Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-08-14
Mining Items.


A new strike in placer is reported on
Lightning creek. The new diggings are
said to be situated little below Charles
Holmes residence in the vicinity where
many good spots have been found in
past years and considerable gold taken
out. There is more than the usual
amount Of water flowing in the creek at
this time, and the miners are said to be
doing well.
The Holy Terror company have re-
Gently put in new s0-horse power
boiler, and are preparing to put in new
hosting works. 1t is the intention Of
putting the shaft down 1900 feet with
ont stopping. Most of the work is now
being done on the 500-foot level wnere
the ore vein is said to be from 6 to 10
feet wide and is increasing in width as
depth is attained.
There is said to be quite a force of
men at work at the old camp of Dansby,
and a good deal of fairly rich dirt is
being taken cut OF the placsrs IN that
neighborhood. In addition to this 1t is
reported that quite a number of very
promising quartz veins haye been open
ed, and prospecting for gold iu that
locality is being pursued with some
thing like the old time vigor.
We are indebted to County Commits
sioner Neal for information in regard 10
a new and valuable strike recently
made in the Keystone district. The
new find is STATED between Elk and
Gray Hound gulches,. The ore is quartz
and tale, in vein feet in width, be-
tween granite walls The new dis
covery was made by j. J. Clark and
Charles Gray, who have had the ore
assaysd and received return Of Sl2s.
We have been told by a prominent
mining man, that there is certain
stretch of country not many miles from
Custer, which abounds in zinc. And We
understand some rich zinc ore has been
struck and is being developed. Our
informant was reticent in regard to the
exact location. but promised TO en-
tighten us fully in few days. Zinc is
growing in demand in the Uuited States,
and the value of the product of 1896
was s6,5l9,920.
In the Bear Lodge range, which is just
north of Sundance. there is said at this
time to be about 200 prospectors and
miners at work. Flanagan aud Snyder
(old timers have GO foot shaft down,
and are greatly encouraged at the pros
pect. Their groupings assayed S4Go a
ton, and the vein is feet wide At the
present depth the ore carries from $40
to SIS. Tests from several small
shoots which have come in have been
obtained running as high as $500 in gold
The mineral bearing district is said to
be Is miles wide by about so IN length.
The prospectors are said to be doing
well. The ore is mostly refractory
yielding copper, silver and gold.
Col. 1. K. Stone, The present superin
fendent Of tie keystone mine, was in
Deadwood few days ago prfok to Ms
departure for Chicago. In speaking q
the transfer of that property to the
English company. he said that he con-
sidered the outlook = ost fayorable and
that in his mind there was no question
but that the deal would be made. The
intended purchasers, however, had
changed their plans, and instead of
adding to the present caracity of the
mill, by making it forty stamp, it was
their present purpose to increase it
to mill of 100 stamps. The first pay
ment is to be made on the 1st of Oc-
tober. 1t is rumored that the work will
commence on Sept. lst.
In 1898 the Welcome Mining COM
pany erected in Spearfish large chlo-
rination mill which they did not find
profitable to run on account OF the long
haul from the mines. The recent
changes brought about by railroad
facilities. and the discovery of seliceous
ores near at hand, have encouraged a
number of capitalists to join together to
utilize the abandoned plant and refit i,
for treating ore by the electric cyanide
process. The men who are at the head
Of this enterprise are l.. w. Valentine,
Henry Keels and j. F. Summers, of
ficials of the Bank of Spsarfsh; John
Wolzmuth. prominent merchant Day
& Cresswell, and Driskell Brothers, all
wealthy and able men. The enterprise
should be success.
We assume that by this time it il
| generally understood that our ore, al
though carrying gold in paying guam
titles, is not strictly free milling. 1t i;
often found in combination with other
metals. and lately we have observed that
some of these base metals are being
sought for by outside parties who seem
to know what IL Is worth. Heretofore
we have all been glad to get rid of the
base ores the best way we could and
have only tried to save the gold. In
conversation with chemist from the
east short time ago he volunteered the
information that we had many mines
here, which, in addition to the gold,
contained many other metals, such AZ
antimony, cobalt, and many others in
quantity The thought) to pay as by
was that We had some veins of that
character, and if he would mine the ore