The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-30
IN MADISON'S MINES
The Placers Will Be Worked Ex-
tensively This Season.
GRAVELLY RANGE GULCHES
Companies Fitting Out for the
Summers Campaign In the Rich
Districts-Reports from All
the Prominent Places.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Sheridan, April 25.-By the time thi,
letter meets the eyes of the readers o.
the Standard, most of the placer mine,
In Madison county will be i'm operation
"a few with full force of men. anc
others with just enough for commences
ment work. In many of the fiumins
claims on Alder and neighborinp
gulches, good deal of dead work has
been done in the last year or two
F1umes have been relaid. ground has
been opened in new places and the
consequence has been that the annual
yield OF gold dust has not been up 10
the average. Now. however, most OF
the miners will start to work upon an
open race" In the ground and with a
good season of water, such as is now
conndently expected, a larger amount
OF debris will be washed away. a great
er surface of bedrock uncovered and
tne ciean-up In the fall will be CORE
sponolngly greater. At least, that is
the generally expressed opinion of
those who ought to be good guess
ers.
Interest in the Gravelly Range pros
poets has revived with the coming of
spring, and the first party to leave for
the coming Ell Dorado left this neigh
on
their claims on Ruby creek The conn
pany consists of six men who have
been mining at Leiterville for some
time past. but who were attracted TO
the range. last year, by the glowing
reports OF the prospects there They
nave located six claims-about 100
acres-upon which they did consider
aoIe prospecting last season which was
very encouraging. They will work the
ground systematically this year, and
three OF them, ]. L. Churchill. Charley
Gemmell and Bob Carpenter. have
gone to the field of operations. The
others will follow later, or send substi
tutes
Other companies will soon be follow
ing In the same direction and the value
or the diggings will doubtless be fully
ascertaiped before next winters snow
nies. or course, most of the work done
VIII be in the lower parts of the region
where water is easily obtainable: but
the main object of interest is the i'm
mense range itself, extending som 20 or
so miles southwark from its northen
extremity near the head of Alder
gulch. In several places here shafts
have been sunk to depths ranging from
rs to 15O feet and the uniform testi-
mony is that gold exists in rich paying
quantities from the grass roots down"
The all-absorbing question is: Can the
water from the highest mountain
rivers be successfully conducted upon
this vast deposit of auriferous gravel
and utilized in washing II away? Up
on this subject there is much difference
or opinion, many confidently claiming
That IL can be easily accomplished
while others as vehemently assert that
the highest accessible rivers will not
come within 200 of 300 feet of reaching
the desired elevation. The Standard is
al M tha
eddy be determined by accurate survey
as soon as the snow will admit of en-
cheering operations
On the Ruby river side of the range.
also, some work will be done this sea-
son, as 1t is understood that parties
from Twin Bridges are negotiating to
get control of the Warm Springs creek
claims belonging to the estate of the
late Captain ]. H. Davis. This ground
has been worked to a limited extent
with water from Lazyman's creek.
AFFORDS small head of water about
two months per year. The ground
worked yielded from 30 cents to 50 per
cubic yard, and it is claimed that a
hydraulic plant, with $500 inches of
water. available for the whole mining
season, can be put in operation at a
cost of less than $1,000
Quartz mining is in more active oper- |
alton all over Madison county than IL
has ever been before in all her history.
This is not saying much however. in |
comparison with the great quartz |
camps ana should not be construed by |
miners and laborers as an inducement |
to come this way in search of work. |
stu, the outlook in all the camps is |
most cheering. The Easton. Kennett |
Bertha and several other mines around |
City are looking well ,and |
their owners are encouraged to in |
crease working forces upon them. The /
revenue and Monitor mines continue |
10 make matters lively around Rich /
nond Flat and the shipments of bull
ion to Butte continue with becoming
Prospects at Meadow /
,reek and Washington Bar in this vi
Unity, are developing well.
At Pony mining is lively. The Clip
Der group of Filing & Morris is turn
ng out nrst-class ore, and returns are
1ery satisfactory to the owners, while
'ther mines. mostly worked by Ieasers.
ire making comfortable stakes for the
operators. At Sand Creek. seven miles
lWay, the lodeS discovered there a
rear or two ago. are being developed
With remarkably good results.
Another shipment of ore was made
rom the Marshall group of mines on
Nez Perces gulch few days ago This
s the group which the Butte experts
will be remembered as having reported
o contain barely a stain of copper"
rhe returns from this carload, as given
n the certificate from the Butte Samp-
ing works. show that IL contained a
raction over 80 per cent OF the red
METAL.
Sam Harris. manager of the Copper
Slowouts. operated under bond at
rochester by the Butte q Boston COM
any. has three shifts of men at work
mixing the shaft for which the pump
ne machinery was recently shipped
ere. He has the shaft 40 feet below !
Tater level and will continue 10 sink /
o the 300. when prosecuting viii be
egun.
But. much as mining successes may
eneft the country at large, they pale