The Helena independent., 1893-12-30
WORK THE PLACERS,

As our silver mines may not employ
as many mon as in former years. not q
few good miners will be in want Of
work. Since. when silver pays less, gold
will pay more, when silver goes down
gold will 20 up-and since our silve,
and lead are not in favor just now, and
gold is the great money metal and the
arbiter of all values in all the markets
Of the world, it is wise to mine gold.
AS shown in q previous number we
have Thousand gold prospects and
mines now idle for want of capital and
labor. With such openings for labor
and labor's highest reward. no miner
should be idle. But we proposed to
speak Of our placers.
Alder gulch has been worked for
thirty years, and men are still making
fortunes from their claims in it. The
lower and wide end of the gulch, never
deemed so rich as the upper portions,
and upon which many tailinga from the
upper mines have accumulated, has
swarmed with miners for the last twenty
years working over the old ground and
that neglected in the early days.
Now there are in the state vast num-
ber of old placers which would furnish
as good mining ground as the lower and
poorer part Of Alder. While some Of
these have, like Alder, been worked
down to the present time, the many have
been abandoned for many rears. Nearly
all Of these could be worked over with
great profit. Our miners now have
more knowledge and skill and the in
ventive genius Of the age has furnished
mining implements and machinery far
in advance Of the primitive rocker and
sluice box.
And besides, in the old time, the min
ers took up their claims across the
gulch; 80 that each gulch was divided
up into many separate properties. This
division Of the gulch into distinct claims,
made the mining far more difficult and
expensive and less exhaustive and prof.
liable. Each one was compelled to take
care OF his own tailings and not run
them upon the claim below, where they
would naturally 60.
But now when whole guloh can be
mined as one property or under one
management, the entire placer can be
washed out far more perfectly and at
much less cost by the use Of the bed
rock flume, the little giant, or other i'm
proved machinery suited to each gulch
and its water supply.
Where ono party can not control the
whole gulch and the necessary water,
all the parties might unite and each
furnish labor in proportion to his share
Of the property and proceeds. In this
way nearly all our idle plaoers could be
worked out with. fair profits and many
OF them would yield comfortable for
tunes, and few like the Grasshopper
Alder and Priokly Pear, would certainly
prove perfect bonanzas.
There are enough of these placers and
gold prospects and mines in the state to
give suoh employment to ten thousand
miners as would feed and clothe them
selves and families and fill the channels
OF trade with golden eagles, the onlv
bird now in favor with the most of the
money kings Of the land. 1t is almost
certain that besides the fair wages OBJ
tained by most of these miners, some
would make small fortunes, and the few
would be transferred to the ranks of tbe
money kings. Why not? That would
be better than want. 1t is better to
preside in bank parlor than to loaf
hungry and ragged in saloon, better to
ride in the luxurious bed Of tho presi-
dents car than on the axle under n
freight car. Remaining idle, we shall
soon join the hungry thouesnds, the