The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-20
STRIKE NEAR BASIN
The High Ore Company Jubilant Over
lis New Find.
tt11a
TWENTY-FIVE FEET IN A VEIN
Still Only One Wall Is Found-A
Tunnel icing Driven-A oncen-
TRAITOR to tie built-Eutte
Men Are Interested
TWENTY-FIVE FEET IN A VEIN

The Butte parties interested in
mines in the Cataract district and in
the High Ore company in particular,
will be interested in the following from
the Helena Independent of Tuesday:
NJ. L. Hewett, vice president and
general manager of the High Ore Gold
and Copper Mining company, brings to
Helena the news of a phenomenal
strike in his company's property near
Basin, from where he arrived Sunday.
He brought with him some of the finest
specimens of silver ore ever seen in
the state. One lump of ore weighing
100 pounds is fairly covered with
patches of brittle silver. and other
though smaller specimens show the ma
tive silver in a way that causes Won
der to even old time mining men. Sew
eral pieces of the ore were on exhibit
ton yesterday in the office Of Alder
man John b. Wilson, where they at
tracted much attention. The property
is owned by Butte and Helena men,
most of the stock being held in the
former city.
ITO all appearances. we have the
greatest mine in the country" said Mr..
Hewett yesterday. when l left yes
terday we had pierced the vein % feet
without reaching the further wall.
Three feet of the vein runs remarkably
ran 1900 ounces in silver, $50 in gold
and 80 per cent. lead. l know 1 have
a number of specimens, and good large
ones too, that will run higher than
that. The average of the three feet.
while not near as rich as the one / had
assayed. is very high, and would be
fortune in itself. 1t promises now to
be even greater in extent than we ever
hoped for.
THE company is driving a tunnel
into the mountain to cut four veins we
know exist. The one we have just
struck is the first vein and, apparently,
from surface indications, the least in
extent. on the sruface of this vein we
sunk % feet, but found only low grade
ore, entirely too low to concentrate.
Our tunnel is $40 feet in and strikes
this first vein at a depth of 1925 feet.
We are in % feet of excellent high
class concentrating ore and have not
cut the vein yet. We expect to cut the
next lead in Is days. We will be down
on that lead $50 feet, and from surface
indications, judging from the present
strike, will get a larger and better vein
than the first. The next vein we will
strike at the 700, and will cut the
fourth vein S25 feet below the surface.
1T is from that lead we hope for the
largest returns. IL is 100 feet wide on
the surface and is a contract lead be-
tween granite and porphyry. The lead
was located Is years ago for free mill
ing gold, but was subsequently aban-
doned, 1t being too low TO work with
profit. We have a shaft down go feet
on this big lead. II is in ore that aver
ages 16 ounces in silver and $3.50 in
gold
"As soon as we cut the leads and
find out Just what concentrating ma
chinery can best be used on the ore
found we will erect a $50 ton concen-
traitor. II will be built with design OF
charging at some future day. We ex-
pect to begin on the foundation of the
concentrator in 60 days. 1t will, how
ever be 90 days or more before we cut
the fourth lead. We are pushing the
work rapidly with the aid of an air
compressor and Bailey drills. We are
employing Ia men and working the
miners in two shifts. so that we pro-
gress about eight feet every "a hours.
I'VE own seven claims, and have
bond and lease on an eighth. The
claims embrace 1900 feet on each side
of the line of the tunnel. and conse-
ouently include 5000 feet of the four
leads. The company was only organ
ICED early last January, but since that
time work has been pushed as rapidly
as possible.
IF we strike in the other leads ore
equal to what we have now IN sight,
we will have the greatest property in
Montana / have been in this business
is years and in all my experience !
have never seen anything that equaled
this proposition. The ore body we
already have is simply enormous. and
when we cut those three other veins. IL
will be a very easy matter to mine
from 500 to 1000 tons OF ore daily.
What do think of the Cataract dis
trict as a whole? Why, IL offers bet
ter opportunity to capital, in my opin-
ion. than any other in the state. There
are properties within rifle shot OF our
own that are bound TO be classed with
the greatest mines of the state some