Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-01-02
Poor Mans Camp.

upon as an Ideal poor mans camp
and 1t certainly has raised many a poor
man from poverty TO afluence during
the few years that It's ores nave been
mined, out Ragged Top far excels IL N
this respect. So far the average OF the
ore found and treated has been
richer than that OF that famous camp,
easier worked and easier found, In
many instances being quarried, not
mined. Within a week or 80 numerous
rich finds have been made, and some or
the assay returns have been so higA
that even the local papers have hesl-
tated TO publish them, and when they
have their statements concerning them
have always been qualified. Among
come OF the more recent strikes nave
been those on the Davy group, owned
by Fitzpatrick Brothers and Collins and
w. II. Dairy, which adjoins the ground
upon which the first discovery of ore
was made. ON this ground a ledge
cropped out, marked by huge bolders OF
ore. many OF them lying loosely upon
the surface. The boulders We're
broken and shipped, and the
returns received were 80 favorable that
they stirred the owners to greater eN-
ertlons. Work was Immediately started
sinking, and but a few feet had Deeh
sunk when a solid ledge was encouil-
tered. Work was begun taking out ore
and an open cut 200 feet long completed,
I'm the face OF which ore is now being
"uuarried" and daily shipments made.
A shaft was started In an endeaVor 10
sink through the lime to the second con-
tact, and to see what lay beneath. Ihe
shaft now has a depth of lO7 feet ana ~
still I'm lime. Work on this shatt has
been temporarily suspended, but VIII be
resumed shortly. The surface work on
this property has proved 1t to be "a Ver-
liable bonanza, and even should the
owner fail to find a second contact at
a lower level, what they now have III
sight is sufficient to make them all
wealthy many times over.
A Ricn Find.
The Anchor and Balmoral properties
were the original locations in the Ragged
ron district, and I'm the Balmoral the dis
coyery was made which has resulted In
the stampede thither and been the means
Of causing to be worked and made profit
able hitherto ~unexplored ground, which.
from its peculiar formation, prospectors
had never thought of investigating. The
ground is covered with huge boulders, ana
Mr.. Wall. one OF the locators. while pass
ing over the ground one day in a spirit OF
investigation broke one of them into rag
ments. The broken rock attracted his at
tentIon at once. lie had seen something
similar to Il before: IL looked something
like the ore he had seen in Ruby Basin and
Nevada Gulch, so he brought "A few pieces
TO the city and had them assayed. lie was
surprised to receive an average assay IRON
n number of tests made of over $50 a ton.
The ground was Immediately entered upon
by Wall, Murray, Medill and May, and a
of locations, sixteen in all, taken
Work on these locations demonstrate
ed that but a few feet be.cw tho surface
were numerous shoots and veins OF high
siliceous ores. A few shipments
were made to local reduction works which
gave to the shippers IA large proht. the
fact of the new discovery soon leaked out,
md then began the wild scramble for
,laims. Today. for miles in every direc-
ion. not a foot of ground remains UNI
I'm the district, and many conflict
ng locations have been made, which I'm
ime viii prove TO be "A source OF revenue
O lawyers, for untold litigation Is sure to
'e the result.
These recent discoveries, while of great
to the particular section in which
hey have been made, are of even far
reater value to the Black Hills at large,
or they prove beyond a doubt that the de-
,osits of siliceous ore are not confined to
my one particular locality, but are co-ex-
with the Hills themselves, and will
,e the means of inducing miners IN other
to look more closely to the rock
II which they are working and to exam
ne more carefully the ores which they
a out.
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