The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-01
FAMOUS ALDER GUlcH..
Estimated That at Least $4,000
900 Yet Remain in the
Gravel.
Since the Halcyon Days the Aver
age Annual Yield Has
Been 100000.

Been 100000.
The Largest Nuggets Of Gold We're Taken
From Drifts Run Into
Old Badly.
It ID seldom that one seeking investments
or other wise interested in tho great mineral
resources of Montana can be induced to In
vest beyond tho pale Of electric lights or a
Pullman palace car. The great railroad
towns and cities absorb all interest, and It
would really seem that there 10 more he's
fancy in penetrating our treasure bills forty
miles from railroads nowadays than IN
the case Of tho pioneer who punched bulls
over tho plains for passage money thirty
yesrs ago, says the Granite Mountain Star
This not intended in nature OF complaint
or negligence, but simply n ruminntion in
sizing up In comparison with the interest
manifested within earshot OF the locomo-
tive whistle. while the country 10 capable
of attracting and holding. the attention
Of pioneers is shelved as already extracted.
Let MS take the old placer ground of Alder
gulch as an illustration. with the aid OF
sufficient patience to wade through
a few statistical facts. and il il does
not nstonish even q few OF the old
residents. it will certainly furnish food
for reflection among our more progressive
neighbors. From we'll known shipments
per Wells. Fargo d Co., estimates OF local
banks, az shown by their hooks. and other
old time firms. $50. 0OO. 600 is considered n
very conservative estimate of the yield of
placer gold. 1t is more frequently given mt
about 500, 600. OCO from Alder Gulch alone.
The all absorbing question at present ia
the amount of gold remaining in Alder
Guloh after all these years of crude work.
ing.
il careful computation OF the cnhia CON
tents of the ground once drifted and being
worked over by s~luicing with limited
water. the virgin g,ound between the old
drifts, and the bars (particularly worked
or wholly untouched, but prospected) will
demonstrate q valuation OF about $40. 000,-
600 yet remaining. No one yet has been
able to estimate the lowest figures less
than 49, 600. 600. Included in this amount
about $4,000, 600 should be credited to the
bars, which have never been worked on &C.
COuu0 Oh VIC &uACN AAO0OlOAAAlu6 suo AL
tied water supply.
The gulch is worked for sixteen miles.
Eight miles below Virginia City, tho grade
averages 100 feet to the mile. Eight miles
above this point the grade reaches'dn ele-
walton of 1000 feet higher than tho town.
The highest atadegSfoF3 q Bedrock fume
would exceed four inches to the box, !. g.,
twelve feet, but in the lower part of the
guloh there are q few PLACES that would not
drop moro than two inches for a short dis
tanoe. In one or two"instances ono and
one-half inches is shown. but a long bed
rock hume would regulate that. The aver
age width of Alder guloh is about 200 feet
or over. The claim owners w4re conQre-
gated in such CLOSE proximity to each other
us to admit OF little or no dump privileges.
and during the time the gravel was worked
(better say disturbed) by drifting. the
wages were $40 per day. Now they are
from 81 to $3.50 per day. Drifting timber
Der could now be delivered at about $40
per 1000 feet. In most of the little dis
triots the local mining laws fixed the
boundary line exactly in the center Of the
gulch. and 100 feet was allowed for a claim
with the privilege only Of purchasing 100
and handled the debris over n over
again. in the small pits. or upon demand
Of the ne~iRhboring claim. Ground that
would not pay at least ono n ($l8) to
the man per shift was considered too poor
to work with profit. Only the coarse gold
nd richest pay streaks were sought. On
the lower bars water had to be purchased,
costing from 20 cents to 81 per miners
inch. 1t required an expert workman who
could put in two sets of timber per .day-a
set occupying four square feet. Six dollars
per cubic yard was not considered above an
average yield. Water was valuable and
nearly all the stripping was done by hand
with shovel and wheelbarrow.
Although the property owners are more
concentrated, the limited water supply will
only admit Of the same crude and OK
pensivs manner of s~luicine the old drifts
and neglected spots. The water supply
will average less than 250 miners inches
n is husoanded in numerous reservoirs.
Since the haloyon days, for the past fifteen
years. the annual yield shows an average
yield of $500. 600. In of years this amount
has been as low as 5000, 900. and in SONS in
stances a trife less. The net profits amount
to GO per cent, a. tho local books exhibit.
and when We take into consideration the
obstacles to contend with. these figures are
certainly phenomenal. There are now about
200 men employed in the gulch.
There is nothing peculiar in the general
formation of the country. granite or wash
gravel. The gravel is rather coarse. easily
handled and %soarcely any large boulders to
contend with. The present channel and a
number of low bars contain the gold depos-
its. The entire distance from Badly noun
tain 10 through an argentiferous az we'll az
auriferous quartz formation. but from the
east banks the entire country is covered BY
a heavy lava overflow. we bedrock form.
atoms exist in some places, but the lower
one has never been prospeoted. At certain
spots gold has been cleaned from q lava
bedrock, showing a little water action. The
gravel deposit is traced southwark towards
its source almost into and under Badly
mountain. The same character OF gold is
found on the opposite side whore the pros-
poets at present are very flatterinp. Pros
poets in drifts from the Alder RuIch side
show enormous rich results. but the flow of
water interrupted that mode of working.
Gold and silver bearing quartz are dis.
turbed in nearly every hillock. moan
tain ridge or ravine. bordering Alder gulcb.
Deposits of low grade free gold quartz
occur to the eastward, where the lava over
flow is penetrated by shafts, and also be-
yond where the lava terminates. The same
10 found at the head of tho Rulch. West
erly many small veins were exposed and
more or less prospeoted. They are big
lodges of Rneiss with quartz strata pretty
thoroughly minearlized. Generally speak
ing they show considerable displacement.
glacial action. Some Of the highest grade
silver. and refractory ores are quite COM
mon. But very little galena is found.
spurs and shoots of red oxide of IRON
stained, decomposed quartz matter. con-
tanning free gold, Is quite frequent. Do
composed mioaoious feldspar. containing
free gold, OCCURS in the strata underlying
the lnyA canning on thu east. - "