The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-14
THE MONTANA K00TENA|.
The Result Of the Seasons Work
not so Good as the Miners
Hoped.
Had the Hard Times not Come on
the Story Would Have
Been Different.
Valuable Properties In the Fisher D'strlot
Libby Creek Plncers-Mu ch Expected
of tho Country Noxt Year.
Spocial to The Independent

lann kootenai have about all finished thel'
Issessment work for the season OF w. Inc
york during the summer has only besn sha'
alone. No extensive development work mas
bsen reported during the season. While 81
Ahe beginning Of the summer everybody mao
NIGH hopes OF what WAS to be expected dur
nc the progress Of thu summer. as a matter
Of fact the financial crisis had 'suoh an Of
,ect that little or NO attention was paid to
he undevelopsd properties of the Montana
Ko~otenai. There are known to sxiss IN TINS
region rich leads, but mp to tho pressus
lime. on account principally OF not having
the proper kind Of attention paid to them
people have been diverted from this vioin-
itv, and men OF capital do not stop long
,pouuh 10 sec what tho mountains mere
sontain.
Had not the money panic been 80 distrss-
tYous in its effect Libby could say TO- day
that she is tho most progressive town IN
Montana. Great things were expected OF
her last summer. A la'ge smelser vas 10
be erected; a concentration built mines
opened and developed until this section
would have been placed upon . solid foot
iux second to no town in Montana. BOT
xUct6hA u q bo"SSN
ing prosperity. this country 10 upon a level
with other parts OF the semmon ~eaisn.
Libby is still alive and il IL to be hoped she
will come forth in a few years stronger than
ever. with progress on every side OF ner ana
for a common purpose that OF aoolhH 70
She wealth Of our great state.
> The snowshos property. although consid-
cradle talk has been INDUCED in lately re-
Cardine a probable bond, hos not up to
date been taken. The proposition sub
nitted by the parties processing the y
was to erect u concentration neaf the n'no
and take stock in the mine for their money
consideration. However. your CO respond
cut gets it from, one OF the owners Of the
Snowshoe that the deal docs not look clear
for this season, as IL is getting almost too
late in the fall TO consider IL sincerely. II
it was the beginning OF the summer ~
would have n better look.
The Fisher mining region is bound to
attract attention next summer. Henry
Browelett has located several valuable
Quartz claims that show up we'll. Inc
. o~perties, Of course, arc all prospeetS. oae
it is encou aging to know that they are all
Tree milling GOLD. ms same man M
located seve al placer claims and VII. spend
next ummer in the Fisher district DOING
development work and interesting capital.
1t has been observed long ago that what
this county needs most are prospectors
who know something about mining. 1t has
been too frequently the case IN this section
the past summer with men who had other
methods heretofore Of earning a livelihood.
Of going Into a dist let and placing a no
tice here and there, without judgment and
knowing very little il ANYTHING about stalk
ing off a claim. In some instances men
have moved their claims until they were
upon the ground Of other pa ties. Ono man
was accused of moving a location three
times whenever il ccurred to him that the
lead ran in IA different direction. He had
his claim uron the rights of three other
lOcators.
It is only work of such nuisancss that
embarrass intelligent efforts. md work,
too, that is liable to cause men who are
working in good faith considerable trouble
and annoyanee. The Kootenat this season
had not a few men who t icd to work false
assess ment labor. Peculiar as II may ssen
to many. they have an idea that because
ehey were the fl ct in the country IL is q
privilege which they alone are entitled to.
Wn. Criderman has completed his work
up Libby creek. He has had a TO ce OF
men at work for several months past build
ing four-foot sIuice boxes and getting in
rsadine So for extensive placer Work ncxt
summer. The fall will carry about 1.50O
miners inches of water. and Mr.. G ider-
man expects big things next year. he has
expended about $4,000 in I'M provements
and work., and the other placer miners
working above him on the same creek are
of the opinion that he will never take out
in gold dust the expense he has undo gone.
He 10 backed by a Spokane company, how
ever, and will do his best to reimburse the
amount of money thus invested. Mr..
Criderman is now living at his
placer camp, having had a very neat
home constructed. lie sold the Poorman
mine in this region a year ago TO! $780, 900
and will have no trouble in keeping the
wolf from the door this winte. Roderick
md Cowsll have been doing some placer
work on the Kootenai ,iver. about four
miles west OF Libby. They soon found out
that it takes hard work to oven pan 50 PER
day, aud left the boxes Disguised yesterday.
1t may be stated in this connection that the
Libby crock placer miner does we'll X he
earns 81. 80 per day. Naturally they will
claim that big money is being made, but
"a a test some time ago, your correspondent
made an investigation by computing the
earnings OF several placer miners up Libby
creek and demonstrated to their own satis-
faction that in six Yeas Of hard labor oon-
sidsring all their dead work. they have
not averaged 81 peY day.