The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-21
FAMOUS GILT EDGE ORE
Recently Perfected Process 10 Save All
Its Precious Metals.
EXTENSIVE CONSTRUCTION
Rich. Deposits In Fergusf County
and the Owners Propose to
Erect Mill of 500 Tons
Daily Capacity.

GREAT FALLS, April 20.-Walter Lau-
der, n well-known capitalist of New York
city, who is one of the stockholders in the
Gilt Edge Mining company. which owns
the gold mines at Gilt Edge, Fergus
county, left this morning for his home,
after a few days visit in Great Falls Mir.
Lauder has spent the past month at the
mines, and In conversation with q repre-
sentative of the STANDARD this morning
foretold gratifying results OF the work
now In progress at Gilt Edge.
He said: The great difficulty in con-
Quoting the Gilt Edge mines heretofore
has been that the ore would not yield sat-
isfactory returns to any other process than
the cyanide process, and even with that
process, numerous methods employed by
experts were failures. r. A. Ammon, one
OF my co-owners. gave particular atten-
ton to this problem, and his persistent
efforts at last resulted in the discovery of
method which saves practically all the
gold in the ore. Under the old manage
ment 800 tons OF ore. which, at a low esti-
mate should have yielded at least Sc, 900.
yielded only $3.50. Under the process dis
covered by Mr.. Ammon only a trace of
the metal is lost. The ore contains
scarcely any base metals, as is shown by
mint certificate which we received. A
bar valued at Sl,3l5 was 80 per cent. pure.
This included 10 cents in silver.
The ore is a blanket formation. No
shafts are dug at the mines, but tunnels
are run and the ore is brought out in cars.
Gold is found at the grass roots. No
water interferes with working the mines
and they are perfectly dry. Before melt
ing, the ore is ground to the coarseness of
barley. In many other rich mines the ore
must be ground to a fino powder. The
ore is of high character and to my mind
there is no limit to the deposits.
The troubles between the former
owners and the employees eugendered con-
siderable bitterness. This is thing of
the past. In the mines and mill, men are
constantly working, day and night shifts
being maintained. The people of the
county are friendly and all the talk is of
Gilt Edge.
"Seven new tanks Tor the mill are now
being manufactured. They will be II
feet each in diameter. When in place
the mills capacity will be so tons per day.
BY fall we will have completed new mill
between the Chickadee and the Gilt EIge,
with capacity of from 355 to 500 tons per
day. A new furnace is nearly completed
and will aid greatly In increasing the out
put. The ore Is there and the production
have about 40 claims, but the most ore is
at present yielded by the Winnie Ammon,
named in honor of Mr.. Ammon's wife.
The company has fuel almost at the fur
mace doors, as IL were, and owns all water
rights.
The population of Gilt Edge is rapidly
increasing. Tho country Is greatly ex-
cited over the evidences of rich deposits,
and Drospectors cover every hill. Men
work in the mines until they secure
grub stake and then begin todig for them-
selves. There is sufficient amount of
miners at Gilt Edge. The country has
endured terrible privations, but the turn
has come and the future is bright"
Mr.. Lauder will return to Montana in
the fall and will be accompanied by other
eastern stockholders in the Gilt Edge
company.
Reports from the gold mines of Fergus
county are satisfactory. The New Year,
one of the best mines in the county, is be- |
ing slowly developed, but preparations |
have been made to commence operations |
on large scale within a month. The |
owner, w. G. Norman, has invented a
new hoist and has applied for patent |
for it. He claims that with it a man can |
lift as much as a horse and it will save |
considerable expense.
Affairs at the Spotted Horse are in a |
chaotic condition. John NJ. Green, the
foreman, offered to bond the property /
and give the creditors stock in the COM
pany 10 the amount of their claims. This
offer was refused. The property is to be
sold at Sheriff's sale Friday. Green is
now at Benton, en- route to the East, and
it is thought that he is after capital with
which he may gain control. Other mines
are paying fairly we'll and the hills are
full of prospectors.