur to the
eastward where the lava oqeriow ID pene-
trated by shafts, and also beyond where
the lava terminates. The same is found at
the head Of the gulch.
Westerly many small veins are exposed
and moro or less p ospected. There u 9 big
lodges OF Rneiss with quartz strata pretty
thoroughly mlnerallzed. Generally speak
ing they show considerable displacement.
This is accounted for by every evidence of
glacial action. Some of the highest grade
tests are from a combination of antimonial
silver. and refractory ores are quite com
mon. But very little galena Is found.
spurs and chutes of red oxide of IRON
stained. decomposed quartz matter con-
teininR free gold is quite frequent. De-
composed mlcscious feldspar. containing
free gold the size of a pin head, occurs IN
the strata undertaking the lava cappinp on
the east.
The formation Of Badly mountain ia
sandstone, heavily capped with limestone,
on top of which are fossil deposits. The
contact on the side of the mountain with
the gneiss formation ia very distinct and an
interesting study. Underneath this con
tact evidently passes the old gold bearing
gravel channel. The surface shows a larps
assure recently opened with every indica-
tion of active glacial action at the present
moment The largest nuggets of gold were
taken from drifts run into the mountain,
and where the last work was accomplished
the bedrock would frequently pitch striQht
down., then again appear in regular shape
in another place. This would indicate an
uudulStinO bedrock with Drodioious MT