Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-01-08

| CIiy ii SHDIt ulSldIlCt DtloW ulit iJStI-
| Poorman is the Hecla. one of the new
producers of 1896. 1t was late in the
summer when several men in Burke pro-
cured a lease on the property. Finding
good ore almost Immediately utter COM
menoing work, most of the time has
been spent in getting things in shape to
work to advantage. About 10 men are
employed. The ore has been milled at The
Gem mill and 10 cars of concentrates
had been shipped up to December 20. Two
or three thousand dollars have been
spent In improvements besides the devel-
opment work.
The Standard has had great year.
When 1895 ended it was simply a good
mine, but how 1t is one of the greatest
silver-lgad mines in the world. A hundred
thousand dollars has been spent on it,
first to prove that 1t was great, and sec
ondly, to prepare to operate 1t a scale
worthy of its magnitude. During the ear
ly part of the year about 125 men were
employed but in midsummer the upper
workings became so nearly exhausted
THAT the force was gradually reduced.
After the vein was cut by the lower
tunnel the work of opening up the prop
erty 4S7 feet, vertically, below the old
work began and has not yet progressed
far enough to give room for full force.
1t will be a month or six weeks yet before
work will be crowded The company has
a milling capacity of 500 tons of crude
ore daily, which from this ON will -eld
100 tons of concentrates. Besides this
there will be considerable crude ore of
high enough grade to ship directly from
the mine. When running full blast 1t will
employ about 145 men, it's arrangements
for handling everything being so nearly
perfect that fewer men are required FOR
1.-The same output than in amy other mine
in the Occur d'Alenes.
Adjoining the Standard property on the
west is the Mammoth having been stead
lily worked for six years. It's ore hereto
fore has been entirely carbonates, but
through the new tunnel completed this
year considerable quantities of galena
have been found About 50 men are on
the pay roll, as against so year ago. AS
only crude ore is shipped, the output of
the property is much smaller than others
having concentrators, but besides increas-
ing its force during the year the COM
pany has completed a tunnel 1000 feet
long. and is understood to have paid reg
ular dividends.
From the standpoint of the news gath
erer, the Helena and Frisco is the most
disappointing mine in the district. 1t en-
ploys 125 to $50 men, mines and mills 525
tons of crude ore daily, producing rs tons
of concentrates. That is its history day
after day. Unless cold weather inter-
feres, its log book would not vary much
from that for about $50 days out of the
500 of the year. Several thousand dollars
were spent for new machinery, and next
years output should exceed that for this
year by from 1000 to 1000 tons.
The Milwaukee. commonly known as
the Gem was for years one of the stan
dard mines of the district, but when lead
went down to $3.50 work on it was or
dered suspended For the first half of
the year from 60 to 100 men were en-
ployed on 1t. Since then there are a few
leasers taking out ore, and the mill is run
occasionally either on what they produce
or on ore from the Heca.
Strictly speaking the Formosa, half
mile below Gem, is not a producing mine,
ii never having shipped any ore. But the
owners have small mill almost com
pleted and enough ore broke down to keep
1t running for two months. 1t is believed
to be the only property in the district
that was opened up by prospectors. 1t
has taken Burke & Gels six years to run
a cross cut tunnel to ore and earn enough
money to secure the machinery for
small mill.
Mines on Nine Mile.
The Nine Mile region seems to have
passed its lowest point and to be on the
up grade again. The Custer was worked
for a short time by three or four men for
the owners last spring, and some leasers
have been on the property nearly all the
season. Three cars of ore were taken out
by both parties
The Granite has also been worked by
leasers, who have shipped three cars dur
ing the year. with two more to ship soon.
Only crude ore has been shipped, but the
mill was run a few days on ore taken
out by Poorman leasers
The latest addition to the producing
mines of the Occur d'Alenes is here, the
Panhandle. two miles above Wallace
which shipped its first carload of ore only
week ago, and which has two or three
more cars in sight.
The Year in the Gold Belt.
The first flush of the placer days was
not over in the North Fork region until
an eager search for quartz had COM
menced, and some fabulously rich dis
coveries were made, but they proved only
pockets. and quartz mining languished
until 1t took a new lease of life two or
three years ago.
When the year began there We're 10
quartz mills with 1903 stamps in the region
tributary to Murray. two of which, with
80 stamps, We're not in operation. During
the year two mills with 20 stamps, We're
| erected, one of which afterward burned,
| and the two that had been idle SO long
were started up.
The largest mill in the camp is the Ida
| no, with 20 stamps, now owned by the
| Dora and latte Burnet Consolidated Min
| ing Company, which company bought il
| late in the season. having only operated
! it few months. Considerable money has
been spent in improving the property and
it is now running steadily. employing
| about 40 men.
The Golden Chest company owns two
| 10-stamp mills. one of which has rur