Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-22
GIVE HIM A CHIP.


''All right" said the drummer. and with fra
he pulled out some bills and said with blu<ter:
We'll. guess You may give me SlO0 worth Of
chips. sly look passed around the table
The men we're too polite to laugh but one OF
them said after half q moment ooh let him
come IN. give him chip, aud. to the surprise
OF the drummer he handed one chin for
his 600. As he looked from 1t to those on the
table. representing thousands. he concluded
that he d better stay out of the game and he
shrank perceptibly and apolosized and retired.
FOUNDED oS GOLD DUST
This city OF Helena contains about %. 900 pso-
pie and it is founded on gold dust. Ii has .
fine buildings you will find in any city Of
a hundred thousand in the east and thev are
built along the edge OF the mountains Inning
each side Of great gullies The main street Of
Helena runs down a ravine known as the Last
Chance Gulch. and from under its paved side
walk thirty million dollars worth of gold was
taken. The city is built on what was once the
most famous placer diggings of the United
States, and all about IL you see the gravel
which had been thrown up and washed out for
gold Even today il Is not uncommon in build
ing house or q business block TO find enough
gold in the foundations 20 erect o
great part OF the building. and not long ago
a man found q thousand-doliar pocket while be
was excavating . cellar. The country about
here for miles IN every direction contains gold,
United States are within q short distance from
Helena New mines are being discovered every
now and then and old ones are being revoked
with profit i visited the government ASSAY
Office here this afternoon and saw there q block
of gold about big rs a Scent loaf of bread,
which Was worth Sc, 900. II had Just come in
from the Old Peaobscot mine. which has been
lying idle for years, but which has been re-
opened and is now paving well IL 10 located
about twenty miles north of Helena and Was
discovered by an old fellow by the name Of Ma
thaniel Nestal years ago. He sold il for
100000, took his money TO Wall street
to teach the bulls and bears how to speculate.
OF course he failed. The mine was again sold
later on for So 900. the lead seemed 70 be
played out. and became the property OF . man
named Longmaid. He did nothing with IL. but
his two sons urged him to work IT. He would
not do it and they bought the mine OF him.
This Was about four months ago and this week
they have brought in this S22. 900 biscuit IL
is the same with other mines and though Mon
tans turns out millions upon millions of dol
lars worth OF precious metals every year the
mountains are believed to be full Of undevel-
oped mines and prospectors by the hundreds
will start out this spring.
FORTUNES IN NUGGETS.
Right here about Helena some of the most
famous placer mining OF the past was done.
Along about the close of the war many men
made fortunes. and one nugget Was taken out
which was worth S59. and another. 90 am
told. was worth more than 81 600 One of the
banks here has q half peck OF gold nuggets and
a collection OF them Will be sent from here to
the worlds fair. Inc chief mining nov done
In Montana Is quartz mining, and IL takes for
tunes to get the metal out and to reduce IL.
There are between thirty and forty great
quartz mills in Montana and some of the lArg-
est mills of the kind in the world found in
this state. A great deal OF the mining prop
erty and the mills owned by English capi-
talists. This is the case of the Drumlummon
mine, not far from Helena, out of which more
than %. 00o, 900 worth Of ore has been taken.
This mine discovered by Thomas Csruse,
placer miner who was banning ous from % 70
S100 day when he discovered it. This vas
about 1876. He sold il In 1883 20 an Engnsh
COMPANY for g 500, 000, of which he got 81 500
600 IL cash.
MONTANA sAPParREs.
IL ID not far from this Drumlummou mine
that the famous Eidcrado bar Is located where
the sapphire mines are nov being worked. I
during the coming season. and that their gems
will be placed upon the market next year.
About go 900 worth of them were sent TO Lon
don last year and we're there set with other
precious stones and placed on exhibicion-
They were pronounced by experts 10 be stones
Of the fneet quality. and have met nuraber
of men here wearing stones which they told
me we're worth from ESQ TO sl00 apiece
These mines are owned by the Sapphire and
Ruby Company. Ltd IL ID m English cor.ors-
ton which has . capital Of over q. 900 600 and
it Il thought here that the property 10 Q valuabls
one. fRANK q. CARPExrRa