The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1895-08-22
A Rich montana Wine.


EDITOR HERALD-we left Butte this
morning at 8 O'Clock sharp, just as the
late reveller was sneaking home to hide
and kick himself for the nights excuses,
and the hobo, giving his trousers hitch,
his shoulders shrug preparatory to
striking some sympathetic nature for just
enough to get bowl-and the day
opened.
With an old timer to do the driving,
and with spanking team, we soon left
Butte in our wake, shaping our course
southwest. A ride across the Montana
uplsnds on q cool morning with all the
conditions favorable, is certainly very de-
lightful. l enjoyed it hugely. The OBJ
ject of this ride was to look over the
group Of mines known as the BeaIe prop
critics, located at the head OF German
Gulch, in the Siberian mining district,
Silver Bow country, Montana, about 20
miles southwest Of Butte. As we wheel
ed along / wished my Yakima friends
could see and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
The mountains are not 80 high nor the
gulchss so deep, but there is something
30 sturdy and solid looking, and when
you realize the millions and millions OF
dollars these brown hills have yielded up
to reward the ksrdy miners toll, you feel
a sort of reverence-as il you were on
sound money basis. Nature has arrang-
ed some very picturesque tableaux. Wild
flowers on either side of the road-occss-
ionslIy a squirrel would scurry away
now and then grouse would leisurely
walk away or sit still and look while We
prayed not to be tempted, for the game
law is still in force-with the sombre-
brown mountains as a back ground and
almost saying "You can tap me; but you
can't break me-" About IS miles from
Butte we drove into the famous German |
Gulch, made 90 from the fact that over
four million dollars have been taken out
of its bed by placer mining. Very few
white men are mining there now. Now
and then you see Chinaman working
industriously away, and when you put
the question, John, You make money ?"
he gives you whitening look and says,
''No sabe money"
The quartz leads are located at the
head of the gulch and consist Of por-
phyry belt crossing the gulch, having =
strike nearly due east and west. The
belt as shown by surface indications
Is about seventeen hundred feet wide and
gold bearing in the entire width. Tho
belt has been worked for the last ten
years by the hydraulic process. As the
porphyry is exposed to the air it decom-
poses; they then pipe the surface of into
large flume. On the Beale properties
this class Of mining has been worked for
one thousand feet in length and four
hundred feet wide, exposing to view a
solid body Of gold bearing ore. There
has been anywhere from one to two mil
lion tons of ore taken from this property.
Since January Is there has been tunnel
driven across this due north eight hun
dred feet. The face of the tunnel is three
hundred and seventy-five feet from the
surface. l am reliably informed that
there is five hundred feet of pay ore in
this tunnel. As one stands on the water
level and looks at the tremendous body
OF ore, and then goes into the tunnel, it 10
hard to compute the number OF millions
OF tons in sight. / have seen many of
Americas great mines, but most OF them
are prospect holes compared to the gil
gantic immenseness Of this great deposit
OF low grade gold ore. could only think
Of Haggard's liking Solomon's Mines"
as gazed upon it. There is ore in this
mine that will assay as high Is twenty
thousand dollars to the ton. OF course
II it would all do that it would pay the
national debt and make every man,
woman and child in Montana 80 rich
that they could make faces at the world
and the ravages Of time. The area of
this splendid property, including quartz
and placer locations, is about eight hun
dred acres. 1t is difficult to place
value upon this property, but 1t is safe to
say that its value to mine and mill is
several million dollars.
We had miners dinner OF meat,
beans and pie-with heavy emphasis
on the pie. But it was good. We drove
back leisurely, and all in all it was Q
charming and instructive day.
FRED Il. REED.
Butte, Montana, August Is, 1895.