Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-28
MOyTAyA'S RICHEST STRIKE
The Famous Drum Lummoa Gold Mine
Slowly Petering Dat,
7 WAS TOMMY CRUISES BONANZA
story of Prospector's Struggle for n
stake and the wealth Gained
Thereby - Millions Pro-
duccd from the Mine.

Twenty miles north Of the capital city @!
Montana. nesting among the peaks Of the
Bitter Roo; range. Is the mining town OF
Marysyille, born reared and practically sus-
tanned by the crop OF gold from the Drum
Lummon mine Recently the town sus-
tanned severe business shock by the
sudden reduction OF the working fierce Of
the famous mine one hundred and fifty
Of the 800 men employed were laid Of on
November /. two stamp mills ceased opera
tionS and an air Of gloom settled on the
town.
The general belief in the locality is that
the Drum Lummon has seen its best days;
that it will soon 5e to Montana what the
Comstock Is to Nevada lightly hole in
the ground. This rellCf is not entertained
by the managers. They declare the great
mine is by no means exhausted and that
the reduction Of force is necessary because
the ore brought up from the recently opened
! 6OO-foot level cannot be probably worked.
This was the climax OF series Of great
hopes dashed on barren rocks. During the
present year extensive operations We're
prosecuted. which were expected to yield
handsomely, but disappointment was the re-
suit
CONDITION OF THE PLANT.
similar situation in the history Of this
great mine was reached three years ago
although at that time il was not generally
known to the public. At that time a num-
Der Of experts were sent over to examine
the mine and report upon its outlook for
the future. Several OF these reported that
they could not find enough ere in sight
to keep the mills going three months, and
one Of them wrote: u Cannu; see one
months supply Of ore for your mills in
HfHrs FHffa +s1va ma 'l
in the underground workings, however
under the direction q The manager with
the result that 25o0o0 tons OF ore have
since been developed and millcd out OF this
identical ground This wonderful mine hes
produced 1900 coo In twelve years ana
during that time IL has kept 10 stamps
in continuous operation.
The Montana Mining company at present
has cash balance with bankers in Helena
Of ste 600; unrcalIzel bullion, $4,000 in ad-
iitiOu T. q reserve fund in London Of S13.-
900. Regarding the position al the mine. IL
is reported that the stores with which IL is
equipped amour; in value 10 $i4 900 and In
the spring q steady income will be derived
from the treatment Of the tailinEs Of the
two mills. Il is also estimated that there
are at the present time al least 30 GOO tons
Of uuhroken ore at the mine but ii is con
tanned IN ere bodies Of small dimensions
from which il is impossible 10 break q sulii-
Cisnt supply FOR the mills in an economical
manner hu, which it is expected will be
recovered during the period o. suspension.
a LUCKY PROsPECTOR
The history Of the Drum Lummon mine
and the wealth il bestowed On its owners
rivals the luiid tales o! Aladdiu's cave.
The original discOvCrer was Thomas Cruise,
new q banker ana capitalist OF Helena. and
formerly a brother-iu-lsW OF Senator Tom
Carter The story Of his persistent search
for fortune does not differ from that Of
H1.e sHwa "a Il
few Of them who struck ii rich struggled s.
long ana as hopefully rs Cruise, braying the
elements. as well as hunger. TO reap the
reward denied 10 many. Stories OF Cruse's
struggles and hgrdshiFs are numerous
among the old settlers on the Missouri val
ley and not few Of them have boosted
Of furnishing supplies ION tick" to the
hardy Irish pr-spector. Most OF these have
been denied by Cruise, Who is decidedly
ayerse 10 publications calSulated to weave a
golden halo about his head He now at
tends strictly to the business OF loaning
cash and 10 drive a closer bargain than any
banker In Montana. He IS president OF the
Thomas Cruise Savings bank al Helena Is
the larges. individual holder OF government
securities in tie west. and stands near the
top OF the states millionaire let, OF mort
cages he has an abundance and could pinch
out or save an ordinary western town as
easily as Aladdin found his famous cave
lie IS withal as plain-gOing and indifferent
to pleasure as when he wandered about the
hills twenty-five years ago in search OF
float as the first indication Ct a mine is
called.
Some people in Helena will point the tour
ist TO Cruise. and say they remember him
when he couldn't get trusted for a sack OF
-four. When these stories are printed by
the Montana newspaper gossips Cruise will
write card OF denial and say that he
could always get -four when he wanted IT,
However that may be, all old-timers re-
member this man when he lived alone in a
little cabin in the lower sulch in the winter
and tramDed the hills by summer.
REWARD OF PERSEVERANCE.
Cruise stood it year by year Sow belly
and hard tack made w his bill OF fare and
he did not complain. In an old worn pair OF
jumpers he climbed over the hills looking
for prospects, and when MS work failed
was content to work by the day in placers
for enough money for grub. Occasionally
some one stsked him, but ne never found
anything. He had no companions because
he had no money. and he was content 70
work and live alone.
The prospector is in most instances
romantic and interesting character His
mind is filled with mountain lore; he catches
the spirit OF solitude from long association
with the hills and canyons. and in time be
comes as quaint in manner and original in
talk as the two Wellers. What a fathomless
fount of stories is found in this harmless
Ulysses CT the hillsl Good stories. too. II
the truth does get frayed and ragged before
the finish.
Tom Cruise belonged TO this field Of fc-
ton when he made such a strife as was
never known before or since in Montana
He found il on the lower end OF a mountain
range ending in ST. Louis gulch twenty
miles north Of Helena. This gulch. like the
others had been a swarming ground for
gold hunters until the diggings had been
worked out and left 10 reward the patient
and easily satisfied toll Of John Chnaman.
Cruise was still at his tireless search when
he stumbled one day across a bit OF gold
quartz float. This, as all miners know. had
been washed away from the mother lode in
a journey OF centuries. The thing TO do is
10 follow Il for other traces This Cruise
did. His keen eye followed his footsteps
until another bit OF quartz appeared on the
washed down mountain sides. Day after
day he followed this golden trail until his
pick struck the long-sought shoot OF ore
sticking out from the mountain side II
was not a foot wide but the old man knew
that there was something below.
This was the discovery OF the Drum Lun-
mon, the greatest gold-producing quartz ever
ound In this country and the first 10 be pur-
biased in Montana by an English syndicate
L has paid for itself over and over again
and today represents the largest investment
'or machinery ever placed in a gold mining
property. Where CruRe's pick struck the ore
stands the entrance to the Cruise tunnel / 900
'eet long and running down from this IL the
deepest mining shaft IN Montana Cut from