The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1895-08-21
GIDBONSVI..LE NOTES.
Our Special CORES 1ondcnt Sends Us
Another NcTsy Letter
GihhNlS will Ann

people Of the outside world just now
Every day sees numerous additions
to her population, mostly men look
ing for work. Some of them get the
employment they are seeking, but
for a large number there is nothing
to do. A great many are constantly
leaving town, drifting on to other
places, but the population is increas-
ing at rapid rate-there being at
least 800 people here and probably
1000.
The prospects Of the place continue
to improve right along. The new
30-stamp mill Of the A. D. & NJ. Co.
will start operations the early part
of next week. Besides working their
own ore this company expects to do
considerable custom work and num-
Der of mine owners and small com
panies expect to work their proper
ties and have their ore milled at this
plant. ..t
The Cyanide company have a force
engaged in constructing an addition
to their mill which will give it ca
pacity Of 1885 tons in "a hours. The
excavation for the structure is COM
plete and the timbers are now being
framed 1t is understood that the
cyanide process used by this company
has not been an unqualified success,
it being too expensive for use on the
class of rock found here. AS soon as
the new works and roaster can be
completed, which will be within the
next 60 days, this process will be
abandoned and chlorination process
used. At their last pay day this
company paid out out about $4,000
and their their next pay roll will be
larger than any previous one. Work
has been commenced by them on a
tunnel which will be at least 5000
feet long when completed. They
have six claims on the hill south Of
town and the new tunnel will cut
through them all.
Work On the new road from here
to the Bitter Root was begun last
Monday with eight men and the
force will be increased to twelve
next week. The people here are in
dead earnest on this matter and if
the road is not built it will be the
fault of the people on the Montana
side Of the range.
Speaking of roads, the citizens of
Shoup are very much interested in
getting ngcommunication with the out
side world via Bitter Root. John
Rowe and James Laughlin, two
prominent citizens Of the camp, were
here week ago purchasing supplies
which they expect to take down Sal
mon river in a boat. At present
this is the only way by which provis-
ions and other supplies can be taken
in except by pack train over very
bad trails. The river route is much
the cheapest when everything goes
we'll, but it is fact that of the boats
sent down this river at least one-half
are wrecked and their contents lost,
the Salmon being a most dangerous
stream to navigate.
Mr. Laughlin was one of party
which went out to examine the pro-
posed route for a wagon road to Bit
ter Root, and when here stated to
the writer that the route was per-
fectly feasible as to grade and that
a good road could be built at a rea-
sonablc cost. The distance by trail
from Shoup to Mineral point, to which
place road is already built from the
Bitter Root is, IS miles. BY the
wagon road it would not be over %
miles. OF this distance it is 12
miles from Shoup to the summit,
leaving 10 miles of road to built by
the people Of Bitter Root.
AT present Shoup is very dull.
Hundreds Of tons of rich gold rock
are lying on the dumps Of the vari-
GUS mines and the mines are lying
idle for want of machinery to work
the ore. This cannot be brought in
until a wagon road is. built, and as
there seems to be but one practical
BILE route, it leaves the development
of the camp dependent upon the Bit
ter Root road. AS soon as it is DOS
sible to get in the machinery the
Kentuck company, owners of one of
the richest gold mines in the north
west, will put in large mill and
several other of the mines will also
put in mills.
1t seems to be the opinion Of men
posted on mining matters in this
section that Shoup is destined to be
come on of the richest mining camps
in the northwest. Should this be-
come the case it would make a mar
ket for the produce of the Bitter
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