The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-27
In THE RUBY VALLEY
The Presence of a Railroad Contractor
Sets the GosSipS in Motion.
SOMETHING IS EXPECTED
Placer Miners Are Linnbering Up
and Heading for the Clutches
News From That Favored
Section of Montana.

Special Correspond cace of the STANDARD
Ruby Valley M~rch 2i.-Quite a re-
vival of interest in the question of rail-
road building was aroused throughout
this valley last week. The occasion of
1t was the visit to Virginia City of
James McShane, principal contractor
for the building of the Burlington rail
road, which is one OF the roads to
which people hereabouts have been
looking with longing eyes for relief
from the isolation which has been so
sore an oppression to them. For some
time past IL has been known that a
number of our local capitalists have
been interesting themselves in a pro-
Ject to bring a branch road from one
of the transcontinental lines into the
Beaverhead, Ruby and jefferson val
leys, and last fall the scheme took tan
gible form in a substantial offer as an
inducement to one or other of the COM
panies to make the extension. Major
Henry Filing. the Virginia City banker,
has been especially active in the pro-
motion of the enterprise, and il is now
stated upon the best of authority that
he has succeeded in interesting other
moneyed men at the county seat, as
well as at Sheridan, the Upper Ruby
and the Madison valleys in its behalf.
Consequently, when the great contrac-
tor of the Burlington arrived from
headquarters at Sheridan, Wyo., to
visit these people, there was ripple
of excitement waving all over the val
ley, and the knowing ones are certain
now that his coming means the con-
summation of the long deferred hopes
OF every settler upon this portion of the
footstool. All suggestions that the visit
was merely on personal or private bust
ness, or to visit his old camping
grounds (Mr. McShane was a pioneer
of VIRGINIA (fifN and n Cgnpiatpn with
the late John j.. Creighton and Col Z.
A. Largely of Butte in the construction
of the first telegraph line from salt
Lake to that place., are pooh-poohed
as idle wind, and the only view that is
taken of il is that 1.-The railroad is COM
ing sure, this time" AS soon as the
Standard man heard of the arrival Of
Mr.. McShane at Twin Bridges. he hur-
ried to the Stark hotel, where the dis
tinguished visitor was hating for din
ner, to interview him upon the allah
sorbing topic. But the coach only stays
at the Bridges one hour, and Mr.. Nc
Shane was tantaliZingly slow in dis
patching his meal, so that only two or
three minutes elapsed between his exit
from the dining room and the arrival
of the coach at the front of the hotel.
Therefore, the interview was very brief
and unsatisfactory, as far as eliciting
information was concerned, and the
only satisfaction that could be gotten
out of II was the assurance that your
people will let you know all about 1t.
pretty soon; but 1 guess you will come
out all right" Mr.. McShane returned
TO the Sheridan headquarters last Tues
day.
Besides the elation created by the in
cident related above, the bucolic resi-
dents of the valley are feeling in high
spirits over the excellent prospects this
year, consequent upon the early and
unusually fine spring, the splendid con-
dition of the ground for blowing and
other spring work. and the prospects OF
an increased market for the harvest
which farmers, almost without eXcep-
ton, predict will be an abundant
one.
Placer miners are beginning to grease
up their elbows and prepare for work
in the ground sluices and gravel bars
which abound in this county, and are
already preparing to take advantage
of the first flow of water that comes
In Alder gulch. unless something un.
toward happens to the clerk of the
weather, ground sluicing will com
mence two or three weeks earlier thar
usual, and the same may be said 81
Bivens. Harris, California. Ramshorr
and the numerous other tributaries o.
the Central and Upper Ruby.
on Wisconsin creek Messrs. Kenealy
Reardon and Balsom-better known al
the Cork company-are preparing fo
an early start on their claims. Las
year these boys got a fine start II
opening their ground, and did eXcep
tionally well i'm the cleanup of dust.
and they expect to do much better thi
season as there is but little prelimi
nary work to be done.
The new company of Dillon parties
who are opening an extensive tract o
ground near the Sheridan road cross
ing of Wisconsin creek, have about 30.
900 feet of lumber on the ground, which
the bows are making into fiume boxes
and they are only awaiting the frost &
get out of the ground to begin activ
operations. The claims are owned b.
Robert /. Moore * Co.
Some promising placer prospects ar
reported from Georgia gulch, north o
Wisconsin creek. one claim, reresente'
by Oscar Sedman of Virginia City, ant
Charles c. Mahan of Salisbury, is sal
to show up very rich.
Charles c. Young. i'm from Hell can
YOU the other. day. tells the Standar
that the clearing work on the groun
which he and Jack Revans are going I
work this summer is all done and a
they are waiting for now is watel
when they expect to astonish the ma
tives with yellow stun.
In a recent letter TO the Standard
wrote that two carload shipments c
conner ore from the Marshall group {
mines on Nee Perez gulch to the Butt
Sampling works yielded - and 40 pe
cent. respectively. Imagine my SUI
prise a day or two after my report az
peared. 10 see in the Miner a repoi
that Thomas r. Kinds and his partn5
had returned from these mines and n
ported that they had taken 10 Butt
and tested some Of the best specimen
from them and found them 10 contai
barely a stain" OF copper. As n
statement Injuries not only a promlsln
ob,ofDed from M Dulmaine, III