Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1897-09-04
THE TUNNEL AND SHAT I
BUSY SEASON OF PROSPECTORS is
NOT YET PASSED.
Progress of Development Work,
Sale of Properties and Ship
ments of Ore.

Progress of Development Work,
Sale of Properties and Ship
ments OF Ore.
More men are said to be prospecting in
the Natural Bridge district of Sweet
Grass county in Montana, than ever be
fore and that some exceedingly promis-
ing finds have been made. On the Ore
gon group Of mines, a half interest in
which was recently purchased by John
NJ. Smith of the Smith Bros. Sheep Com
pany, about 20 men are at present en-
ployed. A few days ago a contract was
let for the driving of a 200 foot tunnel
and when this is finished there will be
in all about 700 feet of tunnels in the
Oregon mine alone 1t is a free e-milling
gold proposition which runs about SIS to
the ton. Three hundred tons of the ore
have been taken out and five-stamp
mill will be at work upon it by Novem-
Der of this year. The Plymouth group
in the same district is also showing up
well and the tunnels driven in which
Congressman Hartman is interested
and the work being done is more with
a view to finding out what there is
than to get any immediate returns.
Mr. Howell says, however, that the
prospects are that mill will be put in
there, too, before very long. Other prop
critics that are showing up we'll are the
jefferson. Gallatin and Madison and the
Yankee Girl, all south of the Oregon
group and all of the free mining va
riety A number Of Butte gentlemen,
headed by NJ. j. Connell, went up there
today, and while their trip is ostensi
bly, for pleasure in the way Of hunting
and fishing, they will, very likely, look
over the mines before they return.
Pierce City.
Pierce City camp is showing consider
able activity. The Golden Gate company
reports a new strike on its property 10
miles from town. 1t has been working
all summer on an open cut, and has
u y
grade of ore. The Golden Bar company,
on the headwaters Of Orc Fino creek, is
working a whim and is down 20 feet
in good ore on vein 20 to "a inches
wide. The ore is high grade and free
milling. Ellis, Morrow & Laribee have
completed run of their best ore
through the stamp mill of the Coum-
bia Mining Company's plant. The result
was satisfactory and they will at once
begin to drive $50 feet more of tunnel
on the property The owners of the
Klondike claim have completed a cross
cut on the surface and have exposed a
vein of base ore 40 feet wide. The com
pany has commenced to drive on the
ledge and will work all winter. The
Pioneer, on Musselshell creek, claims a
large share of public attention. The
ledge is growing wider and retains its re-
markable richness, assaying as high as
500 per ton. Gaffney & Ericsson have
found the ledge on their extension,
which shows almost the same richness.
c. P. Henley has force of men at work
stopping out ore, which he expects to run
through the Columbia mill. He clean
ed up handsome sum in this way a
short time since.
Boston and Montana Claim.
John Bordeaux and associates are
now at work on the Boston and Mon
tana claim at Meaderville, Mont. and
are down $50 feet from the surface with
a single compartment shaft. 1t is the
intention of Mr.. Bordeaux and the men
associated with him in his enterprise to
90 down $50 feet more and then cross
cut extensively. If no ore is found by
that time the syndicate will have about
$4,000 spent in looking for it which is
about the value of the entire claim as
far as the surface is concerned The
Boston and Montana people are IL
doubt about there being any pay veins
in this claim and they have teams
busily engaged hauling away tailings
from the dump of the old smelter or
the claim which is said to go about
per cent copper. This ore was treatec
in the old Boston and Montana smeltel
before the Great Falls plant was con
structed and the imperfect machinery
Of those days failed to save all thu
value of the ore. Besides the ore tha
was treated with the old method, th'
dump contains thousands of tons 0
| low grade ore that was not at tha
time considered worth smelling. Th
dump of the old smelter and the or
now being taken from the East Colusa
which is one of the old mines of tn
camp, is sufficient to keep the Butt
and Boston smelter supplied with or
at the present time.
Morning Mine improvements.
The march of improvements aroun'
the Morning mill at Mullan, Idaho, still
| continues. The new ore bins are done
and new railroads have been built bot
there and down below. The lower roa
leaves the old line near the narroN
gauge round house, running lower dow
parallel with the Northern Pacific spul
lflS llllp WAS DttllL SoltiS W iittlihlS ILL
bers. The Northern Pacific brings thcl
in from Kingston or up on the Bite
Roots, and when rolled off from the cal
they land on skidway, on which the
roll all the way down hill to the narroN
gauge cars that haul them up to tn
mine The ore is handled by the job
S. George, the new 40 ton engine bougf
last year, and it would seem impossib]
to handle more ore than one engine ca
deliver, as on a track only three mile
long two trains can not be worked
advantage, and the line is too crooke
to work long double header trains. By
the old 25 ton engine is used as swite
engine, hauling all the timbers from tt
lower yards up to the third leg OF tt
switchback, where the loaded cars al
turned over to the ore train.
J Ore Shipments.
Ore shipments over the Kaslo q 81