Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-04-01
AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING.
Miners and Business Men Of Custer and
Vicinity Get Action on Them
selves.

4
One hundred or more of the miners
and prospectors of this district and few
Of the business and professional men oi
Custer assembled at the court house last
Saturday evening in response to the call
published in the columns of the Chronicle
ofthe 18th inst. The meeting was called
to order by F. NJ. Hughes, one of the
leading spirits in the movement, and
upon motion ID. w. McFadden was
made permanent chairman. G. w.
Robbins, whose open letter to the min
ers had inspired them to action, was
called for, and in q brief address he
stated the object Of the meeting and
clearly outlined a plan Of procedure
which he believed to be altogether
feasible. For the benefit Of those who
did not attend the meeting, and beliey-
ing that they can obtain from Mr. Rob-
bins talk complete understanding OF
the purpose of this convention or mass
meeting, we publish the address. Mr..
Robbins said
Mr.. chairman, ladies and gentlemen,
L believe the object of this meeting is
generally understood. We have met
together TO exchange views and opin-
ions, and to see il we cannot hit upon
some scheme whereby we may by CO.
operation and concert Of action accom-
plIsh thing which we must acknowl-
edge we have not been able to do by
OH pa,la aHarf NA..y 60 II n.
this to say. / like this country, and
believe you will all bear me witness,
that have done everything could to
bring its resources into notice, to induce
capital to come and see what we have,
and to take hold, develop our mines,
and bring prosperity to this community
who have waited so long that hope dc
fered maketh the heart sick" And
when say this for myself, l say it like
wise for you who have shown your faith
by your works, and have stood with me
by the Southern Hills through good and
evil report.
Now, in approaching the business we
have ia hand, l want TO say that the
published notice announcing this meet
ing was very unfortunate in its wording,
although l can but commend the public
spirit of the men who started it, and
also the men who signed the call. l
never saw it and never signed it. l
could not subscribe 70 that par. which
reads, that the meeting was called to
settle the question of there being any
gold mines in this part OF the Hills"
This l say. though we'll meant, was un-
fortunate, for II true it would imply
either that our veins were very poor, or
that our prospectors were all very foolish
to stay by their Gains for sixteen years
without knowing that they had any
thing of value, or else that our miners
had been idle all these years. There is
no question about our having gold mines
in this district, and good large veins too,
which have been SO frequently tested
and shown so high an average AS to
prove beyond any question that We have
mines here, and plenty of them that
will pay, and pay well with 2ropsr
process aud a plant located in proximity
TO the mines. That part of the business
has long been settled in my mind, and
do not need, and l do not want any
further assurance Of that fact. regret
exceedingly that my name has been
used in this connection in the manner
in which it has, not as signer, but as
one having suggested the sentiment con-
yeyed in the call, in my ''open letter to
the miners and prospectors OF the South
ern Hills" published in the CHRONICLE
some weeks ago. 1t was mistake, and
it seem that have been entirely mis-
understood.
My idea is this, that inasmuch as we
have no plant TO treat our higher grade
quartz or silicious ores, and the great
cost of treating these ores in a smelter,
that our miners would do we'll to COM
bine together and select some mine that
yields the highest grade in gold and
the largest quantity of pyrites of iron,
AS the smelter will treat this character
of ore free of cost and give you all the
gold and silver there Is In it, while their
charges tor treating silicious ores would
be about SIS per ton. This is the idea
in nutshell, and the essence Of my
published letter.
Now it il understood by all miners
that to mine for pyrite proftably you
must get below water level where the
iron has not been oxidized by the &C
ion of the atmosphere. Yet, notwith-
: landing the mistake has that been made,
am glad this meeting has been called,
and likewise glad to see it so well at
tended. 1t is high time that we should
AS community bestir ourselves and hit
upon some scheme to derive some bene-
fit from our slumbering mines. Not in
the distant future, but in the immediate
present. Not next year, but this spring.
This, as / view it, will not be difficult
matter. There are number Of mines
of this character around Custer where
the development has already nearly
reached that stage. For the guidance
Of the convention will mention q few
which think can be brought to pay
with very little labor. The Grand juno
tion. The Old Bill, belonging to II. N.
Ross The Hope So, belonging 10 T. l.
Wheeler; The old Red, White and
Blue; The Omega, belonging to ID. w.
Webster 4 Co. A large vein Of iron
pyrite near Dansby, belonging to John
ston X Barnhart, and another in that
vicinity called the San Francisco, be-
longing to VIM. Olds. The names Of all
do not just now remember. And au-
other, The Old Doc mine, near Crow
creek. This is large vein, and accord
ing to what Prof. Riotte once told me,
after he had examined and tested the
ore, "rhe Old Doc will 90 $50 per ton,"
but whether he intended treating il by
the smelling process he did not say. l
only know that it is large vein of iron
pyrite and has already q good many
tons Of ore on the dump. There is an
other, and perhaps the nearest to the
town called the Promontory, belonging
to Judge A. T. Feay and c. w. Robbins.
The pyrite begins to come In at depth
OF 2 fssi. and the vsin Is full Is feet ia
width. The facilities for mining are
excellent. The ore is in tale slate and
easy TO work, and the haul to the rail-
road IL about two miles 70 Custer depot
over good road. In regard to tho last
named mine l claim no precedence,
neither on my own account or that Of
my partner, but committee should be
appointed to examine these, and per-
haps many more which have escaped
my attention, and make their report at
q future meeting. sincerely hope that
our people will take an interest in this
matter. IL 10 idle to hope for outside
capital to come in and do this for us,
that chance will still remain, but / speak
Of something that we can and must do
for ourselves 10 start the car. II viii.
not hinder capital from taking hold be-
cause they see US exhibiting conf
dence in our own properties, but on the
contrary IL will stimulate them, and they
will be glad enough to take hold with
xsa hos thai t~ksny s>non~ss oN<>s.~