Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-06-12
Mining ITEMS,
A RAGGED TOP TRANSFER,

The Ragged Top country has been
given a new impetus by the mining
transaction made Friday by which d. A.
Mcpherson, w. L. Mclaughlin, John
Gray and John Blatchford, incorporated
as the Ragged Top Mining Company,
paid to Henry Johnson and Samuel
Whiting the sum of $4,000, which is the
first payment upon the Iva and Gasson
lodes and fractions. The remaining
payment of $4,000 will be made August
4th. This is, by far, the largest mining
deal ever made in which Ragged Top
property has been transferred and it is
an indication that this new region has
some good properties within its limits.
Call.
THE ST. ELMO.
The st. Elmo mill, neal Hill City, is
soon TO be equipped with greater power
than it has previously had, a new %
horse power boiler and engine having
been ordered and the plant will be start
ed up about the middle of the month.
The shaft is something over 100 feet
deep now, crosscuts have lately been
run in both directions on the vein. AT
one extremity it has a width of 10 feet;
at the other it is six feet wide. This is
one of the richest mines in any mining
country. Much of the ore is high grade,
and the ore spots in the vein from which
5000 rock may be taken. The only treat
ment ever given the ore has been with
two steam stamps, without any way of
saving the concentrates. One mill test
gave a result of SIP a ton, besides losing
about $2l a ton in concentrates A fine
Banner concentrating machine will be
put in before the plant begins work, and
it is known that the ore will make big
returns for the improvement. No work
is being done at present upon the shaft,
all of the men in the employ OF the COM
pany being at work upon one Of the
group that stands apart from the rest,
requiring annual work aside from that
on the other collection Pioneer Times
MID HILLS PROSPECTS,.
The ore brought up from the Bitter
sweet property by p. l.. Edholn and Dr.
Smith Friday was assayed later in the
day, showing S2l.50 free milling, while
the concentrates that had been saved in
panning out some Of the rock went 1868
a ton. Upon considering that free mill
ing ore worth s. a ton is a good PROPOSE
ton when found in a body of sufficient
extent, it will be seen that this is one
of the most promising fields in the
country. In gathering the samples that
were assayed it was with a view to
getting an average of the entire five.foot
face, and it is believed that the result
represents fairly the value of the whole
vein per ton.
Mint Truax and Frank Hall, who dis.
covered the free milling ore upon Slate
creek, have developed a vein three feet
wide, from which they have been given
an average assay Of S2l. Mr.. Truax has
been teaching school on Slate creek and
the discovery was made within q few
rods of the school house in which he
was presiding The men who made the
discovery spread the news and in a
short time the country was swarming
with men carrying axes and stakes. So
great was the stampede and so hastily
was the ground grabbed up that the
finders were able to get but two claims.
The ore is a white quartz and the vein
has been traced 1900 feet. A number
of other good strikes have been made
along its course since the excitement
began. Several men who have located
claims there are backed by considerable
capital and are going to do a large
amount of work this summer upon their
Observation-Disclosures.