The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-29
SNAKE RIVER GOLD MINING.
Inauguration of Great Placer Min
ing Enterprise.

tFOIn D. II. marshall Oh w AHA Wdlld
and E. S. McComas, who have just re-
turned from upper Snake river, where
I Mr.. Marshall has been inspecting the
extensive placer claims of Messrs. Nc
Comas & Dwight of this city, says the
/ Democrat of Baker City, Ore, we
gather some information that will be of
especial interest to our merchants who
will soon be called upon to furnish
J extensive supplies for an army of men
who will find profitable employment in
! Snake River valley from Odds ferry to
many of the various mining camps
with which that golden stream will be
! lined.
Mr. Marshall is a well-known bust
ness man of Walla Walla, where for
the past eight years he has been asso-
ciated with the Schwabacher Bros.
Mercantile company. He is an old Ne
vadan who has seen many fortunes
made in legitimate mining as well as
in the wild speculation of stock deals,
and having heard through MesSrs. Nc
Comas & Dwight of the opportunities
for legitimate and profitable mining on
Snake river, he came up, accompanied
Mr.. McComaS to these extensive placer
interests on the celebrated Midas bar,
about seven miles above the mouth of
Boise river, on Snake. The history of
this bar is interesting in that it is an
illustration of the reckless methods so
often adopted during the early days of
mining in this country S.
Midas formerly called New York;
bar was discovered in the early days of
the Boise basin excitement, but the
gold being fine. and there being no
known method at that time for saving
this character of gold but little atten-
ton was paid to it by individual pros
pectors. In 1873 a New York company
was organized and some 800 prospect
holes had been sunk on the bar, which
is about six miles long and the re-
suits were so favorable that a large
mining canal was constructed from
Boise river. a distance of 20 miles and
at a cost of about $3.50. 900, to convey
water to the bar. After the canal had
been completed and extensive mining
on the old claim of ground sluicing and
pole REFERS had been experimental
with until the water in Boise river was
needed for agricultural purposes, the
farmers put an injunction on the COM
pany and long and expensive litigation
followed, which resulted in favor Of the
farmers.
This left the canal and Mit1.s bar
high and dry. Two years ago it was
relocated by j. A. Morton, ]. b. Irwin.
Z. S. McComas, II. w. Dwight ct al.
and Mr.. Charles Singer of Chicago, who
put in an extensive plant, and his ex-
periments have been so satisfactory
that he is now in Chicago making ar
engagements for extensive work at an
early day.
Mr.. Marshall. after making satisfac-
tory investigation, has made deal
with Messrs. McComas & Dwight. !
which has led to the incorporation of !
the Midas Bar Gold Mining company
of this city with a capitalization of
500, 900, and of which Mr. Marshall is
financial agent, and the company al I
ready have an engine and pumping
plant on the way for active and ex-
tensive work. Mr.. Marshall is COM
PEELED to attend the legislative session
soon to convene in Olympia, of which
he is a member. and during his absence
the work will be in charge of Messrs.
McComaS & Dwight.
Colonel Hart left for Midas bar on
Yesterdays train to look after an in
terest bonded from McComas Dwight 81
Heidenrich for his associates. From
present indications it is believed by
hose who are best informed that
Snake river will be lined with miners
Turing the coming season.