Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-16
PLACER MINES IN MONTANA
Stampede for a Day that Recalled the Rush
to Alder Gulch.
OLD VIRGINIA CITY MUCH EXCITED
News Of a Discovery stirred Up the
Old P~ro-pectors and n Rush for
PIacers Made-Midnirht Rush
and Disappointment.

VIRGINIA CITY, Mont. Aug. 15.-tspe-
cial)-The most sensational incident
in connection with mining in the
northwest for many year oc-
Cured hast week in this part OF Montana.
The news that came over the mountains
one night caused one Of the largest placer
mine stampedes from this city that has oc-
CURED since the palmy days of Alder gulch.
The report OF gold being discovered in fabu-
lous quantities on Moran creek, eight miles
northeast OF Virginia City, was the cause OF
the rush. H.. u. Young, George Myers,
James McDeed and B.. J. Fine left this city
on a prospecting expedition early Wednes-
day morning, and on their return Wednes-
day evening one of the party, Il. j. Fine,
showed a bottle in which he had some fine.
large gold dust, amounting to 81, stating
that the same had been washed out while
panning five or six pans Of dirt, and that the
find was at Moran creek. The news flashed
through the city like wildnre. Men, women
and children at once became excited, and
the rush for the new ~diggings started, some
on horseback, others in wagons and several
on foot. Few delayed long enough to pro-
vide themselves with bedding, provisions or
the necessary tools, the only thought being
TO reach the scet-a OF action and locate a
claim.
Before midnight fifty people were on the
creek. scattered from the head to the mouth,
all busily engaged in digging prospect holes
and panning the dirt, looking for gold, using
for light b%onfres, candles and lanterns,
some, not having any means OF making a
light, worked along in the dark, expecting
the results in their pans TO be large and
bright enough to show for itself.
BY daylight not a foot of ground on the
entire stream was vacant, 1t all being To-
Gated for placer mining purposes. Even the
mountain sides, where to get water would
be an impossibility, were located, and the
location notices being jealousy watched by
the happy ~locators, for fear some one might
lump them. The creek on which the claims
were located is not more than Ave miles in
length, and there probably were not less
than 200 claims located, which would neces-
state a creek with a great many more miles
in length to make all the claims hold good,
the amount OF terra frma being insufficient
to accommodate all.
Rush Mt Midnight.
All night long newcomers were arriving
and joining in the rush TO secure a claim.
In many places notices of location were
posted within a few feet of one another,
There probably was not a mile on the creek
that there were less than twenty-five claims
located. but this seemed to bother none
each claimant being positive his right was
the best and paying no attention to the
others.
Only once did i'll fate seem to stare the
crowd in the face, This was occasioned wher
it was found that w. \. Clark and other:
had located a water right on the creek
which took the entire head, and that the
course Of the water would be changed, but
oF,ar q ou--uou haipy hold n uaS deridsf
this could not be done and work again wen
on as OF old. When daylight came renewed
vigor was instllled into the veins of The
prospectors and the panning for gold wa!
entered into more theoretically than ever.
Not until a couple of hours after daylight
when a great deal OF ~psnning had been dom
and no gold discovered, did the crowd droi
onto the fact that they had been sold; il
other words, they discovered that q joke hal
been perpetrated on them, and the repor
that the gold exhibited by Mr.. Fine tn,
night previous had not been taken from
Moran creek, but instead had been takel
from the West Fork OF the Madison, on tn
Gravelly range. More or less Indignation
exists with SOM over the affair, especial,
so with some who advised friends to join tn
rush, believing, as they did. that the gol,
came from the creek, and that there was
possible chance OF a big strike TO be made
: Aside from the unfortunate trouble whicl
arose between T. ]. Farrell OF this city an
Thomas Thexton Of the Madison valley. tn
excitement was enjoyed by all who partici
pated in it, and a Differentiated, jollie
crowd never was out. This is the third ex
citoment over placer ground being dis
covered within the past month. but none o
them was as large as the one Wednesda
evening.