The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-09
IS A REALITY IN MINING
Cripple Creek Is A ttracting Great
Attention.
BUFFALO HUMP DISTRICT
A Country With Great Mining Possibili-
ties-Enormous Output of the
Cripple Creek Prop
critics.

| Reallty and possibility, arm in arm,
present themselves for the consideration
and anticipation of the mining world
and are introduced this year on the
| bargain counter of speculation. Grip
pie Creek takes the form of a reality
in mining ventures and Buffalo Hump
assumes the tickle garb of possibility
Both characters are strikingly attract
tive and promise to create no end OF
Juror and excitement before the end of
the year. This is how the two districts
are sized UP by men who have looked
over the inviting fields.
| Gold worth almost $56, 100000 has been
taken out of the mines in the Cripple
4 Creek district in the eight years since
4 the camp was located. These are Off
cial figures, and they make it clear that
Cripple Creek is the greatest gold camp
| on earth.
Big as the figures are. however, they
only tell the beginning of the story
Each year thus far has shown an in
crease in the output, and this year from
$lS,ooo,oOO to s2O,oOO,OOo of the shining
| yellow metal can be expected. And the
! figures will continue to increase
In the district five miles square,
which makes up the camp proper, there
Is limltless amount of ore and pay dirt
of all grades. Some of it is bonanza
ore'-so rich that samples have assayed
$l53,O0O ton. More of it is high grade
ore, running from $50 to 500 ton, but
still rich enough to pay enormous divi-
dends to the mine owners. Still more is
low-grade ore. netting less than $40
ton, but still very profitable. Govern
ment officials are now experimenting on
processes that will make 81 and 81 ore
profitable. When they are perfected it
can be expected that Cripple Creek
camp will be literally "minted" from
one end to the other
More than one-quarter of the profit
able gold mines of the United States are
| in the Cripple Creek region. There are
~ gold mines that are steady dividend
payers, and % of them are Cripple
Creek properties. Some of the finest
mining equipments in the world are
there. Twenty million dollars of capital
is invested in the district. Dividends
are making men in Chicago and New
York and Boston and even in Europe
suddenly rich. No one with Cripple
Creek stock can tell when his fortune
will come. Eleven new mines were add
ed to the list of good dividend payers
last year, the Isabella being only the
greatest one of many strikes.
Even the story of the weight of the
ore taken out of the Cripple Creek
mines without regard to it's value, is
marvellous one. A conservative estimate
of the weight of all the ore dug out Of
the hills in the eight years of develop
ment is 1.605, 900 tons.
AT Is tons to a car, train of 107 COO
cars would be required to haul this OUT
put to Chicago AT Sc feet to a car, the
train would be a fraction under 731%
miles long, exclusive of engines. At 40
cars to an engine, 2,675 engines would
be necessary to move the train. The en-
gines at SO feet each would add 1914
miles ito the length of the train, max
ing train $50 miles long. When the
train would stop at the Chicago limits
the red caboose on its rear end could be
seen from the summit of Pixies peak
dimly glimmering on the horizon, $50
miles distant.
This estimate of the tonnage output of
the ore from the Cripple Creek mines is
based on the 1897 and 1898 figures. In
1898 the output was 100000 tons, and in
1897 100000 tons, or a total of 100000
tons-worth $3.50 each or a total value
for the two years of $27 5000 900. In 1898
| 117,100 tons of smelter ore averaged $40
each and 269, 600 tons of reduction plant
ore averaged $25 each. The same aver
age was maintained in 1897 on 10000
tons of smelter and 1SS.C00 of reduc-
ton plant ore. Milling ore for the two
years is not counted here. The values
We're $25, 900 and 100000 respectively.
On the other hand. Buffalo Hump
comes to the front smiling its sweetest
smiles and impressing the public with
its unlimited possibilities and surface
showings.
I have been a mining man for over
Il years and have been in all the great
mining camps of the West. but the best
| surface showing | ever saw is to be
found in the Buffalo Hump country.
never before saw such lodges with such
uniformly high values running all
through the rock. ! predict that the
Hump country will become one of the
greatest gold mining sections in the
| world"
The speaker was w. d. McFadden of
Spokane, who has just returned from
trip to the Buffalo Hump country Mr.
McFadden saw the new camp in the
middle of winter at a lime when the
best showings are covered up by snow
but he visited some of the finest show
ings and returns an enthusiast upon the
future of the camp. He said to Chron-
icle reporter:
Once the snow goes off and there is
chance for road building it will be
easy to go into the Hump country. The
grades are easy and no trouble will be
had in constructing wagon and rail-
roads. Several wagon loads will UNI
snow is gone and there is a possibility
of railroad. The Clearwater extension
of the Northern Pacific is being hu?s to
Camas prairie, which will bring it with
in 55 or 60 miles of the Hump. If the
Hump boom this year is as great as is
expected il is not improbable that the
road will be extended on into the min
ing camp.
Railroad or no railroad, prices will
be low and living cheap in the Hump
country this year. 1t is within a few
miles of the great Camas prairie farm
ing country and produce of all kinds
can easily be hauled into the camp.
Il was only in the Hump about 20
days, going in over the trail the latter
part of January. There We're only 80
people in the camp at that time, but
many came in while l was there and l
met many more on the road out. Most
of the rush, however. viii be by way of