Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1899-07-14
TRACING THE BIG LEDGE
Daily Press Representative at the
Hump Gives the News.
From Our Own Correspondent, !

4
reprosJbIe piospectors are maxim
rs yelies within radius O
e., ..4ies that may yet add lustr
to the already bright galaxy 0
prospects that surround old Buffal,
Hump.
Every mining camp has som,
particular problem to solve of uni
versal interest to all. Here the
ideal issue at point seems to be tc
gain knowledge of or find the Big
Buffalo ledge outcropping be-
You'd the limits of where it has SC
far been traced. Last fall there was
little time to do this, and during
the winter it was impossible, but
now as the snow slowly disappears
from the rocky buttes, the search
goes on, and from what seems to
be authentic information the great
quartz lode has already been found
outcropping in one place for nearly
thousand feet, about three miles
due north of here.
The men who have the honor of
making this important discovery
are j. r. Verdier, late of Alaska,
and j. A. Harvey, of Butte, both
of whom are experienced pros
pectOrs.
Perhaps TIE story may better be
told iu Mr.. N'erdier's own words:
awe left BUR camp on Crooked
riyei on the morning Of the Both of
June, with four days provisions,
and headed on direct line for
Buffalo Hump, travelling south.
Heretofore we had found it impos-
sible to approach the Hump and
had been waiting for some time for
the ridges to become bare. We
prospected what we could along the
way and kept in line along high,
bald ridge from which the timber
had been burned, and which was
about three miles directly north of
the Hump. On this ridge we dis
covered ledge, the outcroppings
of which shows on the surface for
900 feet at the least, and which
varies in width from 25 to 80 feet.
The quartz is very rich in appear
ance and closely resembles that of |
the Big Buffalo, and the compass
gave us a line coinciding directly
with the latter. The lead seems to
run about 20 degrees east of north. |
The altitude is about the same as
the Big Buffalo and the mountain
shows q solid formation. MY part.
ner, Harvey, who is an experienced
mining man, is strongly of the
opinion that this is no other lead
than that Of the Big Buffalo. We
have made two locations, the en-
dependence and "National, and
will commence development work
at once. We have sent piece of
the groupings to be assayed but do
not intend to spend much money
assaying until we get the lead cross
cut to a considerable depth"
ON CROOKED RIVER.
Encouraging reports arrive daily
from Crooked river, or at least
from Five-Mile creek, a branch of
the latter, which flows easterly.
The locations already made down
there are quite near what is known
as the Summit Flat, west of Bad
ger, and about seven miles from
here by trail but probably not more
than five miles by air line, direc-
ton, northerly.
The excitement began down there
about three weeks ago and has al
ready reached fever heat, pack
trains and large numbers of men
moving in that direction daily. On
the north side of the creek the
Marcus is the most talked. of
claim. 1t is owned by Samuel Me-
Meeken and w. II. Purdy. The
lead shows three feet of rich de-
composed quartz from which sew
eral assays have been taken, the
gold value ranging from 5000 to
s4O0. 1t is said that a $15, 200
offer for this claim has already been
refused. The altitude at the
Marcus is about 5000 feet.
The Hannibal and "Glad-
stone" two promising claims lying
about 1000 feet west Of the Marcus,
are about to be developed by a
strong New York company. The
Excelsior, an extension of the
Marcus, is also being developed. A
man named Gordon also owns some
fine looking property near the
Marcus. Across the divide south
of Five Mile creek and still nearer
the Big Buffalo are the richest dis
yet made in the Crooked
river basin. There are about 20
claims located here, chief among
which is the Bison, owned by |
M. Dunton, and which it is expect
ed will soon become the property
of w. A. Clark and DR.. Baker. |
The Bison has a well-defned quartz
vein six feet in width that is said |
to assay marvelously high. The
veins in this Crooked river basin |
seem to have an easterly and west
erly trend.
Another breeze now tanning the
flames of the gold mining excite
ment is the report which Arthur
Gardiner brings of wealth galore