The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-21
Montana Has a Record That Other
Sections Might Copy
After.
Figures Showing the Golden Leaf
Company Ia Away Below
tho Average.
The Employment off Skilled Mon and the
Most Careful Management Arc
What Did 1t.

rounds of the mining press OF the country,
showing how cheaply ore 10 mined ana
milled at Douglas Island, Alaska: "lhe
Alaska Treadwell mine mined and worked
12O,O 600 tons of ore at q total cost OF Sl.32
per ton. The mining was 65 cents; milling
and concentration 80 cents; and chlorins-
ton of 2,7O3 tons Of sulphursts 10 cents. or
r.. AZ per ton of sulphurets. General mine
expenses were eight cents and expenses in
San Francisco two cents per ton. Bullion
freight and insurance amounted to five
cents per ton"
This 10 undoubtedly cheap work, but
when We consider that at tho Treadwell
mine the ore is quarried rather than mined,
and that the company has a 4OO-stamp mill,
which, by operating on such a gigantic
scale, ia able to do work at the least posi-
BILE cost, the expense of producing gold
in the properties of the Golden Leaf COM
rany. Of London. England, at Empire,
twenty-five miles west of Helena. Montana,
will bear favorable comparison with the
cost at the Treadwell mine in Alaska. This
statement may surprise many miners and
mill-men In the Rocky mountain region.
The Empire property consists OF three
principal claims, two upon what 10 known
a. the Empits vein. and one. the Whip
poorwill, on q vein Of that name. parallel
to the Empire vein, and lying lOW feet
north. Both veins lie almost east and
west, the Empire dipping to the south and
tho Whippoorwill to the north. The ore in
both veins is composed Of very hard. close
grained quartz, traversed by seams varying
L. -:Jkh f~1co nv 1uoh IN kU0 fAAk CARVING
soft. decomposed ore. usually richer in gold
than the quartz. The veins are large and
stt but the Empire contained BY far
the greater amount Of rich ore. Thu ore
bodies In each vein. rich enough to work
with profit, are exhausted.
These properties were worked by men
who located them. treating the ore in ar
~rastras, Afterwards the Empire company,
of London. pu, chased them and erected q
sixty-stamp mill to treat ths ore; but the
richer ore soon becoming exhausted. work
on the properties ceased for ssvera! years.
The Golden Leaf company succeeded the
Empire company. and in 1890 work was re-
sumsd upon them undsr the management
Of Mr.. j. Henry LonRmaid, who employed
his brother, Mr.. Frank LonRmaid, to assist
him. Later. Henry going to Bsnnack to
s%uperintend tho property of the company
there. FRANK became su0 IuhudQoE ~ LW-
piye. but, Of course. under the general
direction Of his brother. Some time WAS
spent in getting the properties in working
order, and In November. 1880, the mill was
started, great difficulty being encountered
on account Of the scarcity OF water. that
year being q very dry n .
During the year 1891 there was treated in
the mill 80. 700 tons of ore, and though
there was about 1,5OO more tons broken in
the slopes. the cost of mining was calcu-
lated upon the number of tons Of ore
worked, The number Of tons treated was
fixed by weighing as often as it was deemed
necessary, (never less seldom than twice a
month), The ore in the tramway cars even
full. The men Whc loaded the cars were
instructed to keep them as near as possible
sven full, and both the loader and receiver
reported the number Of cars sent to and
received at the mill, and any considerable
variation in the amount of ore in the cars
was also noted. The moisture was often
calculated and deducted from the wet ore,
and it was fixed that each carload con-
tanned five and three-eighths tons of dry.
ore. The ore from the Bell Boy, which was
purchased in 1892, was weighed in the
wagons and the weight Of the moisture de-
Quoted.
The writer examined the items in the ac-
counts of the mine and found that the cost
of mining and milling a ton Of ore was as
follows: