The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-07
VERY RICH in COLD
The Gilt Edge Properties are Very
Properly Named.
ORE THAT IS WORTH HAVING
The Amnnon Mines Promise to
Make Their Owner Richer Than
He Need Be. but He De-
serves the Good Luck.

Gilt Edge, Mont. May 3.-The ups
and downs that experience has taught
us to believe are characteristic Of all
mining camps, have not been wanting
in the brief history of this young camp.
Inc history OF Gilt Edge Is record OF
troubles, between employer and en-
ployes, Of frequent shut-downs and a
strike or two. all the result OF the palsic
Of 1898, and the inability Of the man
ayers of the mines to successfully treat
the ores. AS the mining world well
knows, both causes have been over
come, the effects of the panic are no
more. and science has at last pointed
out the way to handle the ores OF this
camp successfully. Discouragement
and uneasiness have given way to
hope and commitment. and for the first
time in it's career the residents of Gilt
Edge can see brighter times ahead. In
order to see something of this section
of Montana and to furnish the Stand
ards readers with a sketch of this
camp. your correspondent accepted an
Invitation to visit the place in company
with r. A Ammon. the present man
ager of the mines. The drive of 135
about two days At this season of the
year. with the evidences of the 'awak-
ening of spring" on every side, 1t
would be difficult to select for such
drive a prettier stretch of country than
that lying between the metropolis of
mountains. on the eastern slope of
which are situated the mines which are
making a name for this section of
Montana. Gilt Edge is almost due east
OF Great Falls. The town of Gilt Edge
is in the valley on the edge of what
was recently the Fort Maginnis reser-
walton, nearly two miles from the
mines. The latter are now called the
Ammon mines, the name Gilt Edge
being applied to the town proper. r.
A % N a o. n 0f
Ammon mines, became interested In
the properties one and one-ha1f years
ago. resident of New York. city, he
was at that time possessed of little or
no experience in mining. He is willing
to confess that he was something of a
stenderfoot so far as practical knowl-
edge of mining was concerned. He has
had no bed of roses since he took hold
of these mines; he has been confronted
with disbursement in hundred
ways, but he never desisted in his ef-
Aforts to pull her out" as he called II.
1.-THE great difficulty that confronted
him, as II did others who had tried
their hands at managing these mines.
was how to treat the ore advanta-
geously. Vast sums. of money were ex-
pended in experimenting with different
treatments. Experts from the East,
South and West were called in; each
thought he had a method that could
not fail. They all took turn at treat
ing the ore, but none met with success.
Then ii was that Ammon concluded
he wanted nosynore of experts. He as
sumed persoiial supervision of the
whole plant, and by the assistance of
A. l.. Losinger. a thoroughly practical
mining man, he soon found a method
of treating the ore which Is very salts
factory.
The Ammon mines are in a limestone
and pophyry formation, mostly the
former. The old Gilt Edge, which has
been worked more than the other
mines in the group, is about the Oldest
and most extraordinarily put up mine
your correspondent ever saw. 1t is
blanket bed. with ore at the grass
roots which assays all the way from
SIG to $50 a ton In gold. Limestone and
pCphyry are intermingled with the ore
in all sorts of fantastic manners. There
seems to be an absence of anything re-
sembling walls. But there is no alb
sence of ore. The whole mountain
seems to be one mass of 1t.
1t Is very easily mined, being rs
rule soft and yielding. One box CT or
binary giant powder has been found
sufficient to take out 400 tons of ore.
The ore Is said to resemble that of
the Transvaal, South Africa, in many
respects. 1t Is so easily extracted that
1t could be taken out on about the
same principle as the rock from an or
binary stone quarry, IL necessary.
There is no necessity of a shaft. and
the usual expensive hosting machin-
cry, the slope of the mountain and the
lay of the ore affording all the facil-
tiles desired for tunnelling. The prin-
cipal mines Of the Ammon mining
company are now known as the r.. M.
Stivers. Winnie Ammon and Ella
Beardsley. SO named in honor of a
relative and two New York friends of
r. III. Ammon. The company also
owns q score of adjoining mining
claims, which II is understood are
equally rich. The original discovery
was made by William Wilson and u
DIR. Potts, the first OF whom is still
hunting for more hidden treasure in
the Judith mountains. The method
of treating the Ammon ores is known
to mining men as the cyanide process.
That formula Is used In the main,
with some additions in the matter of
separating the gold from the zinc fill
ings. which are used to catch the fine
particles of the yellow metal when in
a cyanide of potassium solution. The
process is too complicated and requires
the use of too many scientific terms to
admit OF an accurate description In
the limits OF a newspaper article. For
the average reader who cares nothing
for a lot of scientific verbiage IL will
be sufficient to say that the process is
at present a success in every particu-
lar. 1t has been a difficult and an ex-
pensive. matter to hit upon a method
that would save over 30 per cent of
the gold found in these ores. The
metal Is in such very fine particles
that IL cannot be saved by the usual
methods of treating such ores. Endless
experiments with chemicals mingled
with common sense practice and more
or less perseverance in the face of
plenty of hard luck. eventually won,
and for the last two months the pro-
cess has saved as high as 50
per cent OF the gold. something al
most unknown in the annals of min
ing.
The plant for treating the ore is
small only about go tons per day be-
ing handled. Negotiations are now on
foot for the erection OF a 500-ton mill
Mr.. Ammon hopes to have the same
In operation inside of three months
With the proposed increased capacity
the coming fall bids fair TO see pref