Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1893-01-27
LETTER FROM Elk CITY
That the Honest Miners of the
Great GOid Camp Of the Bit
fer-R Root Range are Doing.
Elk CRY, Idaho. Jan. %. '93.

L'N VIZ, Iudllo. Jan. I'd, ID.
EDITOR FREE Press :-Apprecia
ting the great interest you take il
the development of Idaho count,
has prompted me to visit the differ
ent points in the camp where work
is going on and report the same.
At the California we found work
progressing like clock-work under
the able management of RI. Brow
nell, assisted by George Blaine
Bert Cummings and John Girch.
man. The tunnel is now in about
800 feet and being driven night and
day with two men in each shift
The ore extracted shows antimonial
silver plainly and is of good grade
Every indication gives assurance
that when the large chimney of ore
is reached which crops out at the
discovery that this claim can make
regular shipments of ore and of very
high grade. In addition to the work
on the tunnel Mr.. Brownell has
built an addition to the dwelling
house and good blacksmith shop
shed over mouth of tunnel. Saw-pit
has good supply of mining tim
bers, car track, fuel, in fact, every
thing is in first-class shape and a
treat to the experienced eye.
At the GreenhOrn found John
Duffield, Matthias Lauer and James
A. Mitchell hard at work driving a
large working tunnel to cut thevein.
The face is in iron-stained granite
clay and very moist, all of which
are good indications of the near APP
proach of the vein. They propose
to keep the Greenhorn in the front
ranks and will drive 100 feet of
tunnel during the next month. All
their work is being done in the most
substantial manner and would be
tirst-class in any large camp.
At the Cleveland group work is
suspended for the winter. The large
Consolidation Tunnel has reached
the l25 foot point and a few shifts
work will cut the Cleveland vein.
The tunnel is as straight as a line
can make it, is timbercd with TO-
inch timber from mouth to face and
Jagged close. With the pit-sawed
track and fine tunnel-car the own
crs are III shape to soon prove that
they have one of the best gold
mines in the northwest, and next
year will do so.
Across the creek the same par
ties have driven large working
tunnel 55 feet and cut the Golden
Crown vein. The vein is of good
size and regular, and shows GOOD
quartz. To reach the rich pay chute
they will have to drift some dist
ance on the vein, which they pro-
pose doing this year.
The Cleveland placer claim has
been improved by the completion
of the enlarged ditch, and in the
spring the owners will be found
hard at work developing their pro-
perty with the assistance of 500
inches ofwater from Crooked river.
At the Lille May they have dri-
ven l25-foOt tunnel and suspend
ed work until spring. Rumor has it
that Messrs. vanHook and Hall are
arranging to place a mill ON the
if the county will build a
road so they can get it in. A short
time ago the owners of this proper
~ remarked that they figured their
investment good for So for every 81
Invested, and the only difficulty
was the lack of II wagon road.
At upper Red river meadows S.V.
bressler is driving Il tunnel to pros
poet his claims. He expects to get
~ 100 feet if hard work will do it,
md show up as good vein as there
$ IN the camp. Sam is u rustler.
md we hope he makes million.
At the upper Red river meadows
VIM. Ryan is hard at work. He is
'lways the same genial, patient
oiler, but very conservative. We
AVE seen returns from some of his ;
luartz that run up in the hundreds. I
nut could not notice that it made
ny difference with him. Y
George Blaine will soon return |
o the Blanco with Il crew of men. {
nd after running surface tunnel ,
w feet or more to prospect the a
Elm, will continue work on the
over tunnel until it cuts the vein. [
his Is the largest and longest tun- t
el IN camp, and all hope that o
George will reap his reward when |,
cuts the vein for his nine years v
hard work in Idaho county. |,
At Galvin's camp all is quiet, a. V
altlng the spring Rumor has it G.
nat the company will purchase n
'me quartz claims this summer, q
'ect mill and drive it from the V
over on the dredgc during the
inter months, t,
At the Buster they have lust |
covered ditch and well h
supply the mill with water-the h
tention being to start the mill as Il
on as the weather will permit in 81
e spring. IN the meantime they et
e getting out timhors and expect eli
run the consolidation tunnel pl