The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-02
A New Description of the
Famous District.
A LANDMARK OF IDAHO
A Report on the Mineral Wealth by an
Expert-The Country Is Ribbed
With Several Strong
- Quartz Lodes.

Buffalo hump country, have been pub
lished, but it is probable that those
VINO are interested in the reports of
that country will find the best infor-
nation that has yet appeared in print
In new folder just issued by the pas
senger department of the Northern Pa
cific railroad. 1t says that it is gen.
orally admitted by all experts who
have seen the Buffalo Hump district
that the surface outcrop is the most
remarkable in extent and value thus
far discovered on the American CONT
nent.. Buffalo Hump is one of the land
marks OF Idaho--one of the gems" of
the state that has been well called 1.-THE
Gem of the Mountains" The great
sentinel-for all the world resembling
the hump on buffalo-stands out
eternally covered with snow, the great
compass beacon of the district. 1t is
the dividing hogback Of the watersheds
OF the Salmon and Clearwater rivers.
The great outcrop of the Big Buffalo
RIBS the mountain from north to south.
Its cold white mineraized quartz vein
has width of 40 feet and is many hun
dred feet in length, and with the other
great parallel leads which rib the pla-
teau below the hump, make it the most
phenomenal outcrop of quartz in the
world. The now famous leads are
within a few hundred feet of the we'll
worn trail between Dixie and Florence,
famous in the early sixties as the high
way between the two principal alluvial
gold camps; and to-day, scattered over
the great outcrops, are vestiges of civil
ization In the shape of old tomato cans,
tn to1 iy-f,1f
of cast-off clothing-the debris of the
nomadic prospector's wanderings and
the story of his hopes and his trials
and his tribulations. In those early
sixties, however, it was the placer gold
that the prospector toiled for.
The discovery of the Big Buffalo was
made early in August, 1898, and after
making the location the owners came
out and reported their find, and a great
rush ensued into the district. By the
time snow fell there had been about 200
locations made. Shortly after it's dis
covery the camp was visited by several
well-known mining men, including S. L.
Silverman, Lane C. Gillian and w. H.
| Young, who carefully sampled the prin-
cipal properties, and, acting upon their
| reports, one or two Spokane syndicates
| secured large holdings in the district.
| The De Lamar syndicate made a strong
| effort to secure the Big Buffalo. This
plum, however, fell to Mr.. Silverman,
who succeeded in securing the prop
| erty, the consideration, on longtime
| bond, being more than half a million
dollars, this bond being ultimately
turned over to syndicate of Toronto
and New York capitalists headed by
| Clark and Sweeney, the well-known
| Spokane mine owners. 1t will be no
breach of confidence here to quote from
report made last fall by Mr.. Silver
man to Messrs. Cameron and Norman.
The following quotation is from the re-
port made by Mr.. Silverman, a man of
wide experience, and upon which the
option on the Big Buffalo was Sc
cured:
1.-The formation of the country rock
said Mr.. Silverman, "is gneiss a spe-
| cies of granite. one of the Oldest and
best-known formations for mineral
bearing veins. The vein (Big Buffalo)
is a assure running in a northerly di-
rection, having width of from 20 to AZ
feet. The vein filling consists of hard
brittle white quartz, having banded
or ribbon structure. The quartz car
ries of the base metals, IL per cent OF
pyrites of iron, l per cent of lead, one
half per cent anthony, one-half per
| cent of manganese and a trace of cop
per; in all about per cent of the base
metals which are evenly disseminato
through the mineralized strata of tbs
ledge. OF the precious metals the
values are principally gold. having
about one ounce of. gold to the ounce
of silver.
THE vein is crosscut in two places
and is exposed at the point of the great
| outcrop, showing a continuous ore body
800 feet in length by an average widtf
of 35 feet. Samples taken from the sur.
face groupings and open cuts over the
entire length and width of this ore body
give the following results: The crop
pings, $12 gold and one ounce of silver
The cuts. 80 feet across the Big Buffalo
average one ounce of gold and one anf
one-quarter ounces silver, about $40 s.
per ton. Cut No. 2, 40 feet across, four
dfths ounce gold and one ounce silver
in value about SIT for the entire 40 feet
1t is reasonable to presume that in thi
ore body 800 feet in length by 35 fee
In width. should the vein hold deptl
of 100 feet of the same character of ore
there will be in sight $4,000 tons of ore
having a gross value of $3.50, 900. Thi
ore can be mined and milled at not t,
exceed 81 per ton. and with railwa,
facilities, for one-half Of that cost
showing profit of at least ST. 90
above the 100-foot level in this one or
body. Other exposures, both north ant
south. from this ore body show tn
ledge to be 10 to 20 feet in width. havin,
|
the large ore body"
It would be invidious to particulariz
the various meritorious claims in tn
camp. Suffice it to say that the coun
try is ribbed with six or seven stgon
quartz leads and pay ore" is found o.
each one of these leads. One ledge i
particular, about one mile Westerl
from the Big Buffalo, known as tn
Monte Cristo-St. Paul vein, is readil
traceable by its outcrop through l
, claims over two miles in length, show
ing on the different claims a ledg
; varying from 10 to 20 feet in width G
; ore that will pay a profit. On som
/. claims, the Monte Cristo and Eldoradt
the Gem City. st. Paul and the Sa
Francisco, there are immense showing
of good ore the average value across
feet of the Monte Cristo, as checked b
several experts. giving value of 50
On the Big Jumbo, another lead. an
about three miles south of the Buffalt
a tunnel giving a vertical depth of II
feet has been driven in the quartz, an
the entire length of this level gives a
average value of $50, exclusive of ric
stratum about eight inches in width. !