The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-08-10
Effect of the Silver Depression in
Idaho.
THE TOWNS ARE DESERTED.
Stampede to the Snake River Placer
Fields.
Clerk MeIoy's Reorganization of the Value
of Property in Salt Lake County,.
c. NJ. L Pays Handsome Dividend
Yesterdays Ciearings-Notes.


correspondence HERALD = With the
degradation of the white metal and the
uncertainty OF it's fate came the closing
down of nearly every silver mine in
Idaho as in other western states, but that
fact has brought about curious condi-
tion of affairs.
Thousands of miners. thrown out of
work, have packed their blankets,
shouldered their picks and shovels and
repaired to the Snake river bars, and with
pan and rocker and Impoverished slices
are hard at work washing out the yellow
metal, and every man OF them
is making fair wages, $3.50 In yellow DUST
per day being the average yield for their
labor.
THE TOWNS ARE DESERTED.
Even the business men are leaving for
the goA fields of the Snake river, the
fields where so many have lost fortunes
and almost hope; but those now going
are of a different stamp; the present gold
seekers are working for bread and are
content with fair returns, while their
predecessors were seeking fortunes and
working on a large scale, putting fortunes
into bitches to secure water only to lose
the fine dust peculiar to the Snake river
country through an impression that it
MIA were when coarse heavy gold was
abundant.
THERE Is AN EXODUS
to the Snake river from every point in
Idaho, following reports from parties
who, as last resort, went to work
on some old bars on Snake river in
order to stay in the country near their
silver properties until something tangi-
bic could be learned as to what course
Congress would take on the silver ques-
tiol. a half dozen Wood rivers ana a
few scattering miners from upper Idaho
and the Salmon river country went to
work and were so successful that within
q fortnight there were thousand men at
work and today that number has been
doubled, the men being scattered from
above American Falls to the mouth OF
the treacherous Snake and still there Is
room for ten times that number with alb
5ointe assurance of all doing as well as
the majority of those now on the ground.
THE PLAcERs ARE UNLIMITED
in extent and are uniformly rich in flour
gold, but there are few places where more
than a rocker or pan may be used as
the waters may not be diverted from the
river except by fuming, owing to the
nature of the volcanic soils, and then
only in few places, as the banks are high
oept by long fumes.
THIRTY DOLLARS OF DUST
was taken out of forty-five yards OF dirt
last Saturday twenty-five miles down the
river from American Falls by Dan Swine
hart, Ed Taylor and Tom Ball Of Poca-
teIlo~ the three last days work
the three men. This was not an
exception as four Nampa men, q mile and
o half or SO above Walters Ferry beat that
record by half in one day last week, but
the gold was coarser and evidently q
pocket was struck.
While there has been little said regard
ing the movement it has become general,
and all who can leave their farms or bust
ness are
JOINING THE PROCESSION
of silver miners, and so far as heard from
all are doing well, and this assertion is
made in face of careful inquiry at every
point, and have just completed a trip as
lar west as Caldwell and Boise an6
through the Wood river country, ano
besides personally knowing many of the
old timers. All whom met readily gave
such Information as they had.
Among the most important preparation!
being made toward handling dirt on thu
Snake river is by the Swinehart- Tay lor-
Ball combination of Pocatello, who con
troll the waters of Fall creek, q miles be-
low American Falls, with which they in
tend working 700 acres, comprising
choice bar below where they will divert tn,
100 or so inches OF water from that stream
to series of half dozen sluices, each {,
be fitted with $50 copper plates, which
viii act as rifles. In addition to the Fal
creek water, this party intends takin.
water from Snake river by pumping, using
their mountain water as motive powe
before it enters the sluices.
From all evidences
GOLD MINING has REVIVED
on Snake river, and with 1t will come tn
settlement of all the little valleys coutig
nous and the bottom lands along tn
Snake, which means
HUNDREDS OF HOMES
where fruits and grain and vegetables O
every description can be grown, Will
aided by the alfalfa, the vast ranges vii
produce beef, mutton and wool for al
who take up their abode there, either a
gold seekers OF home makers.
]. w. S.
THE COUNTY VALUATION