The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-22
PLACERS IN MISS0ULA.
open Work Over, but the Owners
Will Put in the Winter
Drifting.
The Long Drain On Trout Greek
Promises to Do All It's Pro-
jeotors Hoped.
New Nsthe cd Of Takinr Oat Gold Rearing
Gravel That ID Hsiak Operated
Across the Border.

Special to The Independent.
MIssouLA. Nov. 21.-Pariiss recently 70
turning from Quartz and Trout greek
sspert that all open work In the
placer mines Of that district has ceased,
but a number Of miners are working or
drifting diaginss with fair success. On
Quartz creek, above The Salt Lake oom.
ysny's ground, The Aontsllieus brothers
are drifting on the bedrock and will work
all winter. Above thsn Tom Silverson.
Ensicn Il Co., md Fred West are drifting
In different portion Of the creeks bad, and
are reported 10 be doing we'll. Most OF the
uinsrs who we're placer mining du'in2 the
summer have loft for ether parts and will
not rstlrn until spring.
On Trout creek the long drain tunnel run
10 tap the bedrock channel 10 being driven
by two shifts Of men. A control OF this
property was obtained = faw months ago
by A. p. johnson, Alton Dicksrmsn and
Gov. Richards. Thirteen years ago
A. P. Johnssn aad others examined
tAs bed Of Trout ersak and tho numerous
sulehss smpsying into 1t. The tributaries
Of this stream nearly oil contained pay
gravel, which was worked more or less
extensively by the early miners. Some o.
The high bars ON the creek were also profit
ably work, bat all efforts by sinking to
strike the main channel wore unsuccessful.
Mr.. johnson and his partners concladed
that wealth awaited the party that oouid
tap the bedrock by . drain tunnsL. They
know il WAS . long undertaking, that IL
would require several years and eonsidera-
bic money. but it has proven To- De a maen
greater task than was at first exI eeted.
Zone Of the original owners have died.
Others, becoming tired Of the years
Of waiting and Of work and expense,
have sold out for greater or loss
sums, or have bonded their interest. until
Mr.. johnson remains the only one Of the
original partners retaining control OF his
into est. Each year the work has bsen
pushed 10 tho full ability Of the owners.
Som etiuss high points of bedrock were
crossed which showed a little pay gravel;
sometimes stretches Of quiekssnd would DO
encountered which woulu delay or obstrust
the wo.k. As a whole il has boen perhaps
the NEST difficult mining proposition ever
insuuurated md brought to Il successful
issue in Montana. Through all these yenrs
Of OK enss, with new difdculties and sources
Of delay continually arising. MIR. Johnson
has hung on ten sciously to his original
interest. He has always maintained that
Trout creek was the g;eat slalcsvay Tor ire
large scope Of gold bearing country as its
head and that tho bod oek channel whsn
drained 50 ss to b worked would amply
repay all tho expense OF the many years of
labor. For the last two years tho
indications have. as the work ad-
vanoed. been continually growing bette:
Patches Of rim rock occasionally showed
good gravel. A drift driven from rim 10
rim den onstrated the exact position Of tho
sAannsl and that every condition was ia
vorshls fer suoesssfal drainage. A few
months since an incorporated company
was organized and money was ebt@insd TO
continue the wsyk Oh . more srateRatio
chased and two shifts Of men were put TO
work ~ . point where the tunnsl left shs
rim rock, and q new drift started from the
old one and driven o n the edge OF the
bedrock on rim. As this drift advances up
stream the prospects improve and the con-
ahorA distance farther il must drain the
channel. and those who for so many years
have worked and toilsd will be able to pan
gravel fYsn bedrock on tho main channel
OF Trout creek. Several times II was
thought aad reported that the bedrock
had be.n 'sr.ek' bu. moro diff
nsi,.. jutsine on. from both : dks
of the guloh. The several Gross drifts that
have been run now demonstrate the posi-
ton Of the channel beyond doubt. Tss
head OF the drain has been paying we'll for
the last oar sets of tim bsrs. and she gravel
IL getting richer a. the work advances W
the creek. The company Owns a large
amount of ground. none Of which has been
previously worked.
n. s. Cook, a mining mnn who has re-
Gently returaed from O trip through tho
OkaaoGan county. tells of q curious min
ing proposition which he cav in operation
thore. He says it was an entirely new
method of mining to hin and probably
most old miners will be prepared to &C.
knowledge IS much. He statos that the
SinlasxneeRs river flows very rapidly foy
several miles above its mouth aud has
secured its bed cut of the solid
rock after boring out deep holes.
In places there are ~orsvisss in tho bed rock
down streams from thsse holes or behind
bends in the rive, but the nature ef the
stream is such that the channel can nat 10
tuned or drninea In aay way. TIE idea of
working these ~crsvicss by going dswa il a
diving suit oocuH ed TO a proppec.os who
had followed the occupation OF y diver.
This party sent to San Francisco for the
necessary outfit and getting men to assis.
hin esmmsn cad operations. When MIR.
Cook went up tho Sinlacamsene river he
saw tho dive: at work and describes the
operations as follows: Ihe water va ieD
from twonty to sixty feet In depth.
The diver gees down. taking With hin
= sack and some tools. The other men rs-
main in the boat, enc man tending to the
signals and tbs other two obsying his in
struotions. The diver hunts fer ~erevlees in
the bedrock. These he cleans out with a
Kind of a scrnpsr and puts the material into
tks sack. which 10 hoisted by the assist
ants. He can remain under the water lonQ
enough to send up fion two to tn &c saeka
of 81 svsl. The sack holds nbeut four pans
OF dirt. when q few hundred poards of
gravel has aocunulated 1t Is washed, and
generally yields from IL to S12 10 ths ran.
Ihs men talked freely with Nj. Cook and
let him wash 4 pan Of di-t. in which be got
about S3 worth OF geld. Ihe diver stated
that he had found shat where the holes In
the bed rock we're smooth and worn on tho
sides they contained little or no gold, bat
where the bedrock Wns rough and the crew
Ices were irregular and ragged they paid aim
very we'll. He had taken out as high Us $500
ont of one hols il the bod rock. Thai no
usually found the ~c.eviesa richest i1st be-
hind sems sharp point in q pend OF the
river and that only in a small DO tlon of
the river were .hs conditions favorable for
his work. There is about twenty miles of
the river that contain thcse spots and can
be worked In this Mannsr. The divsr must
the bed ock. ZONE Of these will Yield
handsomely and others contain little OF
nothing. The whole nature Of the work
excited Mr.. Cooks our!egi.y n he tool
the trouble to inquire of the pos.nssto. a.
GiFn fAtv a GVn al Sr-. a. 49, ~